What are the key steps to using a content marketing attribution model?

In the world of content marketing, picking the right attribution model can feel like a high-stakes game. If you're new to this, don't sweat it. Opt for a "hybrid" model for the best of both worlds— first-touch and last-touch. This gives you a full 360-view, capturing the initial spark that draws customers in and the final nudge that seals the deal. It's a conscientious strategy to gauge your content's full impact across the customer journey.

It's important that whatever attribution model you choose is not just considering your content marketing perspective but the whole marketing strategy and KPIs (which should then be aligned as closely as pssible with the business strategy and KPIs). Otherwise everyone will be discussing different numbers and working towards different goals. Having a last touch attribution model also doesn't mean that you shouldn't look at your website metrics for traffic acquisition (paid and organic sources) and user behavior to understand which channels need more work and identify improve ments for existing pages.

Never forget that you are having a conversation with a human, not a contact. This human has allowed you a few moments to tell a part of your story. Start small, and keep it simple. Assigning a person a place in the buyer's journey based on a single interaction will probably be wrong. When they understand your story and trust your intent, they will want to tell you their story. Let that happen.

First, learn about your customers. Second, find their needs, wants, and demands. Third, create a strategy to meet and even better to exceed their expectations. Create content which is entertaining, educational, and inspirational. Give more value. Then, you will see the engagement. Your hard work will pay off.

Understanding the customer journey and the impact of each touchpoint is crucial for optimizing marketing strategies. Multi-touch attribution models measure marketing effectiveness by considering all touchpoints on the consumer journey. The goal is to identify the most important touchpoints in the buyer's journey, such as social media ads, email newsletters, or blog posts, as each contributes to eventual conversions. Implementing a multi-touch attribution model involves measuring conversions across multiple touchpoints, providing insights into the customer journey and informing data-driven decisions for improved marketing outcomes.

Remember that defining success metrics for organic content is very challenging and sometimes almost impossible. Unlike paid advertising, where ROI is more straightforward, organic content's impact is very nuanced. It involves building brand authority, nurturing relationships, and fostering trust, and measuring these intangibles isn't as easy. Assigning value to each conversion goal is an exercise in understanding not just the immediate revenue potential, but also the long-term impact on brand growth and customer loyalty.

Defining clear conversion goals is pivotal for a successful content marketing attribution model. Here’s a step-by-step approach: 1. Identify Key Actions: List crucial actions (e.g., sign-ups, purchases) related to your business objectives. 2. Assign Values: Give each action a value, considering its importance or revenue potential. 3. Use Analytics Tools: Set up these goals in tools like Google Analytics for precise tracking. 4. Segment Goals: Categorize them by funnel stage for better content impact assessment. 5. Continuous Monitoring: Regularly review goal performance and adapt content strategy as needed. This ensures alignment with your business objectives and customer journey.

Content attribution is certainly a challenge, but it's made easier when you understand what you're measuring. Keep intent in mind — for example, a blog post is likely not meant to attribute to revenue in the same way a product demo is. When you set guidelines for what the true goals are for your content (and weight them correctly), it'll be easier to understand their attribution value both in the short and long term.

In my experience, content marketing stretches beyond short-term goals and conversions. It’s about building a relationship and reputation with your targeted audiences with the hope that you can convert them into customers at some point. In my case being in B2B, in my Robotics Academy company, it takes anything from one piece of content to three or ten over a year or two to convert. Most people who approach me are people who have been following the story and the journey of the growth of the brand for a year or more. Patience is important in this game, you need to enjoy the process and not obsess over the outcome

Choose your conversion goals in collaboration with members of the marketing team, such as the sales team and the SEO manager!

There is no touchpoint too small. They literally can be anywhere your customer is. And should be. But how do you know if they are working or not? Tracking those metrics. You need to be able to see what’s working and what’s not so you can make adjustments. Your analytics allow you to see how you can serve your customers better.

Let's exercise caution in this situation. The allocation of importance to touch points is generally an informed estimate relying on personal judgment rather than concrete data. Moreover, it doesn't take into account the caliber of individual interactions, such as the quality of the channel, content, or distinct engagements. In simpler terms, not all interactions are of equal value, and ascribing the importance of touch points to determine the appropriate distribution is a somewhat subjective process at most.

It's worth noting that while tracking traffic, engagement, and conversions are essential, it's also critical to delve deeper into the quality of interactions. For instance, a user might engage with a video or download an e-book, but did they find it valuable or share it with others? Did it influence their perception of the brand positively? Beyond just quantitative metrics, understanding the qualitative impact of content can offer richer insights into its effectiveness in building relationships, trust, and brand loyalty.

In tracking your content, especially for long-tail content, ensure you have enough touchpoints to capture the data of the interaction. E.g.: whether the reader can fill in the information to know more at top of the content besides the end of the content. Many times, companies showcasing their blog content on their content page typically has the form at end of the article, thinking readers will read till the end to fill the form. There need to be some micro-touchpoints at the top too rather than at the end. This is old school way which needs to be changed to get some creative touchpoints earlier for those who want to receive more information or to be contacted.

Things can quickly start to become overwhelming when you're tracking every interaction. Use your customer journey map to note the touchpoints and which metrics you are tracking for each step in the customer journey. Having a clear picture of which touchpoints and metrics you are tracking and how it relates to your customer journey can help keep it clear. When the overall picture is clear, it is easier to drill down into the granular metrics and see how it all relates back to the big picture and your goals.

Use tools likes Marketo, Hubspot, Adobe Analytics and Mixpanel to perform data analysis to make data-driven decisions. By combining information from different sources, you can gain a better understanding of which content and marketing channels are contributing to your objectives and improve your strategy accordingly.

Collect data on how conversions are attributed to different content touch points. This analysis will reveal which pieces of content and which touch points contribute most significantly to conversions. Look for patterns and insights, and consider how different attribution models impact your understanding of content effectiveness.

Analyze the data collected from your tracking efforts to gain insights into the effectiveness of your content marketing. Look for patterns, trends, and correlations to understand which touchpoints contribute most to your desired outcomes.

Once you've chosen your attribution model, defined conversion goals, and tracked content touchpoints, it's time to delve into the data. Thoroughly examine the attribution results to gain insights into the contribution of each touchpoint in the customer journey. Identify patterns, trends, and high-impact content. Analyzing this data empowers you to make data-driven decisions about optimizing your content strategy. Look for areas where adjustments can be made to enhance your content's effectiveness in driving conversions. In-depth analysis transforms attribution data into actionable strategies for better content marketing.

Attribution analysis should be an iterative proces and not a one-time task. It should be done regularly to keep up with changes in consumer behaviour and market trends.

There's nothing wrong with repurposing content and resharing it on other platforms. What's key here is knowing what makes sense where and for who. Be sure to not also just copy and paste, but tweak content to be best practise for the platform

Publishing "everywhere" is rarely a good idea because it can lead to wasted effort if your audience isn't present on a particular platform. When it comes to distribution, market research will help you determine where your target audience is spending their time and how to communicate with them on those platforms. A company that sells jewelry at retail won't address customers the same way as a company who provides legal services to corporate firms, for example.

One of the most important factors in content strategy often overlooked by small and large corporations is to not have an end-goal or objective that aligns with their organizational core values. As an organization or a brand evolves, so do it's values and ethos. If your content strategy is crafted to add value to one or all of your values, it will automatically communicate the right brand message and purpose to your audience. Otherwise, it may seem off-brand and not communicate the right tone of voice that your audience associates with your brand. And this is why, having strong internal brand values is a reflection of a brand's external perception.

To optimize your content strategy, consider: - Know Your Audience: Understand their needs and preferences. - Quality Matters: Focus on high-quality, relevant content. - SEO Optimization: Use keywords strategically for visibility. - Consistent Posting: Maintain a regular content schedule. - Visual Appeal: Include engaging visuals and multimedia. - Storytelling: Create compelling narratives. - Promote Widely: Share on multiple platforms. - Analyze Data: Use insights to refine your strategy. - Evergreen Content: Craft timeless pieces. - Collaborate: Partner for wider reach. - Feedback Loop: Listen and adapt to audience feedback.

One way to use attribution data to optimize your content strategy, is to test different re-purposing strategies. Once you have a good idea of how your content is performing you can create more effective content that resonates w/ your audience and drives more conversions. For example, you could turn a blog post into a video and promote both versions of content on social media. You could then use attribution data to see which version of the content drives more engagement and conversions.

Content marketing attribution models are not one-size-fits-all solutions. Experimentation and customization are key to finding the right approach for your specific business and objectives.

If you really want to build an attribution model for Content Marketing you need 2 critical elements that almost all marketers struggle with: 1. Patience 2. Data from the entire sales & and marketing cycle start to finish Otherwise, you are simply guessing and likely changing things before they have a chance to be effective. It's hard with external pressures and silos in many organizations, but it's vital. -

Another way to quantify your content marketing strategy is by measuring the number of keywords for which the content is ranking. Assuming these keywords are all new to the website's keyword profile, you can take credit for this visibility. Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush will give you a CPC equivalent for organic visibility. In other words, "if you wanted similar visibility for these keywords, you'd be paying $X,XXX in ad spend."

Having your entire Team understand that content marketing is not just for the marketing department is key. Being able to share different methods and strategies of creating brand awareness and sharing content ought to be a combined effort.

After developing the content strategy, make sure to create a short-term action plan so that you are able to evaluate the strategy's and the goals' success rate more accurately. Pay close attention to the action plan.