Most if not all businesses partake in some form of content marketing, whether it's through blogging or social media. Online marketing is a valuable asset to any company regardless of industry or size, though the most common holdup is determining if it's worth it.
Fortunately, there are several ways to see if content pays off in the long run.
Conversions
Turning prospects and leads into conversions is the primary function of content marketing. This is when a website or social visitor performs a desired action, like following a blog, signing up for a newsletter, or even purchasing a product.
Leading prospects to conversions is challenging, but it is the best way to determine whether or not content marketing is worth the investment.
Tracking conversions is as easy as looking at the difference between website traffic and the amount of people who convert. For small businesses, outsourced Web designers typically have the desired tools to find this information.
Have conversions increased since initiating content marketing? A simple "Yes" to this question is enough to grant marketers more freedom and money to do what they do best.
Some aspects of content marketing, however, are undefinable and hard to gauge. Here are some "side-effects" of marketing and how they benefit businesses:
- Adequate content proves that a brand is an authority in its industry.
- A higher ranking on search results due to added exposure.
- More robust content that justifies a website.
- A chance for people to learn who you are, what you do, and the purpose of your business.
- Pre-made ammunition for social media posting.
The Social Element
Content strategies usually center on business blogs. Accordingly, each post needs to be published on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and any other applicable social channel. In doing so, businesses can track the notice and success of each post and see how many visitors originate from social media.
Likes, shares, and added page follows are hard figures that allow business-ran pages to launch additional promotions and draw in more prospects. In addition, the more likes and shares a post gets, the longer it lasts in newsfeeds and the more likely it is to reach potentially uninterested customers.
Email Opens
Another overlooked content strategy is email marketing. Emails lead to higher rates of conversion than anything else. Why? Because proficient email campaigns are targeted and able to encourage people to follow links.
With analytical tools, companies are able to see how many on-site visitors stem from email campaigns. This too can justify the expenditure of content marketing.
Web Traffic
Web traffic, like social media, is easy to track. Let's take a business blog that was recently launched on WordPress as an example. From the admin panel, the everyday marketer can see how many views and visits the blog gets on a day-to-day basis. From here, they can look at which posts generated the most traffic.
With these numbers in mind, content and social marketers are able to determine which types of content draw in the most traffic. This can refocus a marketer's effort to create posts, blogs, and articles that appeal to certain consumers to encourage the conversion process.
As a side note, outsourced content marketing is a way for businesses to focus on what matters most: Internal growth and operations. Instead of settling for second-rate blogs and social administration, content companies can take the reins and drive a business' online assets to new heights.