I recently came across the term “vanity metrics” and it’s so perfect I had to write a post about it. While the term is new, the metrics trap isn’t.
Many, if not all of us, tend to focus on likes, views, and follows. While they communicate value, when it comes to content marketing ROI they mean squat. It’s a great image if you have 100,000 impressions for an advert or 6,000 likes for your post, but what matters here would be clicks and messages, respectively.
If you’re trying to measure your content marketing ROI, here are some metrics to focus on:
- Newsletter: Instead of the number of subscribers, focus on click-through-rate, replies, and open rates
- Website: Skip pageviews and focus on no. of pages viewed per session, average session duration, clicks on CTA buttons. Bonus tip, pay attention to the bounce rate, it should be less than 40%.
- Blog Posts: Also skip pageviews, and pay attention to shares, average duration on the page, and no. of pages viewed per session
- Social Media: Ignore follows and likes, these can be bought and are often misleading. Keep an eye on messages, saves, and shares. Good engagement, however, is still a healthy sign.
- PRs: number of pickups is fantastic, but what matters is referral stats and mentions in impactful media outlets
- Videos: Instead of likes and view count, focus on completion rate, total watch time, subscription, and clicks on CTA
The list is much longer, of course, but the point here is to ensure you don’t get caught up in the numbers game.
Especially, if you are a B2B brand, following a funny trend can get you a lot of likes and followers, but they aren’t the clientele you’re after. Remember that. What matters are the numbers that mean a potential customer is moving through the sales funnel.
Looking for ideas? Try these hooks