As content marketing strategies and tactics become increasingly familiar to marketers, the industry remains plagued by a persistent question: how best to gauge content effectiveness?

Traditional metrics like social shares and pageviews remain available, but do they truly provide a complete picture? Can these metrics illuminate how content resonates with audiences, converts leads into customers, and contributes to overall business objectives?

Content analytics holds the key.

Curata’s CEO, Pawan Deshpande, recently spearheaded an initiative to compile content analytics advice from prominent figures in the field. Experts such as HubSpot’s Mike Volpe, strategist David Meerman Scott, LinkedIn’s Jason Miller, Quick Sprout’s Neil Patel, writer and editor Sherry Lamoreaux, myself, and numerous others contributed their insights to The Comprehensive Guide to Content Marketing Analytics & Metrics.

Curata organized this wealth of expertise into several categories addressing core content marketing challenges and objectives:

• Content Marketing Framework
• Performance Metrics: Consumption, Retention, Sharing, Engagement, Lead Metrics, and Sales Metrics
• Operational Metrics: Production, Cost, and ROI Let’s delve into the wisdom shared by over 20 of Curata’s experts on enhancing content marketing measurement!

Content Marketing Framework Insights from Pawan Deshpande

Curata utilizes a four-part content marketing framework inspired by content expert Jay Baer’s field guide, encompassing four primary content marketing metric types. Deshpande visualizes this framework using an inverted pyramid:

These metrics guide marketers in addressing critical content strategy questions. However, Curata advocates for a more granular approach, recommending four additional metric types: Retention, Engagement, Production, and Cost. Their content measurement framework strategically aligns content marketing metrics with the sales cycle and marketing funnel:

Impressive, isn’t it? This framework offers a clear roadmap for measuring content across diverse channels. While a robust framework is indispensable, it’s merely the starting point. Let’s explore expert advice on practical implementation and leveraging specific metrics for content strategy optimization.

Sherry Lamoreaux, Robert Rose & More on Performance Metrics

Performance metrics encompass consumption, retention, sharing, engagement, lead generation, and sales metrics. Deshpande emphasizes that consumption metrics can address questions such as:

• Is my content being consumed?
• Through which channels is my content being consumed?
• What are the content consumption behaviors and preferences of my audience? For websites and blogs, pivotal consumption metrics include page views, unique visitors, and average time on page. Writer/editor Sherry Lamoreaux from Act-On offers insights on website and blog measurement metrics:

“My metrics vary depending on the channel. For our blog, I prioritize tracking unique users and page views, focusing on trends rather than absolute figures. Identifying posts and topics that generate the most interest is crucial; understanding reader preferences is paramount. For downloadable assets like white papers and eBooks, particularly high-value gated content, conversions and closed sales are the most significant metrics. Effective assets remain gated, while those yielding subpar results are ungated. Additionally, we monitor linking domains.” Rob Yoegel, VP of Marketing at Gaggle, highlights the significance of measuring the performance of content assets such as white papers and eBooks: “I’ve found the most success analyzing conversion metrics (downloads/registrations) and website traffic (blog posts) from various traffic sources, both in aggregate (e.g., social vs. search vs. direct) and by specific website, campaign, etc. Understanding the origin of conversions and traffic, and tracking their journey towards a sale, provides valuable insights into content resonance and audience value.” Barry Feldman, founder of Feldman Creative, explains how email list conversions serve as a gauge for on-site content performance: “For over a year, I’ve operated by the mantra ’the money is in the list,’ making email list growth my top measurement priority. Email opt-in forms are strategically placed beneath each blog post and in the blog page sidebars. While many visitors are existing email subscribers, tracking email opt-ins as conversions provides a comprehensive view of content performance, both in terms of ‘pull’ and on-site engagement.” Retention metrics offer insights into audience retention post-visit, addressing questions like:

• How many visitors return to consume more content?
• How frequently do they return?
• How many subscribe for future content updates? Robert Rose, chief strategist at CMI, emphasizes the importance of aligning buyer personas with your subscriber list:

“Aligning your influencer and buyer personas towards a shared content marketing mission is paramount – it provides early indicators of success. Therefore, focusing on registered or ‘known subscriber’ metrics is key, as it reflects audience quality.” When it comes to social sharing, measuring content shares offers valuable insights into content resonance. Sharing often indicates content that is useful, educational, or entertaining. Tracking shares across all social networks is crucial. Chief Content Officer Heidi Cohen advises: “Content marketing success metrics must be tethered to your specific business goals. Achieving each goal typically involves smaller steps and objectives that guide prospects towards a purchase. Given the intricate nature of modern marketing and the myriad buyer paths, attributing sales solely to the last touchpoint is ill-advised. Platforms like social media can contribute to results without yielding directly quantifiable contributions. Incorporating a call to action, where appropriate, aids tracking.” Engagement metrics like session duration (dwell time), page depth, and social chatter indicate whether your content is captivating and inspires interaction. These metrics should align with your business objectives. Social media expert Beth Kanter highlights hers: “My most crucial metric is the number of speaking engagements or training projects I secure. However, this hinges on audience engagement and reach generated by my content.” For Quick Sprout’s Neil Patel: “Comments per post is the metric I prioritize. It reflects audience engagement. Regardless of traffic volume, converting visitors into customers requires cultivating an engaged audience.” As for myself:

“Recently, I’ve started tracking reader feedback as a key content marketing metric. This includes fan mail from readers impressed by my content, LinkedIn connection requests, and the sentiment expressed in press coverage. In a crowded content landscape, standing out is crucial, and reader sentiment metrics can indicate whether you’re succeeding.” Lead metrics are essential for understanding mid-funnel activities, enabling accurate lead attribution to specific content pieces. HubSpot’s founder and CTO, Dharmesh Shah, emphasizes the role of content marketing in generating high-quality, cost-effective leads: “For us, the most important metric for gauging content success is the number of qualified leads generated. We invest significantly in content creation, particularly our blog, which constitutes a major component of our inbound marketing strategy. The primary outcome we seek is qualified leads that can be passed on to our sales team. We’ve found that content-generated leads are more cost-effective and generally of higher quality compared to paid channels, leading us to increase our investment in this area.” Arnie Kuenn from Vertical Measures and LinkedIn’s Jason Miller underscore the critical importance of campaign tracking and lead measurement: “Lead conversions are undeniably the most critical metric.” “Ultimately, our objective is lead generation. If your content strategy is effective, the leads entering your pipeline should be more qualified due to their engagement with your content and closer to making a purchase.” Marcus Sheridan, founder of The Sales Lion, explains his preferred metric for campaign measurement and analysis:

“My most important metric is the number of pages read per lead. Why? Here’s the short answer: In 2012, my swimming pool company analyzed website analytics to compare leads who purchased a pool versus those who didn’t, both having filled out contact forms. We discovered a striking pattern: leads who viewed 30 or more pages on our website before our initial sales appointment had an 80% conversion rate, an exceptional figure in our industry. I firmly believe every business has its own ‘content tipping point’ for lead conversion. Today, I help my clients identify their tipping point and guide their leads towards it to significantly impact their sales process.” Sales metrics provide insights into the influence of content consumption on the sales pipeline and revenue generated. Online marketing strategist David Meerman Scott reminds us of the ultimate purpose of content marketing measurement: “How are sales? Ultimately, content marketing is about driving sales success.” But can sales be attributed to specific content pieces? HubSpot CMO Mike Volpe believes so: “Revenue. Anyone claiming you can’t attribute new customers and revenue to individual content pieces, like blog articles, is mistaken.” Doug Kessler from Velocity concurs: “Revenue is the ultimate metric. It’s the reason we do this, right?” Jeff Rohrs, VP of marketing insights at ExactTarget, adds: “As with any marketing activity, the primary metric is its positive impact on sales. Whether directly or through influence and loyalty, content marketers must deliver measurable value to the organization.” Ian Cleary, founder of Razor Social, agrees on the importance of revenue as a metric but includes others for a comprehensive understanding:

“Revenue generated is my most crucial metric for content marketing success. My path to revenue involves driving relevant traffic to my site, building an email subscriber database, and converting those subscribers. For instance, I host webinars for my email subscribers and generate sales through those webinars. Email conversion rate is another key metric I track, along with conversion rates from social media channels, social advertising, referrals, organic traffic, and direct traffic.” While revenue is often the bottom line, TopRank Online Marketing CEO Lee Odden reminds marketers that it’s not always the sole focus: “While all marketing efforts should ultimately lead to revenue, the most critical content marketing metric is the one aligned with your specific goal. While customer acquisition, sales, revenue, or profit might seem like obvious choices, content marketing can deliver value across various objectives. For example, leveraging content marketing to establish thought leadership can attract unsolicited media inquiries. Coverage in industry publications highlighting your company’s expertise can enhance brand perception and influence sales.”

Ryan Skinner, Cyrus Shepard & Others Discuss Operational Metrics in Content Marketing

Operational metrics are a different breed – beyond content reception and effectiveness, they assess your organization’s ability to create exceptional content. Production and cost metrics, often overlooked, are crucial for understanding the most important metric: ROI. Christopher Stella, senior marketing director at Siegel + Gale, underscores the significance of measuring employee participation in content marketing initiatives:

“At this early stage of our content marketing program, employee participation is a critical metric. As a professional services organization, content creation thrives on collaboration – our subject matter experts must share their unique perspectives to differentiate our brand in a competitive landscape. This year, approximately 40% of our employees have contributed original content to our blog, and many more have published articles. This growing participation is both culturally encouraging and crucial for our firm’s success.” Content marketing campaigns should continuously improve as processes are refined. Ryan Skinner from Velocity Partners explains: “One thing is certain in content marketing: your initial efforts will likely be your least impressive. Your current efforts will be surpassed by future endeavors. Everyone improves. What distinguishes exceptional programs from mediocre ones is their ability to the rate of improvement.” Deshpande shares his formula for calculating content marketing ROI: “Finally, we arrive at my favorite metric category: the holy grail – ROI metrics. These metrics combine various aforementioned metrics. While variations abound, here are a few worth considering. Return on Investment. For each piece of content ‘x’ in Campaign ‘C,’ divide the revenue generated (sales metric) by Content ‘x’ by the sum of its production cost and distribution cost (production metric). A ratio greater than 1 indicates profitability from a sales perspective. This calculation can be applied to individual content pieces or your entire content marketing efforts.

Alternatively, ‘C’ can represent all content produced by a specific writer, providing insights into their individual ROI. A ratio below 1 might warrant reconsidering their position on your team, though other factors can influence revenue.” Jim Lenskold, president of the Lenskold Group, highlights another vital ROI metric: “Average Value per Customer. Content marketing’s impact extends beyond lead generation. Measuring the increase in Average Value per Customer is crucial, as it reflects its effectiveness in educating buyers, differentiating your brand, boosting purchase volume, and fostering long-term loyalty. This additional profit margin justifies the investment in high-quality content that enhances lead quality and customer relationships.”

Cyrus Shepard, Content Astronaut at Moz (proving that you can indeed be anything you aspire to be!), shares a metric they developed internally to consolidate multiple metrics into a single content success measurement: 1Metric. “Choosing a single content performance metric is challenging, so we created 1Metric, an algorithmic score between 1-100 that combines traffic, social shares, and link data. This eliminates outliers and provides a clearer picture of our content’s success. We’re testing it internally and might release a public version soon. Here’s a sneak peek:

The Comprehensive Guide to Content Marketing Analytics & Metrics

That was a wealth of information, wasn’t it? This post merely scratches the surface. Curata’s full e-book provides formulas for implementing these insights into your own business. Pawan Deshpande, a brilliant content marketer, champions a data-driven, technology-enabled approach to strategic content marketing, eschewing guesswork and hoping for the best. For access to all of his content marketing measurement insights, formulas, and resources, check out Download the full Comprehensive Guide to Content Marketing Analytics & Metrics.