While most B2B marketers are using content marketing, few are actually measuring the outcomes and payoff of their efforts.
This year, eMarketer estimates that nearly 90% of B2B marketers are using digital content marketing; however, a study by the Content Marketing Institute found that only about half (49%) measure their content marketing ROI.
We’ve heard it before: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. And Jay Lee, head of product marketing at IBM Watson Marketing, says measurement is key because of the costs and investments involved.
While it’s important to measure ROI and value, marketers can also learn a lot about their audience and buyer’s journey. Look for signals, such as which people are registering for a webinar, which assets are resulting in the most inquiries, and whether a certain piece of content netted the most demos.
"Most B2B marketers only think about leading measures, which just show initial engagement and impact," said Jillian Ryan, principal analyst at eMarketer. "While that is important, B2Bs must consider the lagging metrics of their content-driven marketing to understand how content drives audience behavior across the customer journey."
How do you measure content marketing ROI, and are you looking beyond initial engagement metrics? While content campaigns can provide tremendous value, there’s a lot to gain by understanding how it drives behavior, conversions and engagement at every point in the buyer’s journey.
Learn more at eMarketer.