After you’ve created a piece of content marketing, like a blog post, a newsletter, a YouTube video, or a social media post, you eventually need to determine if it was worth it. Did it actually help your business?
If you don’t ask that question, you could find yourself making the same types of content over and over again, without ever making any meaningful progress toward your marketing goals.
Basic metrics, such as views, likes, shares, comments, or website referrals, can be gamed and/or paid for, which reduces their utility as measuring sticks. However, there are three questions you can ask yourself to determine whether a particular post was worth it.
1) Did I learn something?
As you worked on the post, did you learn something new about your business, your industry, your product/service, or your customers? If so, depending on how much effort and time went into it, that could make the post well worth it all on its own.
A post that performed poorly by objective measures, for instance, can still provide valuable learning about what your audience likes and are interested in. It can show you what they’re not interested in.
And a post that forced you to stretch your knowledge or do more research makes your next posts, and your next interactions with your customers, that much more informed—whether or not the content gained visible traction.
2) Did I answer a question?
If you articulated the answer to a question you know your customers are likely to have, the post was worth it. It may take a while before it gets seen, or before search engines index it. In the meantime, you now have something you can directly send to prospective customers, or use as part of your customer service responses. If it’s clear, accurate, and answers an important question, it’s probably worth doing.
3) Did it get noticed?
Finally, it was worth it if it got you noticed (for good reasons). Of course, a post that merely draws the eye, but then draws the ire of people who are offended, confused, or angry, isn’t useful. But a post that represents your brand accurately and favourably, and gets attention is almost always going to be worth it. You’ve had the opportunity to tell your story, to build awareness, and to point your prospective customers to valuable resources. Even if it doesn’t immediately convert readers or viewers into customers, the fact you’ve broadened awareness of your business and expanded your reach is good and has real utility.
So when is content not worth it?
If you didn’t learn anything, didn’t teach anything, and didn’t get attention, you haven’t made a mistake because you now know what not to do next time. The important thing is to monitor, measure, and adjust.
The idea isn’t to create perfect content every time. It’s to get better with every post and every interaction with your prospects. So, focus on making your posts worth it and you’ll gain the customers you’re seeking.
If you need support with the content marketing strategy of your business, contact us and we can help.