How do you measure the impact of your corporate communications on content marketing?

1 Define your objectives and KPIs

Before you start measuring anything, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your content marketing and how you will track your progress. You can use the SMART framework to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives. For example, you might want to increase your website traffic by 20% in six months, or generate 50 qualified leads per month. Then, you need to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you measure your success. These can include metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions, engagement, retention, or revenue.

2 Choose the right tools and methods

Once you have established your objectives and KPIs, you must select the tools and methods that will enable you to collect and analyze data. Depending on your budget, needs, and preferences, there are a variety of options available. Google Analytics is a free and powerful tool that can help you measure website traffic, behavior, and conversions. It can be used to track page views, bounce rate, time on page, sources, goals, and more. Social media analytics, which are offered by most social media platforms, can help you measure reach, engagement, and performance on each channel. This includes metrics such as followers, likes, comments, shares, clicks, impressions, and more. If you use email marketing as part of your content marketing strategy, you can use the analytics tools provided by your email service provider to measure open rate, click-through rate, unsubscribe rate, and more. Additionally, there are specialized software solutions such as HubSpot, CoSchedule, or SEMrush that can help you plan, create, distribute, and measure your content marketing. These tools can assist with tasks such as keyword research, content optimization, editorial calendar, content distribution, and content analysis.

3 Analyze and optimize your results

To optimize your results and KPIs, it is essential to review your data regularly and identify what is working and what is not. Benchmarking, segmentation, testing, and reporting are all useful methods to analyze your data. Benchmarking involves comparing your results to your previous performance, competitors, or industry standards. Segmentation involves breaking down your data by different criteria, such as audience, channel, topic, format, or stage of the buyer's journey. Testing involves experimenting with different variables, such as headlines, images, calls to action, or content length, to see what generates the best response. Reporting involves creating and presenting reports that summarize your findings, insights, and recommendations. By following these best practices, you can measure the impact of your corporate communications on content marketing and improve your strategy accordingly. It is important to remember that content marketing is not a one-time activity, but a continuous process that requires constant monitoring, evaluation, and optimization.