The LinkedIn Dispatch #8

Fun fact: There are 3 types of solar eclipses:

1. Partial: When only part of the sun is obscured.
2. Total: When the moon completely covers the sun.
3. Annual: When the moon is too far from Earth, creating a "ring of fire" look.

The one happening tomorrow is a total solar eclipse ??

Welcome to The Dispatch, your weekly digest of LinkedIn posts that don't suck.

Today's topics:

1. Why you SHOULD measure ROI on individual pieces of content
2. Most blog posts suck (but they don't have to)
3. Don't write content, document your journey

Let'er rip.

— Dennis

1. Why you SHOULD measure the ROI of an individual piece of content

Via Benji Hyam (Co-Founder Grow and Convert)

• This was my favorite discussion from last week.
• Chris Walker first wrote a post arguing that measuring the ROI of an individual piece of content is "inaccurate" and a "huge waste of time."

• Chris advocates for measuring the ROI of the channel over the individual pieces of content. He also recommends focusing on quality indicators, like engagement/comments over ROI.

• However, Benji Hyam left this comment challenging Chris's take:

• Benji makes the argument (with data to back) that, no, you actually SHOULD measure the ROI of individual pieces of content.
• Here's the clip. And here's the full episode on YouTube.

My take:

• Marketers can (and should) attribute the ROI of individual pieces of content whenever possible—and it often IS very possible! You can drill down into individual blog posts to see which ones convert the highest and which ones get the most traffic.
• If you read Chris's post, it seems like he's talking about top-funnel social content, specifically. In which case, he does make a fair point—it's hard to measure ROI on zero-click social posts that don't have a CTA.
• If anyone knows Chris, ask him if he's up for a healthy debate with Benji.

2. Most blogs suck (but they don't have to)

Via George Chasiotis (Managing Director Minuttia)

• George's post instantly made me think of Julian's Tweet from 2020:

Hardly anyone talks about blogs anymore. But that doesn't mean they aren't still valuable.

• SEO content → ideal for blog posts.
• Product-led content → ideal for blog posts
• Thought leadership content → ideal for blog posts

My take:

• Blog posts aren't dead.
• Yes, of course the content has to be good for people to read. But more to the point, their role of the blog has narrowed:

3. Don't write content. Document your journey.

Via Peter Caputa (CEO Databox)

• This was a needed reminder and healthy reframe. Cheers, Peter.

About Dennis Buckley

After 8 years of working in startups, I struck out on my own to build a new life doing the work I love. I started Founders Ink, my founder-led content marketing agency, to help ambitious founders and CEOs:

• Scale their ideas on the internet
• Develop high-quality audiences
• Build authority and credibility
• Attract new customers

How I can help you become a thought leader in your industry:

• Newsletter: Sign up for The LinkedIn Dispatch
• Follow me Dennis Buckley for tips on how to acquire customers with organic content funnels
• Need content help? I run a ghostwriting agency for B2B founders.
• Want to chat? Schedule a call. Every week, I set aside time to talk to other founders and operators about their content strategy — at any stage — for free. Go ahead, you won't be sold anything on these calls.

See you next week.

— Dennis