9 keys to measuring content marketing success

If you want your marketing campaigns to work, you’d better be ready to work.

Brainstorming, content creation, publishing and distribution all take forethought and planning. Success requires resources, commitment and follow-through. That and measuring your campaign’s effectiveness.

Here’s how to define success, track your progress, and tweak tactics on the fly to ensure you hit business targets.

1. Set goals and timelines.

Before doing anything else, ask yourself: What are you trying to achieve, and when do you need to achieve it?

Establish firm objectives you’d like to hit on a monthly, quarterly or even yearly basis. Setting goals and timelines helps you track progress, ensures accountability and helps you prove results.

2. Establish a reporting foundation.

Establish benchmarks to determine:

First, set your own general benchmarks, then search for industry benchmarks to see how well you stack up. (For example, here’s a helpful snapshot for social media marketing.)

Try starting with a general KPI doc to update weekly or monthly. Remember: The more you report, the quicker you can identify problems and pivot accordingly.

3. Identify your KPIs (and stick to them).