Measuring and analysing content is based on the frequency of posting it. Measuring marketing effectiveness on a monthly basis is common. Weekly metrics can also be measured to stay on track of the monthly targets. The most common content measurement metrics are:

• The number of articles written per day
• Word count for a day
• Inbound links added to blog posts
• Outbound links added to blog posts
• List of topics for the upcoming month

Collect metrics that are actionable. A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) document should be useful. The document can be re-evaluated as time goes on. Actionable metrics include the number of email subscribers, the email engagement rate, the traffic blog posts garnered etc.

 Social media followers, number of likes, video engagement etc. are all metrics for a content marketing strategy. Capturing lead rate and conversions are part of another list.  

Learn to adapt when tracking content metrics. If tracking email opt-ins by the source is the KPI, then not acting on the output can be a waste. Rectify this by fine-tuning the data for email deliverability and email opt-outs. Email newsletters are also a part of content metrics. That is why ensuring email effectiveness is key. What is tracked over time is likely to shift, therefore, evaluate the list of metrics quarterly, or bi-annually.

Automate content metrics. Think about how the data collected is automated through reports. Google Analytics and Salesforce are two marketing automation tools that can be used. Looking at their dashboards each week can lead to the creation of a metric analysis document.

The KPI document now contains goals, pulled up data from marketing automation tools, content tracking calendar, inputs from team members on deadlines, and a quarterly review set. Analyse the KPI document to understand opportunities to explore. Analysing the document will also forge a path to achieving previously failed targets. Say, for example, the documents indicate a high number of Facebook shares but a poor number of Tweets, adapt to work the Tweets.

Learn about the audience, internal resources, and marketing automation, through this one KPI document.