How to Measure the Success of Your Content Marketing

In today’s increasingly digital world, the importance of content marketing can’t be stressed enough. But when it comes to measurement, a lot of B2B marketers are left scratching their heads. This problem, like many others, stems from a larger problem in general marketing: lack of focus on the right audiences. Without a core strategy that defines a clear audience, content programs often fall short and lose momentum.

In response to this problem, B2B marketers are implementing Account-Based Marketing (ABM) across the entire funnel. An account-based approach allows you to focus your content creation efforts on the companies that matter the most to your business. You can then tailor the message to address each segment’s problems (instead of just talking about your product). Popular B2B segments include things like industry, geography and revenue.

After you’ve identified the segments you want to focus on and the content you serve them, you can focus your measurement where those two intersect. This requires you to shift away from traditional metrics like downloads, page views and social media mentions, to more robust data like MQLs, SALs, pipeline opportunities and closed revenue. That isn’t to say that traditional metrics aren’t worth measuring, but you need the meatier metrics to paint a complete picture of your content program.

To get this, you need to run reports in your CRM. By layering bottom-of-the-funnel data with traditional metrics, marketers can glean insights about their content creation and distribution strategies. Not only do these metrics help you determine what’s working and what isn’t, they can also help you map out a buyer’s journey.

See which pieces drive the most MQLs and which help close deals. From there, you can provide guidance to Sales on which assets to reach out with (determined by which stage prospects are in).

Seeing success in content marketing hinges on marketer’s abilities to make connections with data. By implementing an ABM strategy, you create meaningful pieces of content for your prospects and customers, all while answering the age-old CFO question—what am I getting for all this marketing spend?

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How to Measure the Success of Your Content Marketing