It often feels like we have taken the terms ‘ROI’ and ‘value’ a bit too far in our times. Everything needs to be analyzed, measured and reported on to prove it’s worth. Ever wondered—what’s the ROI of your mom? Or your faith? Or even your dog? How many hugs do you need before you get value from them? How many tail wags will your dog have to deliver before you get return on investment?
My point is that not everything that is good and beneficial can be measured, charted on a graph and reported in a board room. Content marketing is one such aspect of our lives—essential, everywhere but when done the right way, highly valuable.
Organizations, both commercial and non-profit, are now investing big budgets into creating tons of content. To keep doing that, there has to be a way to measure performance, track KPIs and demonstrate the value of these activities. Making those metrics the sole focus of determining content ROI is not a good idea.
6 Content Marketing Benefits that Don’t Make it to Your ROI Report
- Brand image and visibility: It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, your target audience will take notice and remember your brand for quality content. A compelling video that goes viral, an insightful whitepaper that enjoys many downloads, an exciting email offer that gets shared, a unique perspective or Infographic on your blog that garners several great comments—all of these are signs that your brand is highly visible and the perceived image of your brand is positive.
- One voice, greater recognition and respect: Brand communication takes place in many forms and it’s not easy to get all parts of a company to use the same messaging and tone. When you build and relay a unified brand message through your content marketing efforts, everyone can refer to and speak in the same voice. Your audience begins to recognize, respect and grow comfortable listening to this one voice that speaks for your brand.
- Feeding the buying cycle: Studies have shown that buyers, particularly in the B2B space, make 70% of the decision making process before they contact a potential vendor. Traditional buying cycles have been turned on their head with this new type of buyer behavior. Quality content serves a huge role in educating, informing and engaging buyers during this cycle.
- Experience and expectation management: Customers expect organizations worthy of their business are going to generate and distribute useful content. You have deliver to that expectation and you also have to make it a good, memorable experience. The time, effort and money you invest to do this will pay off. You may not see an instant spike in sales but you will have moved up the ladder in your customers’ minds to find a place among brands they want to hear from.
- Attract and retain the best talent: Just like your customers, employees and potential employees are hungry for content that adds meaning to their personal and professional lives. The best part is, happy, motivated and engaged employees can be your most valuable contributors for ongoing content marketing!
- Build a community of trust: Never trust a stranger. Doing business with companies and brands we can trust is normal and desirable. Content marketing is one of the best ways to build trust and keep it growing.
Still worried about how to measure content marketing ROI? At the Search Engine Academy, we can show you ways to measure the tangible and intangible benefits of content marketing. Attend our Digital Marketing Classes – check the schedule!