Build Data-Driven Content

More and more content is being produced but that doesn’t mean even more people are engaging with it. The people consuming content has plateaued while content creation keeps rising.

So what does these mean for your content strategy?

It’s time for you to evolve and check in on your content’s performance. It has become more important than ever to create content marketing with intent. Therefore content marketing can’t be successful without data. It’s time build data-driven content.

Where To Start

You first have to think of why you have content. Is it too…

  • Add value
  • Make your audience better at their job
  • Provide proof
  • Explain how to use your product
  • Announce product updates and upgrades

Hopefully, it’s a little bit of everything listed above with the main objective of making your audience the hero- giving them the tools they need to do their job better.

Then you have to think about how you measure that.

  • Google Analytics: Learn how traffic behaves on your website
  • Social Listening: Are there conversations happening that you can become a part of by creating a blog post
  • Automation Platforms: Use these to send emails and newsletters to see what people are clicking on (or not) and when.
  • Social Analytics: What content is getting shared? And commented on? You would want something more than a Like.

When you have the right tools in place, and all these tools work together you can pull in leads from your automation platforms that are tied to a CRM and link back to your blog post performance. Identifying data is just half the work, using it to pull data and share metrics to showcase strength and opportunity in your content performance is where it matters. When all your systems are working together you can start identifying what content is relating to your audience. 

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Your Audience Has Changed

First and foremost you have to understand your audience.

When you first created your content you might have done so in hopes of growing an audience by creating credibility and value through your blog, emails, and newsletter. But when is the last time you took the time to understand who these people are now? Just like you, they have changed and you want to gain an understanding of how, why, and when they are consuming your content.

Data can provide useful answers to questions like these:

  • Who is currently reading your content?
  • How are the reading it?
  • Are they sharing the content after they read it?
  • When are they unsubscribing and why (if sending in an email)
  • When are they reading it? Opening the email?
  • How are they finding the content? Via direct link? Facebook Post? Retweet?
  • How long are they staying on the page? Are they reading everything?

Things like their demographics, job title and employer may not have changed but when and how they are consuming your content might have and this the data you need to pay attention to. When you look into these questions it will help guide where you need to take your content which is how you turn insight into action.

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It’s Not Always What You Say

Sometimes more important than what you are talking about in your content is when, where and why you are saying it. Technology not only allows marketers to create messages that resonate with their audience but ensures they get it when they need it the most.

For example, more and more retailers are adopting technology that allows them to send notifications when their customers are entering the store and even when they are in a certain aisle. Let’s say you’re walking down the skincare aisle and you get a message from their app about a 20% off coupon for a specific product or $5 gift card if you spend $20 or more in that department. That could alter just what and how much you buy, not to mention keep your consumer from forgetting their coupons and therefore not making a purchase altogether. 

That is content the customer wants and it’s delivered when they need to know it. Understanding what is relevant content is just half the equation, knowing when to send it is what can make the purchase happen. Data makes this possible and is why it’s important to not only use it but stay aware of new trends and technology that enable you to take content marketing and personalization to the next level.

Wrap It Up

Now it’s time for your content team to act! What is one area you need to spend more time in? 

Put these three steps into place and set up monthly meetings to determine whats working and what needs to change. A data-driven strategy will push your content and brand in the right direction.

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Does Your Marketing Team Need A Data Analyst?

Many brands and agencies use the term data-driven to describe their marketing efforts but how do you know if you’re using data to its full potential?

We believe many marketers realize how important data is in connecting the dots between your marketing efforts and business goals but that can still be really hard to do. Having all the data doesn’t do much if you don’t really know what to do with it.

So what should you do? This is when we introduce you to the Data Analyst. Continue reading “Does Your Marketing Team Need A Data Analyst?”

3 Ways You Are Not Challenging Your Marketing Team

Those goals your marketing team set have an expiration date, and it’s time to start getting real with where they are in the process and how they are going to accomplish them.

So how do you find out how things are going? You have to ask some questions but asking pressing questions can often lead to uncomfortable answers. You don’t want your team to think you are looking for something; you want them to know you are checking in, pushing them to ensure these goals happen, and that they are making efforts to achieve them.

How can that be done? Continue reading “3 Ways You Are Not Challenging Your Marketing Team”

What Can Video Do For PR?

From Facebook to Instagram to Snapchat and let’s not forget the OG YouTube, video has now been pushed on social media, internet users, and content creators for nearly a decade and the idea that your audience is becoming video-first content consumers becomes truer every day.

Facebook has put out multiple platform updates stating that live video and video content will be favored in their algorithm. Facebook has also continued to add video formats to Instagram, and if SnapChat’s nearly 30 billion valuation isn’t proof enough that the future is video, then I am not sure what is.

So what does this mean for PR? Where tradition stands in relationships with the press and creating written press releases. How can agencies take advantage of video for their clients going forward?

Continue reading “What Can Video Do For PR?”

Is Content Marketing Dissolving Or Strengthening PR?

We have all heard it before, content is king! But before content marketing how were we getting our information out there? PR.

When looking at content marketing and PR it’s hard to see them fitting together. Content marketing is like the pre-party. It’s fun information, warms people up to your product, gets them excited, people check in often to find out new information. While PR is kinda like the cleanup team. Often times you don’t hear from your PR team unless something is going wrong, they clean up all the big messes, they are the ones to smooth things over. But it doesn’t have to be that way! They don’t have to compete or feel like there is only room for one of them. Both can actually thrive and benefit from one another.

Let’s see what I am talking about below….

Continue reading “Is Content Marketing Dissolving Or Strengthening PR?”

Reporting CMOs Want!

If I were to sum up the life of a marketer, I would say their goal on a daily basis is to 

MINIMIZE THE COST OF FAILURE

From figuring out who your audience is, what your audience wants, how to reach them, and most importantly how to get them to make a purchase. Oh yeah and in as little time for as little money as possible.

Anything else?

And don’t forget to provide reporting detailing those results, with data and analytics, in a language everyone can understand.

Gulp. No problem.

Bill Clinton looking defeated

Cue minor panic attack/nervous breakdown/ and never sleeping again.

What doesn’t my CMO want from me?! But maybe the reason they are expecting the best from you is that they are constantly going to battle for you.

So before you feel too defeated let us help you understand the importance of providing these insights to your CMO through reporting.

There is more at stake than what you might think! Continue reading “Reporting CMOs Want!”

What You Might Have Missed During Holiday Planning

For some people, it might feel a little late to be talking about holiday planning and for others too soon. 

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But when it comes to goal tracking, marketing measurement, and analytics you can never be too late.

Which leads us to wonder if those are the things that might have been overlooked while putting together those digital holiday campaigns. The good news is you can start doing all these today and because of that fact alone, in our eyes at least, your holiday campaign will be a success! Continue reading “What You Might Have Missed During Holiday Planning”

3 Reasons Why You Need To Download Our E-book, Measurement In Action

Still struggling with data-driven marketing? Thinking about investing in a new technology to make it easier? Worried about the mistakes you might make?

Well, we have created an e-book just for you! Our e-book is focused on all the above and centers around creating a data-driven culture within your marketing team. Continue reading “3 Reasons Why You Need To Download Our E-book, Measurement In Action”