How to Measure Content Marketing ROI For Each Stage of the Funnel

Most content marketers think that content ROI is a mythical beast.

27,000,000 pieces of content shared each day (Nielson)

The average attention span has dropped from 12 seconds in 2008 to 8 seconds (Statistic Brian)

The average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds (Statistic Brain)

B2B marketers spend 30% of their marketing budget on content (CMI)

Conversion rates for brands using content is 6 -7x higher (Aberdeen)

But…Only 27% of marketers say they are effectively tracking content metrics…

Why is Content ROI a Struggle?• Marketers don’t think about

ROI during content creation

• Marketers aren’t aligned on metrics amongst teams

• Marketers don’t know how to measure content effectively

Take the Following Steps• Establish goals and measurement estimates up front

• Define what you want to measure for each content asset

• Align with all key stakeholders and get their input

What Are Other Marketers Measuring?

Track Different Metrics At Different Stages in Your Sales Funnel

Early Stage Metrics

Traffic to Your Website• Google analytics• Increase and decrease in

traffic• Referring sources• Exit pages• Bounce time• Top content assets

Content Downloads/Leads Generated• Can track in your

marketing automation or CMS• Can track in attribution

platform• Downloads either via click

or form fill• Views of content if not

downloadable files

Sourced Revenue and Pipeline• What content is sourcing

accounts that turn to pipeline and deals?• Can track in attribution

platform or CRM

Social Engagement• Social shares• Social likes• Social comments• Social follower increase

Mid and Late Stage Metrics

Quality of Incoming Leads from Content• What is the quality of

leads coming through your content programs?• Do they move to MQL,

SQL, Opp, and deal stages?• You can track this through

your CRM or attribution platform

Influence on Pipeline and Revenue• What content

influences leads to become opps and closed deals?• What content can

be attributed to revenue for the business?• Multi-touch

attribution modeling in an attribution platform

Account-Based Influence• What content influences target accounts?• What content sources leads from target accounts?• What content influences the velocity of a target account deal cycle• Tracked in an attribution platform

Sales Usage• Is sales using your content

in their deals?• How are they using your

content?• Are they asking for printed

content?• Are they sending leads

your content?

Set Your Programs Up for Success

Organize Your Content Programs Up • Organize programs in

Marketo for easy tracking and sorting• Have consistent naming

conventions• Create programs for gated

and ungated content

Track Content Holistically Across All Channels• Use parent/child bucket

programs in SFDC to look at how a content asset does across all channels and campaigns• Enables you to look at a

roll-up value without double counting

Q&A