How do you measure and report on your content ROI and what tools do you use?

1 Content goals and metrics

Before you can measure your content ROI, you need to define what success looks like for your content. What are the specific and measurable goals that you want to achieve with your content? These could be related to awareness, engagement, conversion, retention, or loyalty. For each goal, you need to identify the relevant metrics that will help you track your progress and evaluate your performance. For example, if your goal is to increase awareness, you might use metrics such as impressions, reach, traffic, or share of voice.

2 Content benchmarks and targets

Once you have your content goals and metrics, you need to set some benchmarks and targets to compare your results against. Benchmarks are the baseline values that represent your current or past performance, while targets are the desired values that represent your future or ideal performance. You can use different sources to establish your benchmarks and targets, such as historical data, industry standards, competitor analysis, or customer feedback. For example, if your benchmark for traffic is 10,000 visitors per month, you might set a target of 15,000 visitors per month to grow your audience.

3 Content data collection and analysis

The next step is to collect and analyze your content data using various tools and methods. Depending on your content goals and metrics, you might use different tools to measure different aspects of your content, such as web analytics, social media analytics, email marketing analytics, content marketing platforms, or customer relationship management systems. You should also use qualitative methods, such as surveys, interviews, or user testing, to complement your quantitative data and gain deeper insights into your audience's behavior, preferences, and satisfaction. For example, you might use Google Analytics to measure your traffic and conversions, and SurveyMonkey to measure your customer satisfaction and loyalty.

4 Content ROI calculation and interpretation

To calculate your content ROI, you need to compare the benefits and costs of your content. The benefits are the value that your content generates for your business, such as revenue, leads, or referrals. The costs are the expenses that you incur to produce and distribute your content, such as staff, tools, or advertising. You can use a simple formula to calculate your content ROI as a percentage: (Benefits - Costs) / Costs x 100. For example, if your benefits are $10,000 and your costs are $5,000, your content ROI is 100%. However, calculating your content ROI is not enough. You also need to interpret what it means for your content strategy and performance. How does your content ROI compare to your benchmarks and targets? How does it vary across different content types, channels, or segments? How can you improve your content ROI by optimizing your content quality, relevance, or distribution?

5 Content reporting and communication

The final step is to report and communicate your content ROI to your stakeholders, such as your managers, clients, or partners. You need to create a clear and concise content report that showcases your content goals, metrics, results, and insights. You should also use visual aids, such as charts, graphs, or dashboards, to make your data more accessible and engaging. Your content report should tell a story that highlights your content achievements, challenges, and opportunities, and provides actionable recommendations for future improvement. For example, you might use a tool like Google Data Studio to create a content dashboard that shows your traffic, conversions, and ROI over time, and explain how you can increase your ROI by creating more personalized and targeted content for your audience.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?