The mark of a successful content marketing strategy is efficient collection and usage of data on the needs and preferences of the brand’s audience to generate more leads, drive more sales, and ultimately, make better business decisions. To do this, you need to consistently analyze the content you create, dig deep into sources of more content, track your audience’s reactions to your messaging, and keep improving their experience at every touchpoint.
Last Wednesday on #SEMrushchat, Grant Simmons, VP of Search Marketing at Homes.com, and a very experienced marketer with over 25 years of experience strategizing and producing marketing communications for local and international companies. We asked Grant to share his insights on understanding audience intent, making connections with them, targeting them with contextual, data-driven content strategies, and measuring content performance with the right metrics.
Here are some of the amazing ideas and tips that Grant and our other chat participants shared:
Q1. How do you define a data-driven content marketing strategy?
Grant explained that data-driven measurement is a rear-view mirror approach to content strategy. The basic requirement for any content to stand out is that it has to be based on data. Data helps us justify the content strategy and tactics that we have chosen to implement. However, starting with what works is not enough to make content decisions if you haven’t done it before.
As a result, he boils it down into a simple two-step approach: One, use data to create awesome content. Two, measure the effectiveness of that content so you can make it even better next time. You only need ask yourself “How?” to define your strategy.
A1 The data driven component of measurement is a rear view mirror approach. In a sea of distraction, content that stands out starts with data #semrushchat
— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
A1 The best thing about data is it gives us content + justification of what works
Starting with what works though, doesn't help you decide what to do if you haven't done it yet #semrushchat— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
A1 I think for the purpose of context. Let's say I'm thinking of the following:
a) How can we use data to create kick butt content?
b) How can we measure effectiveness so we create 'kick buttier' content the next time?
#semrushchat— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
Before you even look at your data, you should make sure you get your goals right. Then go about collecting the right data on your audience demographics. Finally, solidify your campaign with appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); this will allow you to identify the tactics that do and don’t work, and assist in making better decisions with regard to the direction of your content strategy. Making a decision based on data, trends, and market shifts rather than intuition, gut feeling, or resources on hand are critical to creating a strategy that works for you.
A1: Quite subjecting this one! A the basic level I'd say a campaign that takes in 1 or more datasets when devising the strategy. More than that though, #data should include goals, data on demographics, #KPIs & use all to help solidify the overall plan. #semrushchat
— Mike Gracia (@MikeGracia_) August 8, 2018
A1: i tend to go for the simple approach. a data driven content strategy:
- has clear KPIs
- assists in decision making
- provides knowledge on efficacy
- allows org to identify & modify poor performers#SEMrushchat— JP Sherman (@jpsherman) August 8, 2018
A1 Its one where you review data and make decisions on trends and shifts rather than gut feel or what some Larry from Marketing wants (because he has over purchased branded ball point pens and Rubics cubes.).#SEMRushChat
— Simon Cox (@simoncox) August 8, 2018
Your content should be laser-focused on your target audience, and data is your only recourse to getting better at that! You can use historical data from transactions as well as user behavior to target specific audiences who have common interests with content that is relevant to them.
A1. Content that is specific to the target audience as shown in the....data! #semrushchat pic.twitter.com/8yrjScWFWj
— Nathan Driver (@natedriver) August 8, 2018
A1: it's using historical data such as transactions and user behavior data to create content to hit specific audiences with a specific goal in mind #semrushchat
— Danny Ray Lima (@dannyraylima) August 8, 2018
The numbers that you draw from user interaction with your site and how they move through your sales funnel will help you make informed decisions, give direction to your content marketing, help you execute your strategy better, and improve your conversion rates. Data beats guesswork any day!
A1) Using relevant numbers drawn from user interaction with a website to inform content marketing decisions - strategy and execution - instead of guesswork, prejudice and tea leaves.#semrushchat
— David Rosam (@davidrosam) August 8, 2018
A1: It's where you make informed decisions based on visitor actions, funnel activity, etc. in order to further hone your marketing efforts to improve your conversion rate.#semrushchat https://t.co/X9zHjF6zwd
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) August 8, 2018
Make sure you have goals in place for your site’s functionality and conversion rate. These goals should be based on how closely your content caters to and fulfills the needs of your audience. Analyze every piece of content and determine how much traffic and engagement it is bringing in. Tie those metrics back to your goals. Don’t forget to tweak your blog content, copy, creatives, and even social posts to help you meet these goals consistently.
A1: Your digital marketing plan, where you have goals for the sites function and conversions. How this ties to site content around the audiences needs & fulfilment. #DataDriven #ContentMarketing #SEMrushchat @simmonet @semrush
— Alexis Huddart (@Flexoid) August 8, 2018
A1. Make sure you're looking at how each piece of content is actually doing in terms of engagement, visits, and helping to reach your real goals. #semrushchat
— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) August 8, 2018
A1: I tend to look at what needs help as well. What can I tweak so this blog will take liftoff along with all of the creative's and social blasts! I compare from last month to see how I'm doing. #SEMRushchat
— Geeky Fox (@TechKitsune) August 8, 2018
Q2. What steps can a company take to a build a data-driven content marketing strategy?
In all his years of experience, Grant says the biggest issue with brands is that they have no clue as to what content marketing success looks like! They have a hard time comparing content performance with campaigns on other channels and have little idea of the metrics they should be measuring. That makes most of their campaigns mediocre at best. He outlines a step-by-step way to go about it:
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Define key metrics that will indicate success.
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Define a goal and a plan to reach it.
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Monitor and measure your progress.
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Assess where you stand on the path to achieving your goal.
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Pivot and tweak your strategy.
A2 The BIGGEST issue I see with clients / brands is not having an idea of what success should look like. And comparing against other historical performance from channels and / or campaigns #semrushchat
— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
A2 Most brands have no idea what they should be measuring. It's why most campaigns fail, while marketers celebrate the mediocracy #semrushchat #CynicalMarketer
— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
A2 For content justification:
• Define key metrics
• Start with a plan / goal (define success)
• Monitor, measure, tweak
• Assess against goals
• Pivot, tweak, repeat#semrushchat— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
You can start out by reviewing the content that you already have. Identify the pieces that are driving traffic and engagement for you, determine the formats that work best for you, and use them as templates for creating more effective content. If you don’t have any data on your existing content, gather it first. The more relevant and accurate data you collect, the more effective your content will turn out to be. Set goals and define key metrics based on this data. Pull more data, keep measuring, tweak your strategy accordingly, repeat.
A2. Review what you've got already! See what types of content are performing well, and which types can perform better. Use those pieces that drive traffic and engagement as templates and inspiration for future content. #semrushchat
— Matt Shanley (@MattShanley) August 8, 2018
A2: The best steps are the first steps; start collecting data now! The more relevant, data you can start to build, the better decisions with your content you will make. #semrushchat https://t.co/z98oQLDlYv
— The Weekly SEO (@TheWeeklySEO) August 8, 2018
A2) Set goals.
Define key metrics
Check if you have the data to measure your progress towards those goals
Get it, if you haven't
Create content
Pull relevant data regularly
Measure
Tweak and/or create
Repeat#semrushchat— David Rosam (@davidrosam) August 8, 2018
Whatever you do, make sure you have a way to measure success before you begin a content marketing campaign. Google Analytics is your free ticket to tracking visitors and other data sets. You can start small and then move on to bigger, more complex measurement systems. Break down your metrics into micro-conversions — small, on-page behavioral signals that indicate engagement with your content – that support your overall conversion goals. Once you get the hang of it, you can build your own measurement and decision-making model like Google’s Heart Framework.
A2. Make sure measurement is in place BEFORE you publish/start. #SEMrushchat
— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) August 8, 2018
A2 If you are a one man band - get into the free tools, Google Analytics etc and use them to find insights.#SEMRushChat
— Simon Cox (@simoncox) August 8, 2018
A2: Take advantage of the free analytics in front of you! Google, Bing, every social media channel tracks visitors and other data sets. Start there and move to more complex systems. #semrushchat
— Geeky Fox (@TechKitsune) August 8, 2018
A2: build "micro-conversions", small on page signals that record user behavior that signal engagement on your content - these can be custom designed to support overall goals #semrushchat
— JP Sherman (@jpsherman) August 8, 2018
A2 A company can build something like Google's Heart Framework and Goals/Signals approach into measuring success in data informed decision making. #SEMRushChat
— Bill Slawski ⚓ (@bill_slawski) August 8, 2018
While analytics enable you to gather data across broad categories, the best option is to collect it directly from your audience. Audience targeting isn’t a simple affair, though. You need to understand your buyer personas and their purchase journeys, identify where they are located and reach them there, and accurately document your strategies if you want your content marketing to bring you consistent returns in the short as well as long term.
A2. Following are the steps:
1. Understand the buyer's persona
2. Create buyer's journey
3. Identify where your target audience are
4. Create a strategy for short term and long term returns
5. Document the entire #ContentMarketing strategy.#SEMrushchat https://t.co/WyALUPYWCZ— Himani Kankaria (@himani_kankaria) August 8, 2018
Q3. With consumers inundated with content craving their attention, opinion, loyalty, and emotion, how can brands and publishers gain exposure that really matters?
The best way to gain customers’ attention and loyalty is to answer their queries with unerring precision. Appeal to your audience’s emotions with the right messaging on the right media. Don’t stop there – make sure you stand out from your competitors with a unique viewpoint based on your data.
A3
• Answer questions people are asking
• Appeal to emotion / need with the right medium / message
• Satisfy the query as completely as possible#Marketing101 #QueryResearch#semrushchat— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
A3 You *MUST* differentitate with expertise to stand out. Leveraging your own data or presenting found data in an interesting / attractive way can grab attention #semrushchat
— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
It helps to have the pulse of your audience; determine the kind of content they like, the content they find useful, and the content that is relevant to them. Then, create it and share it on the platforms where they hang out. Don’t produce content just for the sake of spraying it all across the web, instead, create it to help your audience.
A3: It helps tremendously to really know and understand your audience. Then, you're able to create the kind of content they're looking for.
Produce what they want to see. Share it on the platforms they're using! #semrushchat
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) August 8, 2018
A3. By creating content that actually matters and is relevant and useful to your audience. #semrushchat
— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) August 8, 2018
A3: By knowing their (ideal) audience. What do THEY want to read/see? What're their pain points? Don't talk to see your words sprayed across the web; create content that helps people.#semrushchat https://t.co/uoQMztvcnV
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) August 8, 2018
A3 Producing outstanding content that meets the curiousity of the audience it is created for is ideal. #SEMRushChat
— Bill Slawski ⚓ (@bill_slawski) August 8, 2018
Understanding who your customers are and the solutions to their problems is critical. Also, interacting on an emotional level is key to providing better customer service than your competition; this will help you keep targeting the right audience, even if it is a niche audience.
A3) By being sure who their customers are, understanding their needs (pain) and answering their questions (providing solutions that 100% answer those questions).
All while interacting on an emotional level and providing better customer service than the other guys.#semrushchat
— David Rosam (@davidrosam) August 8, 2018
A3. Make sure you're gaining exposure from the RIGHT audience, even if it's a niche one. #SEMrushchat
— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) August 8, 2018
The user experience (UX) that your audience feels will ultimately determine your content marketing success. They don’t care about your organization or your revenue goals. If you don’t make it easy and straightforward for them, they will have no trouble finding the exit. Use existing models and best practices – such as text above the fold, bold headings, segmented blocks, and related links – to keep their attention while they are consuming your content. Use data to increase footfall, attract specific visitor profiles and personas, encourage action, and trigger conversions.
A3: i start with a few assumptions
- users don't care about your org
- users don't care about your revenue
- users want you to make it easy for them
- users know they can ditch you in 1 second.UI/UX is critical to overcome these obstacles #semrushchat
— JP Sherman (@jpsherman) August 8, 2018
A3. About something they want to know using newspaper model. Text above the fold in the lovely spanning image that they ignore otherwise. Bold heading that describes what follows. Segmented for scanning with related links component to keep them reading. #SEMrushchat
— Marianne Sweeny (@msweeny) August 8, 2018
A3: Using the data to build better content that's focused at footfall, visitor personas or profiles, content set to buyers triggers & converting triggers, action tippers, be right for your audience #DataDriven #ContentMarketing #SEMrushchat @simmonet @semrush https://t.co/OsuBdMrIbf
— Alexis Huddart (@Flexoid) August 8, 2018
Q4. What are some good data sources for content creation?
Grant differentiates between two types of content sources:
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Owned: You create it or have organizational access to it.
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Found: You curate it from the public domain and leverage it with attribution.
A4 Two types of content sources:
Owned - you're creating it or have access to it within your organization
Found - you can research public sources or leverage with attribution#SEMRushchat https://t.co/dXa1I4vfEU— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
There are a lot of sources of content. The best and most reliable off-line resources are your customers and employees, especially your customer-facing employees. It also depends on your market – whether it is broad or niche. You have various sources where industry news and trends originate, such as media publications, forums or Q&A sites.
A4 - Lots of places depending on situation:
- Q&A sites
- Forums
- Employees
- CustomersOne client had a LOT of lead comms on the phone. BUT nobody was checking with staff to see leads/clients asked!
YOUR CLIENT-FACING STAFF CAN BE A GOLDMINE FOR CONTENT IDEAS!
#semrushchat— Mike Gracia (@MikeGracia_) August 8, 2018
A4. This depends on your market. As marketers, it's important to know your industry, and where the sources for news and latest trends are coming from. Some niche markets aren't as popular on major news sources #semrushchat
— Dave (@dave_bentley) August 8, 2018
Then you have data that you collect in-house, from both traditional and digital channels. You also have the option to mine third-party data or carry out some in-depth competitor analysis. You can repurpose or update your existing content to be more contextual based on these new findings.
A4: In-House data, traditional & digital. Google Analytics, Bing, Ad-words for market data, 3 third party feedback, Your competitors, Using established methodologies like retail display #DataDriven #ContentMarketing #SEMrushchat @simmonet @semrush https://t.co/OWLu7waMQm
— Alexis Huddart (@Flexoid) August 8, 2018
A4: Really is specific to your audience/topic. But a few ideas:
- Employees
- Existing content - repurposed
- Competitors - how can I do it better
- SEMrush :-)
Whatever it is, make sure its relevant, contextual and timely.
#semrushchat https://t.co/FoSuFgfdiB— Dean Brady (@deanbrady) August 8, 2018
Our chat participants said that they diligently mine social channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Reddit for content ideas. They don’t leave out top blogs, feeds, podcasts, or on-site search queries either.
a4 Oh...and social channels, linkedin, twitter, etc. to find out how people are talking about client topic/services, what their needs, concerns, are.#semrushchat
— Marianne Sweeny (@msweeny) August 8, 2018
A4: REDDIT! It's the perfect source to get content ideas to answer questions from REAL people. #semrushchat
— anna (@annaknutson03) August 8, 2018
A4 #semrushchat
1) Facebook and LinkedIn Groups.
2) Top marketing bloggers who do the homework for you.
3) SEMrush (duh) pic.twitter.com/JGRYps2xZa— SEO Consultant (@JLFaverio) August 8, 2018
A4.I like looking at the search queries users do on-site. #semrushchat pic.twitter.com/snPIEZ4iXx
— Nathan Driver (@natedriver) August 8, 2018
And then there are tools and processes. A joint study by SEMrush and CMI found that the key to a successful content strategy is a simple approach: Plan, Create, Distribute, Track. The SEMrush Content Marketing Toolkit walks you through this process with an exceedingly simple workflow. The Content Audit tool helps you analyze the existing content on your site for effectiveness in terms of SEO and engagement. Topic Research allows you to mine the web for ideas, headlines, and audience questions related to your keywords and visualize them in the form of cards or mind maps. Finally, our new SEO Writing Assistant lets you create easy-to-consume, targeted content, highly optimized for Google rankings.
Other tools that assist content marketers in various ways are Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Moz, Ahrefs, Buzzsumo, Google Trends, Quora, AnswerThePublic, Scribe, Power BI, Tableau, and CoSchedule.
According to Simon Cox, the best source of inspiration for new content ideas is cheese - @simoncox.
Q5. What are some of your favorite data-driven content campaign(s) you’ve produced?
Grant is of the opinion that the best campaigns are those that deliver beyond the goals and expectations of the marketers running them. These fetch the brand everything from links and mentions to traffic and engagement. He cites two successful campaigns from his employer Homes.com:
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#IsHaunted, created from listing and Google Maps data, portraying Homes.com as a fun brand
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TV Floorplans, which got them a ton of interviews and engagement, in addition to a whopping 350 links from high-quality sites
A5 The best campaigns delivered beyond expectations of our goals.
Links. Mentions. Traffic. Engagement. #SEMRushChat #IfItWorksItsGold— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
A5 #IsHaunted Still one of our biggest successes. Leveraged out listing data, Google maps and spun content to create a fun, brand aligned, campaign. Still ranks on the 1st page of Google #SEMrushchat https://t.co/0afYAT9lng pic.twitter.com/F9TP1fL0fa
— Grant Simmons (@simmonet) August 8, 2018
Some #SEMrushchat participants chipped in with their favorites, among which were CEWE Photoworld and our friends at Distilled, UK. Others also talked about how well their campaigns were working for them.
A5:
We are working on projects very similar to this though I cannot tell you I produce this https://t.co/ideCWo6b46
& https://t.co/VpAcAM8nTZhttps://t.co/3c6gfG59aE
two outstanding examples of data-driven content campaigns produced by my friends at @distilled #SEMrushchat— Thomas Zickell (@thomaszickell) August 8, 2018
A5. Our Varnish Cache content focuses on the benefit for WordPress users and how it supports a managed #WordPress hosting environment. It has been a top performer and well received by current and potential clients. #SEMRushChat
— pair Networks (@pairnetworks) August 8, 2018
There is a multitude of ways you can go about marketing your content on different channels. These include:
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Promoting infographics along with an embed code to go with the image.
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Emailing offers to lists segmented on the basis of past purchase behavior.
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Running PPC campaigns based on data from Google Analytics.
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Using heat maps to study how people browse your web pages.
A5. I used to work for a company that made infographics, and there were so many amazing ways to track their performance. My favorite was leaving an embed code under the image and encouraging free sharing. An easy way to acquire backlinks from the right audiences. #semrushchat
— Matt Shanley (@MattShanley) August 8, 2018
A5: Emails offers by audience segmentation, was dependant on user types and revisits and customer value & product. Worked got spike in footfall and sales. #DataDriven #ContentMarketing #SEMrushchat @simmonet @semrush https://t.co/ZMv5sUvlV8
— Alexis Huddart (@Flexoid) August 8, 2018
A5: Well, we're HUGE on Analytics, tracking, monitoring...so they're all data-driven. We focus mainly on PPC and we've had some awesome successes for our clients with being data-driven.#semrushchat https://t.co/K9H8rPwgyY
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) August 8, 2018
A5: (Not a campaign example) I love the pure aspect of looking at what people are REALLY doing on a page with heat maps. Combine that with GA, SEMRush and other data and its gold. #SEMrushchat #seo @hotjar https://t.co/nxYnhybhAQ
— Dean Brady (@deanbrady) August 8, 2018
The best campaigns are those that work. They might differ by industry, platform, vertical, and target market, but the basic premise remains constant: to reach your audience and convert them. Just make sure you base them on data and not solely on creativity.
a5 THOSE THAT WORK! That's my favorite! Different for each industry, verticle & target - but the premise is the same - reach your target audience & get them to convert. #semrushchat
— Debi Norton (@BRAVOMedia1) August 8, 2018
A5) Just about everything I do for clients is data-driven. Except for the guy who said "I engaged you to be creative". We didn't last long!#semrushchat
— David Rosam (@davidrosam) August 8, 2018
We simply couldn't stop talking about data. Or content marketing. Or data-driven content marketing. No wonder we went well past the end time on this edition of #SEMrushchat. But eventually, we had to take a break and recap all the information for you. However, you can continue the conversation by offering your best tips and strategies in the comments.
Do join us live this Wednesday as we discuss AI vs. Human SEO with Shannon Steffen!
