Looking for some copywriting hacks that will help you level-up your content?
Well, you’re in the right place!
For this month’s session of #ContentWritingChat, we asked our community to share some of their best copywriting tips that you can take and implement in your own content. Perfect if you’re looking to generate more traffic, engagement, and conversions. Let’s dive in!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Copywriting Hacks to Up-Level Your Content
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Partner (@ExpWriters) September 6, 2022
Be sure to check out our blog post, which is linked in the embedded tweet above. It was the inspiration for this month’s chat!
Q1: The first step in creating amazing content is to know your ideal reader. How can you learn more about those within your target audience to create content that serves them?
A1: You can't rush it or fake it. Take time to authentically know your audience. Even better, service a specific niche so you're always knowledgeable and up-to-date. #ContentWritingChat
Always take the time to get to know your audience by having conversations with them.
A1: Market research is crucial for getting to know your audience. One of the best ways to do that is to TALK to them. Get to know them through social media or even hop on 1:1 calls. #ContentWritingChat
You can talk to your audience via social media or even have 1:1 calls as market research if you have the time to dedicate to it.
A1. Once you’ve identified the target audience, begin to collect data on what kind of content they currently consume, painpoints in the industry and new trends. Typically industry leading media would have an array of this kind of content published regularly. #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/yDn9mecEe5
— Kathryn Lang – hopesmith and dream ignitor (@Kathrynclang) September 6, 2022
It’s important to define your voice if you want to stand out from your competitors. It’s what makes you unique compare to everyone else.
A2: The best differentiator I've found is to deeply care. Which starts with knowing your audience and caring about their needs. It shows up in your work. #ContentWritingChat
Showing you care about your audience goes a long way.
Q3: Part of generating traction for your content is creating a headline that will get people to click. What makes a clickable headline?
A3: Keep headlines short and sweet. And never write something misleading just to generate traffic. Headlines should always be honest and relevant to the content. #ContentWritingChat
Headlines should be on the shorter side and need to be relevant to your content. Never mislead your readers with a clickbait headline.
A3. Make a bold claim or statement, that is captivating and still provides a fair representation of the article. It should also appear as something that would be recognizable to your existing audience. #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/D7SQBBat0x
Bold claims can be an effective way to grab attention and drive traffic.
Q4: How do you ensure the body of your content is intriguing enough that people read it the whole way through?
A4: Use formatting that "moves their eyes" down the page. Short sections and clear sub-headings. And above all, make sure your writing is clear and each section is relevant so they won't want to miss out. #ContentWritingChat
Formatting plays a major role in your content, so don’t just focus on the copy. Sub-headings are a great way to make your content easier to consume.
A4. Split it up with topic headlines and even separate quote sections to highlight the major thoughts or points in the article. Also breaking it up with images and descriptive text can draw readers back in to get details on what is in the photo. #contentwritingchat#writinghttps://t.co/HkNerqOuSr
Urgency is great, especially if there’s a deadline. Just don’t lie about deadlines or limited spaces to fake urgency. Only use this tactic when it’s legitimate.
A5. Add some sort of time constraint within the text, or even by using an image to highlight the urgency. ‘For a limited time’, ‘Available through September 10th’, ‘Join us today for access to’ #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/JtWszCu3vc
These simple tips will allow you to effectively incorporate urgency!
Q6: Editing is key when polishing your content. What does your editing process look like?
A6: Editing process:
1st draft – read through make notes 2nd draft – search for grammar and spelling 3rd draft – overused phrases and words 4th draft – new set of eyes Final form#ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/nBjim2SwQT
— Kathryn Lang – hopesmith and dream ignitor (@Kathrynclang) September 6, 2022
Combing through your content multiple times will allow you to spot grammar and spelling mistakes, as well as overused phrases and words. Perfect for tweaking your copy.
A6: If there's a second editor available, that's great. Otherwise, let it sit for a bit (depending on format/length, even 30 mins can be plenty) and then closely read with the intention to streamline. #ContentWritingChat
If you can, have someone else review your content. A second set of eyes can be a huge help in spotting mistakes you overlooked.
A6: Cut out unnecessary parts, remove all repetition, break up any awkwardly long sentences, review for flow, review for spelling/grammar, read as a member of the target audience and ask questions, answer questions, peer review, and finalize. #ContentWritingChat
As you edit, remove anything unnecessary, revise for flow, and correct any spelling and grammar mistakes. Your readers will thank you!
Q7: How soon after your content is published do you monitor its analytics? Which metrics do you track to determine success?
A7: It takes a couple weeks for new content to get traction on Google, so start monitoring analytics 2-4 weeks after publishing, then monthly after that, especially if you're optimizing content based on metrics. #ContentWritingChat
You’ll want to give it some time for your content to gain traction on Google, so two to four weeks after publication can be a great time to start seriously tracking metrics.
A7. I’d recommend checking the analytics for the next few days and then weekly and monthly, per your typical process. I’d review clicks on the article, link clicks, time on page and acquisition #contentwritingchat#analytics#metricshttps://t.co/OQCEjiOcOx
When building your brand, coming up with ideas to fill your editorial calendar can often be a daunting task. When the creative juices just aren’t flowing, it’s a struggle to come up with fresh ideas that your audience (and Google) will love.
So, what are you to do when you aren’t sure which topics to cover on your blog, social media, or other channels? Well, we have some ideas for you in the latest round of #ContentWritingChat!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Generating Captivating Content Ideas for Your Brand
— Kathryn Lang – hopesmith and dream ignitor (@Kathrynclang) August 2, 2022
As Kathryn pointed out, you want to write about topics that are aligned with your brand overall. Consider how the topics you’re covering relate back to your brand’s mission, vision, and voice.
A1. The content topics that your brand chooses to cover will play a big role in the public messaging and theme of the company, it’ll be a significant determining factor on what kind of audience and attention the company will be able to draw in. #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/sE5r0RDC4M
Your content is what will attract people to your brand. You need to make sure you’re writing about the topics that will bring in your desired audience.
a1 I would say it's key if you want to start building authority around your brand. also, it's a way of keeping the content creation focused.#ContentWritingChat
Content is also key for building authority, so you’ll want to cover topics that are centered around your area of expertise.
Q2: A huge part of generating content ideas is understanding your audience. What should you know about them?
A2. When crafting content for your audience its important to understand their painpoints, interests, communication preferences, cultural/geographic factors. Having some guidelines will contribute towards crafting content designed to resonate with the audience #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/LpWWCLXRtd
As Andrew pointed out, knowing the pain points and interests of your target audience goes a long way. It’ll help you create content that will resonate with them on a deeper level.
A2. You should consider what piques their curiosity. What gets them to stop scrolling and click through to your content – on email, on social media, YouTube or otherwise. It's something they need, it speaks to a problem they've been trying to solve.#ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/3nbWv6RzzWpic.twitter.com/hqcvez3IYb
— Kathryn Lang – hopesmith and dream ignitor (@Kathrynclang) August 2, 2022
Beyond coming up with the right content topics, you’ll also need to know how they like to consume content (blogs, videos, etc.) and how long they like content to be.
To help you figure all this out, Carla suggests checking out your analytics for helpful data and even taking the time to talk to your audience.
Q3: Google Analytics tells you a lot about your website visitors. How can you use it to generate content ideas for your blog, social media, etc.?
A3: Follow the Yellow Brick Road: pay attention to what content gets the most traction. The most visits, the most engagement, shares, etc. That's a big clue as to what your audience cares about. So DO MORE of that! #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/z70pqc2wLepic.twitter.com/tn8rUnApvT
It’s all about what gets the most attention! Andrea suggests looking at the pages that are getting the most traffic, engagement, and shares and use that as an indicator that your audience is really loving that topic.
A3: Your website visitors tell you exactly what they want by the pages they visit, the topics they read about, the resources they download, and the high and low bounce rates they have from page to page. See what they like and brainstorm from there. #contentwritingchat
It’s also smart to look at bounce rates to see where improvements can be made to your content and also to find ways to keep people on your site longer.
Q4: Is it worthwhile to check out what your competitors are doing to gain inspiration? If so, what do you need to know about analyzing their content?
A4. Always gotta check in with the competition: a nice pulse-check to see if anything's resonating with their audience, what seems to be working for them (or not). It gives you clues into what everyone else is doing / saying so you can offer something better. #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/UZ3tnt1rsHpic.twitter.com/SwhwlWeYTS
When checking out the competition, pay attention to what’s working for them and what’s not. Knowing what resonates with their audience gives you some ideas on what you can do with your own content.
A4. It only makes sense to pay attention to your competitors, but do so in a respectful way. Try to understand differences & similarities between you, also how that’s likely to affect your target audiences. Don’t undercut or diminish them. #ContentWritingChat
Dana offered some great advice here. While you want to watch your competitors, don’t undercut them or diminish them in any way. This practice is meant to inspire your content, so never copy what someone else is doing directly.
Q5: What are some other smart tactics or tools that can help you come up with fresh content ideas?
A5: Send out surveys, run polls, or even hop on some market research calls to better understand your audience. #ContentWritingChat
If you’re stuck for ideas, send out a survey to your email list, run polls on social media, or even ask people to hop on market research calls for in-depth, one-on-one conversations.
Jennifer suggests checking out Answer the Public. It’ll give you a look into what people in your target audience are interested in, allowing you to create content that answers their questions.
Carla’s advice is to also pay attention to what’s happening in your industry. This can often spark content ideas that will help you keep your audience informed.
Q6: What do you do if you chose a great topic for your content, but aren’t seeing the traffic and engagement you hoped for?
A6. Just because it flops the first time doesn't mean it's not wanted / you didn't target it right. It might need to be repackaged (title, imagery), or it might need some paid help for traction. Could be consistency – maybe a series works better over time. #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/nkPF8gBBmPpic.twitter.com/D8JDwoSXgX
Simple tweaks to the content title or the imagery used can make a huge difference. However, in some cases, you may need to put a few advertising dollars behind the content to drive more traffic.
A6: I first see if I can repurpose it into a different format (video, audio). Second would reshare it at a different time and day. If these two don't work then drop it. #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/H3lMcsJOLF
Andrew suggests adjusting the title, copy, and imagery first. You can also try different promotion techniques to see if that helps improve performance.
Q7: What’s the best thing you can do when you feel like the creative juices aren’t flowing?
A7: Check out the search results and see where your content is ranking, what is out ranking it. Dive into your analytics and see what people are searching for to get to your page, you could be ranking for the wrong keywords. #contentwritingchat
Check out your analytics! See what people are searching to land on your website. Perhaps those keywords or phrases could spark some inspiration.
A7. Phone a friend! It could be helpful to speak with other professionals in the industry that would be able to consider your content and topics from a different point of view. They may have fresh ideas and even help you by collaborating with you #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/MDOzRO3Y1Rpic.twitter.com/1jTW1LvODR
Don’t be afraid to talk to a friend in the industry. As Andrew said, it could offer a new perspective on things that could help generate tons of new ideas.
A7: Write those inspired genius ideas down. Voice record them on your phone if you're nowhere near a pad and pen. Do a selfie video with your stream of consciousness. You can go back later to flesh out. Nothing worse than forgetting. So capture it somehow. #ContentWritingChat
This is great advice from Jennifer, so be sure to always save any ideas that come along immediately. You don’t want to lose them!
A7. Take a break, even it’s just for a few minutes. Go for a walk, listen to music, do deep breathing, whatever works for you. A lot of times, that’ll allow you to “reset” & address the situation with a clear mind. #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/Kihsc6Iilh
But if the creative juices still aren’t flowing, take a break. Getting out for a walk, listening to music, or whatever else refreshes you can make a world of difference.
Want to join us for the next #ContentWritingChat? Mark your calendar for the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central! And be sure to follow @ExpWriters to stay updated.
But are you on track to hit your content marketing goals? That’s an important question to ask yourself at the mid-year point as you’re reviewing all your brand has accomplished so far.
Why? Well, by conducting a content marketing audit, you’re able to see where you’ve been successful and where your efforts have fallen short. Then, you can make tweaks to your strategy, as needed, to ensure success in the second half of the year.
However, if you’ve never conducted an audit of this sort before, you might be wondering how to get started. And luckily, that’s exactly what we talked about in this #ContentWritingChat!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Conducting a Mid-Year Content Marketing Audit
Today, we're hosting a community chat and discussing how to conduct a mid-year content marketing audit.
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Partner (@ExpWriters) July 5, 2022
For this month’s #ContentWritingChat, we hosted a community chat where our chat participants are the stars of the show. Each one offered great insights into conducting an audit, so let’s dive into their tips!
Q1: What is a content marketing audit?
A1: A content marketing audit is a way to take inventory of your existing content and the channels you're using. You can then evaluate performance based on your goals so you can see if you're on track or need to make improvements. #ContentWritingChat
An audit will require you to take inventory of your content on all the channels you’re actively using. This way, you can measure the performance of everything you’ve published and identify areas for improvement.
A1. A #ContentMarketing Audit is a process in which you review the content that you’ve created and evaluate it in terms of its performance, identifying things that have and have not been effective. Note details like posting times/days, topics, images, length #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/6WvcWwIxbG
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) July 5, 2022
A1. (Continued) Also titles, formatting, time on page, social metrics, click though, etc. You can then use this information to compare it with the performance of your other content. #contentwritingchat
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) July 5, 2022
As Andrew said, an audit is an opportunity to identify what has and hasn’t been effective within your content marketing strategy. He says to make note of things like posting days and times, popular topics, etc. You can also compare titles, time on page, and other details to previous content to see how it stacks up.
Q2: Why is it important to conduct an audit of your content marketing strategy?
A2. A content audit is just a good way to do a pulse-check on your content. How’s it performing so far? Are we even looking at the right KPI’s appropriate for the content types we’re producing? What’s working and what isn’t, what adjustments should we make? #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/2OLytwkCmV
A content marketing audit is a great way to see how your content has been performing. Doing this allows you to see what adjustments should be made to your strategy moving forward.
A2. Conducting a #contentmarketing audit is a great way to identify what has been effective or ineffective within your content. Finding what works will help you to focus your efforts further on what content is providing the most value to you and your audience. #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/9Bz7XW2zxW
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) July 5, 2022
When you know what’s been working and performing well for you, you can continue to focus your efforts there to ensure you’re providing value to your audience.
Q3: Before diving in, you need a few tools to make the job easier. Which tools would you recommend for a content marketing audit?
A3. A tracker (for metrics) that is either built in the interface being used for the website, Google Analytics, @Hootsuite for social metrics, a content planner and a spreadsheet that tracks each piece of content corresponding to KPI’s. #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/2XS9imIGUx
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) July 5, 2022
Google Analytics is great for tracking website data. If you use a scheduling tool for social media, such as Hootsuite, it’ll be smart to check their built-in analytics as well. Then, you can record data in a spreadsheet to easily review later.
— Kathryn Lang – hopesmith and dream ignitor (@Kathrynclang) July 5, 2022
Consistency is always a great goal to pursue!
A4. Common ones we see: draw new qualified leads, increase sales & brand awareness, establish you as a thought leader, grow your email list / social audiences, retain your current customer base & foster loyalty, build community to retarget to…#ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/SvjmaDmzfKpic.twitter.com/Zrr2BUTUTi
Everyone’s goals will vary, but some common ones include: attracting leads, boosting sales, and generating brand awareness.
Q5: Part of conducting an audit requires you to take inventory of your content and analyze its performance. Which metrics should you be tracking during this stage?
A5. Classic MBA answer: “it depends.” LOL. But some common metrics: traffic (of course), shares, engagement, open rates and CTRs on email and ads, time on page, views on videos, following / subscriber growth, lead magnet downloads…#contentwritingchathttps://t.co/QBTjRtE8YVpic.twitter.com/FMjFSf1aC4
— Kathryn Lang – hopesmith and dream ignitor (@Kathrynclang) July 5, 2022
If your site is still on the newer side and hasn’t generated much traffic yet, review the content itself. Are there any opportunities for improvement?
Q6: If you notice your content isn’t performing as hoped, what can you do to turn things around in an effort to drive more traffic, engagement, and conversions?
A6b: If you are getting traffic, but they're not converting… Make sure your content is enticing and that your CTA is clear. #ContentWritingChat
To improve performance, you need to first identify where things are going wrong. If you’re not seeing a decent amount of traffic on your content, review it to see if it’s properly optimized. Then, step up your promotion on social media and via email marketing.
If you’re seeing a decent amount of traffic, but your content isn’t converting… Look at the content itself. Is your post appealing to its reader? Is your call to action clear?
A6. Identify things about the post that are similar and dissimilar to other content that you’ve created that was effective. It could be a matter of changing the title, intro copy, images, social posts or it may not be a topic that resonates with your audience. #contentwritingchathttps://t.co/k6qc0O7owy
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) July 5, 2022
Compare content that isn’t performing well to the content pieces that have been effective in the past. Andrew suggests looking at the title, intro, etc. to see where improvements can be made.
Q7: How often should you conduct an audit of your content and your content marketing strategy?
A7: I think it's smart to conduct quarterly audits. It'll give you plenty of content to review. Then, you can adapt your strategy for the following quarter. #ContentWritingChat
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) July 5, 2022
Or you can go for monthly, especially if you’re producing a lot of content.
Want to join us for the next #ContentWritingChat? Mark your calendars for the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @ExpWriters.
You worked hard to not only build your website, but also to fill it with amazing, high-quality content for your target audience to enjoy? Don’t you want them to be able to find it organically through a Google search? Of course!
However, securing one of those coveted spots on the first page of Google is easier said than done. There’s a lot of competition, after all!
Luckily, there are a few things to ensure your site and its content are effectively optimized so you can not only rank higher, but also attract tons of new traffic your way. And that’s exactly what we’re talking about in this #ContentWritingChat.
#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Optimize Your Content & Website to Rank in Google
Today, we’ll be chatting all about how to optimize your blog content AND your website so you can rank on that coveted first page of Google. 📈 pic.twitter.com/Wan1Y75fcf
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Partner (@ExpWriters) June 7, 2022
This month, we held a community chat all about optimization. If you want to learn what it takes to rank, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into the tips!
Q1: Why is it important that we take the necessary steps to get our content and our websites to rank high in Google search results?
A1: You work hard to create amazing content for your brand. Don’t you want people to see it and enjoy it? Of course!
By optimizing your content and ranking high in search results, you’re more likely to be discovered by new readers. #ContentWritingChat
Taking the extra steps to optimize your content means you stand a better chance at getting discovered by new people. Not only will you see an influx of traffic to your site, but it’s great for boosting engagement and conversions.
Q2: Part of ranking is choosing the right keywords. How do you select keywords to use in your content and on your site? For instance, should you consider factors like search volume, competition, etc.?
When choosing keywords, focus on relevancy, search volume, and user intent. There are tons of keyword research tools out there that will help you determine the right focus keyword to use on your web pages and within your blog posts.
Q3: Once you’ve chosen your focus keyword, where do you place it in your blog posts and on your website? Are there key places that shouldn’t be overlooked?
A3: Make sure you include your keyword in a few key places such as: title, meta description, introduction, and headers.
The title, meta description, introduction, and headers are important spots for placing your keyword. You’ll even want to sprinkle it throughout the body of your copy in a way that’s natural, not forced. The article from our blog that’s linked in the tweet above offers even more great advice.
Q4: Is there anything you should avoid when it comes to optimizing your content and your site? For instance, any old SEO tactics that are no longer relevant today?
A4: Don’t make SEO the *point* of your content. See it as a valuable benefit and be sure to optimize, but make sure the content is valuable in itself. This avoids a lot of pitfalls. #ContentWritingChat
Focus on creating amazing content first. After all, it’s about providing value and serving your audience. That’s always the top priority. Optimization should merely amplify your content.
Q5: How can you check to see where your content is ranking?
A5: You can do this manually by searching for your focus keyword and seeing where your content ranks. Or you can use a tool that tracks keyword rankings. #ContentWritingChathttps://t.co/otL3CLAVrQ
Invest in SEO tools that will provide all the data you need to measure your progress. If you can’t afford tools right now, manually search for your focus keywords to see where you’re ranking.
Q6: What do you do if your content still isn’t ranking? Is there anything you can do to ensure your content and your site begin to perform better?
A6: One idea – Try longer, more evergreen content. Test out longform blogs that people can reference over and over. #ContentWritingChat
If you’re not already creating longer, evergreen content, give it go. Google wants to see that you’re providing high-quality content and being of service to your audience. This could be what turns things around and gets you ranking at the top of the search results.
Q7: Which tools have been essential for optimization? Do you have any favorites for monitoring your website analytics and for conducting keyword research, etc.?
If you want to learn more about SEO, always refer back to our blog and visit Search Engine Journal as well.
Come join us for the next #ContentWritingChat! It happens on the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central. Just follow @ExpWriters to stay updated.
You spend quite a bit of time, effort, and money when it comes to your content marketing efforts. So, don’t you want to make sure you’re seeing a return on your investment? Of course!
That’s why it’s crucial you take the time to measure your content marketing success so you can see what performs well and what doesn’t. This way, you’re able to focus on creating the content that’s going to generate the best results, allowing you to get more bang for your buck.
But how do you go about tracking this type of data? We’re breaking it all down for you in this month’s #ContentWritingChat. Let’s dive into the tips!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Measuring Content Marketing Success With Amanda Webb
This month, we're joined by Amanda Webb (@Spiderworking). She's a digital marketer and will be sharing some tips on measuring content marketing success.
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Partner (@ExpWriters) May 3, 2022
Our guest host for this month was Amanda Webb. Amanda is a digital marketer who knows a thing or two about diving into your analytics to determine whether or not your content marketing efforts are paying off. After all, her mission is to help boost your ROI in business!
Q1: Why is it important to track the success of your content marketing efforts?
A1: Creating content takes time, a lot of time. Is that time being spent wisely? Are you spending time on the right thing? You need to measure to know you aren’t wasting that time PLUS most importantly, that you are delivering results for your or your client.#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
As Amanda pointed out, it takes time to create great content. And because our time is precious, it’s important that we’re being smart about where we’re directing our attention. You wouldn’t want to continue investing a bunch of time into something that isn’t working out, would you? By measuring your content marketing success, you’re able to spend your time more wisely.
A1: By tracking the success of your #ContentMarketing, you'll have a better understanding of what resonates with your audience. Then, you can create more of the content that WORKS. #ContentWritingChat
When do a deep dive into your analytics to see how your content is performing, you’ll also gain a better understanding of what resonates with your target audience. This will allow you to create more of the content they want and enjoy.
A1. The first goal of content is to provide value for your target audience. Without measurement, you’re only guessing about whether or not you’re doing that. #ContentWritingChat
Dana knows it’s all about providing value to your audience. But how will you know you’re providing value unless you actually review the data to see how people are responding to your content? You won’t! Tracking key metrics will allow you to create a more effective strategy moving forward.
A1: If content is king, why risk appointing the wrong content for your audience? Tracking helps determine what works, but it also helps a strategy evolve with the times.#ContentWritingChat
Don’t risk publishing the wrong content! Do the research to figure out what your audience wants to see from you and you’ll drive more traffic, engagement, and conversions.
Q2: How do you know which metrics are important to track? Should you track the same things for every piece of content or does it change with each content marketing campaign?
A2: Each piece of content needs a goal. ➙Is it designed to grow your audience? ➙Is it designed to improve brand awareness? ➙Is it designed to grow your email list? ➙Is it designed to sell? When you know the goal measurement becomes easy.#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
A2: Some metrics will be the same for every campaign. ✓You’ll want to know if you are reaching people. ✓You’ll want to know if the people you reach are consuming the content. But after that, you’ll need different metrics depending on your goal.#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
Always make sure to set goals for every piece of content you create. Amanda shared some great examples of common goals you might work toward, including building brand awareness, growing your email list, and increasing sales.
A2. Typically the most important metrics would be associated with your marketing goals as the most impactful with your audience. It may vary by campaign, especially if campaigns are being run for different objectives. #ContentWritingChat
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) May 3, 2022
The metrics you track will always be tied back to your marketing goals. And as Andrew pointed out, this can vary by campaign depending on what the purpose of the campaign is.
A2: Determining which metrics to track ultimately goes back to the goals you've set for your content/campaign. This can change from time to time.
However, it's always smart to track traffic, engagement, conversions, etc. #ContentWritingChat
For Carla, it’s all about tracking conversations and conversions. Both are crucial metrics to pay attention to when you’re a business owner or marketer.
Q3: What about vanity metrics? Are they worth tracking?
A3: Everything can be a vanity metric even leads & sales. You can get 100s of leads but they’re not good if they don’t convert. You can get 6 figures in sales but is only relevant if you didn’t spend 7 figures to get there. #ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
A3: Things that are traditionally considered vanity metrics matter too. Audience growth can be important, if you don’t have an audience no one knows about you. But it’s not relevant on its own. Ensuring the audience is full of the right people is.#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
Amanda offered some great insights on vanity metrics. And as she said, audience growth is great to track, but you want to make sure you’re building an audience of the right people if you want to see long-term success.
A3: Vanity metrics are useful if you are trying to gain buy-in. However, never let vanity metrics detract from your primary tracking and reporting.#ContentWritingChat
Just make sure the vanity metrics aren’t distracting you from the main goals of the campaigns you’re running.
Q4: When do you measure content marketing success? Weekly, monthly, quarterly?
A4: If you’re launching a new piece of content, strategy or campaign, monitor it daily. This can tell you if there’s something wrong & give you an idea of the response.
Don’t act on a small data sample, wait at least a week before you draw any conclusions. #ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
A4: For ongoing content or strategies measure weekly or at the very least monthly. It will help you determine the direction of future campaigns. #ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
It’s clear that Amanda sees the benefit in regularly tracking key data for content marketing success. She suggests monitoring new content or campaigns on a daily basis. For more long-term strategies, she suggests monitoring data on a weekly or monthly basis. Doing this allows you to tweak your strategy as needed.
A4. I typically do a quick weekly review just to get a sense of how things are going as I promote the content and then monthly and quarterly I’ll do a deeper dive where I’ll identify trends and take it into consideration regarding the overall strategy. #contentwritingchat
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) May 3, 2022
Andrew likes to do a weekly review to get a sense of how his content is performing. He also does monthly and quarterly reviews, which allow him to go deep into his analytics and gain a better understanding of how his content is performing.
Q5: What are your go-to tools for tracking the success of your content marketing efforts?
A5: Google Analytics are your best friend. Make sure you set up goals if you are still using Universal Analytics. If you’ve made the move to GA4 set up Events and Conversions#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
A5: I use Toggl to track the time I spend on marketing content and promotion: https://t.co/aiG6E9GU7Y Time is money (or so they say) so it’s important to monitor how much time content is taking.#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
Amanda shared a few great tool suggestions, including Google Analytics, which is a staple for any content creator. She also recommends using a time tracker like Toggl. This allow you to see how much time you’re spending on marketing tasks.
A5. My go-to tools are Google Analytics and Hootsuite. I like to receive regular automated reports. #ContentWritingChat
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) May 3, 2022
Andrew’s favorites include Google Analytics and Hootsuite. If you use a third-party social media scheduling tool like Hootsuite, their analytics will be so helpful in measuring content marketing success.
And don’t forget! There are built-in analytics for many of the platforms we use on a daily basis. For instance, Twitter has analytics that provide a wealth of information about your content and your account growth.
Q6: What do you do when you’re not seeing your desired results? What strategic actions can you take to drive more traffic, engagement, and sales?
A6: If you’re not seeing the results you expected devise a theory for why this may be and then test it. For example: ➙Is it the headline? Test different headlines ➙Is it too long? Test a shorter version ➙Is the call to action wrong? Test a different CTA#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
A6: Don’t be afraid to give something up if it’s not working. But gather a decent sample size before you make that decision. Decide in advance what that sample is. ⏱It could be time: A week, a month, a quarter 👀It could be views: 100, 1k or 10k #ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
A6: Before you axe something look for the ‘Covert Benefits’. These are results that don't lead directly to sales but provide other benefits. Eg; New clients always mention my Digital Coffee show, it doesn’t drive direct sales but it builds trust so people buy.#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
Sometimes the content you worked so hard to create doesn’t perform as well as you’d hoped. It happens to the best of us and is no reason to be discouraged. Instead, follow Amanda’s advice. Figure out why your content is working by tweaking different elements to see if anything changes. You can swap your headline or test different CTAs to see what works best.
There’s no shame in abandoning a content format or strategy that isn’t working for you. Just make sure you’ve allowed ample time to measure your success to see if there are any benefits before moving onto something else.
A6. For published content, creating new fresh copy and images can be effective, as well as adjusting the times that the content is shared on social. For newer content, implement the elements above that you’ve seen previous success with. #ContentWritingChat
— Andrew C. Belton, MBA (@AndrewCBelton) May 3, 2022
Updating copy and adding new images can go a long way to refresh your content and drive more interest. And as Andrew said, something as simple as changing your posting schedule on social media can make a huge difference when it comes to driving impressions and engagement.
Q7: When is it worth putting advertising dollars behind a piece of content to generate more attention for it?
A7: If your content isn’t working, don’t immediately put money behind it. If it’s not working organically, chances are it won’t work in an ad and it will be expensive to promote it.
Instead, rework it until it performs and then put ad spend behind it.#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
A7: Put ad spend behind sales content so that the audience you have built and nurtured will see it. They are the people most likely to buy. But always test that sales content (you can do that within the ads interfaces).#ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Webb – Digital Marketer 👩💻 (@Spiderworking) May 3, 2022
Amanda’s advice is to not put money behind a piece of content that isn’t performing well organically. She suggests making some tweaks to boost performance before putting a portion of your advertising budget behind it. She also said it’s smart to put money behind sales content so you can increase conversions.
Want to join the next #ContentWritingChat? It happens on the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central. Just follow @ExpWriters to stay updated.
