27 November 2011

Content Marketing Strategy

When I had word with one of our product manager about landing page content and showing concern about high bounce rate, his reaction was pungent. Normally mortar and brick sales guys alien to SEO and online marketing importance. Even content guys (English singing birds) have felt that they are extraordinary and have written ad hoc English to prove them genius.

In a post last week, I discussed about social media metrics with online visibility & impact. With this post I have discuss about different content metrics and how it will impact on your conversions and financial aspects.  Being an online marketing manager you should devise content marketing strategy on what behavior you want your content consumers to perform. 

Once you’ve finalized content marketing strategy and created content according to search engine competition that you think will drive the desired actions. The next step is to start mapping effectiveness of your content program. For different business models with different target audiences you cannot compare conversion capability of your content with a single metric.  None of data point can successfully or satisfactorily reflect your content strategy is working; you need to come up with array of content metrics that are selected from your primary requirements.

I - Consumption Metrics:
90% Indian website owners haven’t focused on their content strategy, directly jumping upon sales calls or their product superiority. Most of the website unknowingly adopts consumption metrics. This is the most fundamental type of content metric, and is unfortunately also the place where many programs both start and end. Example - Dalal Street Investment Journal – Equity Research Company
Key Performance Indicators of Consumption Metrics:
  • Number of page views
  • Number of repeat visits
  • Number of downloads
  • Average time on site
II - Sharing Metrics:
This is type of content metrics; people would love to share with their cyber buddies. Sharing content metrics is the heart of any online business model and the first steps towards the target audiences engagement and online reputation management. This kind of content should possess freshness, challenge, emotional call and viral power characteristics. Example - Dhanush's 'Kolaveri di' song is the new youth anthem
Key Performance Indicators of Sharing Metrics:
  • Number of likes and comments, tweets, sharing etc,
  • Number of Social Bookmarking
  • Number of reviews and criticism
  • Case studies and White Paper
III - Lead Generation Metrics:
Filter leads are the first step towards successful sales channel, just gathering eyeballs not fulfill your business objective. When you push your target audiences towards call to action (lead generation form) through your content (before allowing people to read/watch/download your content), indirectly you pull them into sales orbit this is where we start determining whether the content marketing effort is making financial sense. Example – Email campaign with free EBooks download after completion of lead generation form

Key Performance Indicators of Sharing Metrics:
  • Email Campaign
  • Special Landing Page for lead generation
  • Webinar registration
IV - Sales Metrics:
Every business wants to be a billionaire overnight, it’s not a magic. Sales metrics need deep understanding of your own product characteristics, core competencies, better understanding of TAP and latest trends around your niche. And more ever professional content approach with enticing, fresh and emotional call to action oriented content.

How often do sales metrics content consumers turn into leads?
Content isn’t just about consumption, it’s all about engagement, through engagement to lead generation and by lead generation to successful sales.  To find “How often do sale metrics content consumers turn into leads?” or If you would like to top on content game, hire a professional content marketing agency.