Let's face it, consistent content creation can be difficult.
Trust me, I'm sure.
After writing almost daily with over 4,000 posts, I have encountered every roadblock that you could imagine.
There are many challenges to creating fresh content for your audience, from writing block cases that can be a crippling nightmare to finding topics that will make readers happy.
But blogging has its benefits, so don't ignore it.
HubSpot reports that 60% of marketers rank blog content as their top priority inbound. Marketers who blog more often receive 67% more leads than those who don’t.
You can build traffic and leads by blogging more often.
You probably already know most of these things, don't?
The real question that most marketers are asking is: How can you tell if your content is really paying off? Given the amount of work and time required to create a new piece, how can you ensure you are getting the best value for your money?
You're not the only marketer who puts their heart, sweat, and tears into content marketing. 41% of marketers see positive ROI from their content marketing efforts.
Ouch.
Unfortunately, this is what I see all the time.
Although there are many reasons your content could fail, one problem that most marketers face is the same as my own. Hint: It's not because you're an inept writer.
It all comes down to how much time you spend.
Marketers are notoriously inefficient with regards to how much time they spend on each piece of content.
But here's the truth: I don't mean the time it takes to write or edit. Without breaking a sweat, I can often create quality blog posts in under two hours. You might be able to, too.
Their inefficiency stems from the way they treat their content after when they hit "publish".
You can do everything right in terms of on page optimization, but still get little to no engagement from readers or SERPs.
Promotion is a crucial piece of the marketing puzzle. It's important, but it's also easy to miss.
You're putting yourself at risk if you don't take the time to promote your content.
You want to see results from your content. This could be anything from more shares, comments, to "likes", and leads. Maybe it's time for you to rethink the way you spend your time creating content.
Stop Thinking About Content in a Vacuum
Ask yourself first and foremost: What's my goal with this content? What are my goals?
img alt="Graphic showing organizational goals for B2B Content Marketing." class="wp-image-167399" height="431" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-3.png" srcset="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-3.png 500w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-3-350×302.png 350w" width="500"/>
While the brand's goals may differ in terms of content creation, the goal to promote your content is the same.
The ultimate goal of every piece of content should be to reach as many potential leads and readers as possible.
You are probably familiar with the 80/20 rule. It states that 20% of our efforts can lead to 80% of our success.
img alt="The 80/20 Rule can help to increase content marketing ROI. class="wp-image-167400" height="273" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-2.png" srcset="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-2.png 539w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-2-350×177.png 350w" width="539"/>
The 80/20 principle should be applied to your content strategy. But don't get too attached.
Your content will not get the exposure it deserves if you spend 80% on creating it and 20% on promoting.
This means that there are fewer comments, leads and negative content marketing ROIs.
You can also promote your content by spending more time on the right channels. This will help you get your articles in front of more people, increase your readership, and save you time when writing new articles.
You shouldn't view each piece of content as an isolated entity. Instead, consider the larger picture of promotion.
Let's suppose you have spent hours crafting a masterpiece. How will you promote your masterpiece?
What should you do first?
The Promotional Channels that Make Sense
Most marketers instinctively jump to social media immediately after finishing their blog post.
It's good to think, but not too fast.
According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), most B2B marketers use at minimum 13 content marketing strategies for each post they publish.
This means that you have many options for promotions.
This also means that you have many opportunities to waste time on platforms that don't make sense.
HubSpot reports that social media has a negative reputation because it can be slow and inefficient. However, 66% of marketers report positive results via social media for lead generation.
Remember efficiency is the key to success. Only choose platforms that will bring you closer to your target audience.
There is no one right answer as to where your content should be made available. Find out where your leads hang out so you can engage them with your content.
Buzzsumo reports that only half the content in circulation on the blogosphere receives more than eight shares.
These numbers, I don't know if you are as miserable as me.
This is what marketers do when they try to target every social channel. They end up spreading themselves too thin.
You can spend less time on promotion if you have more channels than you want to control.
B2B businesses thrive on LinkedIn and Twitter, for example. B2C businesses are also attracted to Pinterest and Instagram's focus on visual content.
Facebook is also used by more than 1.23 billion people every day.
This is exactly where we will start.
Every business should push their content to Facebook. It's a given. Facebook is the most popular platform for people to consume content.
I would bet that Facebook is used by a large portion of my readers to access my content. Keep in mind that different platforms serve different audiences.
Here's a sample of one of my old blogs, as it appears on this platform:
img alt="Neil Patel promotes his blog on Facebook" class="wp-image-167402" height="410" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-4-700×410.png" srcset="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-4-700×410.png 700w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-4-350×205.png 350w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-4-768×449.png 768w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-4.png 1044w" width="700"/>
Posting to Facebook is not rocket science, it's easy. This is the easiest social media channel to use for content promotion. You just need to tick these boxes:
- You should choose a feature image that is relevant to your audience. Posts with photos can get up to 120% more engagement
- Double-check your preview to ensure it displays correctly
- To encourage readers to click, you can add a unique caption comment to your posts (in this example "Here's how i write my blog posts")
Here's another example, a simple but enticing post that is formatted for Facebook engagement:
Facebook is a platform where I don't encourage repetitive content, unlike Twitter. Instead, I post my content only once. You may also notice that I post my articles in the late morning and early afternoon, even though the effect of posting at a time when Facebook is fickle can be questioned.
Another great thing about posting on Facebook is the ability to interact with my followers.
I respond to comments and note what my readers think. This allows me to understand the needs of my audience and ensures that my topics meet them. Your readers' positive feedback is the best way to know if your writing is on point.
You can see that posting to Facebook is easy and requires little time beyond curating comments.
Twitter is a completely different beast.
Twitter's nature is both a blessing as well as a curse for marketers. While hashtags are a great way to share your content with new readers, it can also be easy to get lost among the noise.
Twitter is a battleground with 350,000 tweets per second. This means that you are not really taking advantage of Twitter if your new content is only posted once or twice. It's likely that 99% of your followers won't notice it.
Do not be afraid to share your thoughts on Twitter multiple times: This is exactly what I do for my 430,000+ Followers. Here's a sample of one of my tweets from the past:
img alt="Neil Patel promotes the same blog multiple time on Twitter." class="wp-image-167406" height="378" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-9.png" srcset="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-9.png 515w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-9-350×257.png 350w" width="515"/>
Here's the same tweet from a few days ago (remember the date and number retweets).
img alt="Neil Patel promotes his blog on Twitter" class="wp-image-167407" height="345" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-8.png" srcset="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-8.png 510w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-8-350×237.png 350w" width="510"/>
Both tweets receive lots of love, despite being identical.
You'll see that my feed is almost like a clockwork. Imagine that I manually type each tweet every hour of the day.
Absolutely not.
Social media scheduling tools like Buffer are essential because of the rapid-paced nature and content on the platform. You can reuse your content over time and experiment with hashtags and imagery to find out which posts are most popular.
Are they looking for listicles? How-to's? Experimentation is the only way to discover.
You can put Twitter on autopilot by queueing up your posts ahead of time, allowing you to focus on other aspects. This strategy can help you attract social media influencers to promote your content or your brand.
Buffer has noted that frequent tweeting is better than staying silent. Having a scheduling tool makes it much easier to manage the platform.
Similar to posting to Facebook, strategies like queuing up content for Twitter become second nature when you find your rhythm.
Let's not forget about LinkedIn's untapped potential.
LinkedIn offers great promotional opportunities for B2B businesses. LinkedIn can boost your content. LinkedIn's publishing platform is used by over 1 million businesses. I strongly recommend that you use it.
By republishing my blog content via LinkedIn, I can:
- Reach targeted readers who may not otherwise have seen my blog posts
- Drive traffic to my site and reap the SEO benefits
- Position myself further as an authority and thought-leader in the industry
img alt="Neil Patel publishes his blog content on LinkedIn" class="wp-image-167409" height="578" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-10-700×578.png" srcset="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-10-700×578.png 700w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-10-350×289.png 350w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-10-768×634.png 768w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-10.png 841w" width="700"/>
You are correct! If you want to be recognized as an influencer who creates must-read content, then you should do the same.
Search Engine Journal says that while some may be concerned about LinkedIn republishing duplicate content, there isn't much you can do. If you are paranoid about penalties, you can always change your title, keywords, or structure.
My personal approach is to give my readers a glimpse of my blog via LinkedIn. This will eventually lead readers back to my website. This strategy is a win-win as it drives more traffic to my blog , and opens up more leads opportunities via my on-site CTAs.
img alt="Sharing content via LinkedIn can increase content marketing ROI" class="wp-image-167410" height="237" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-11-700×237.png" srcset="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-11-700×237.png 700w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-11-350×118.png 350w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-11-768×260.png 768w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-11.png 784w" width="700"/>
Pretty cool, huh?
Remember that LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Twitter are only a few of the many options available for promotion.
These platforms are just a small part of the possibilities that you can do with one piece of content via Social Media.
These overlooked strategies alone will reach thousands new leads while driving steady traffic back to your site on a regular basis.
You know what's insane? It takes very little time.
These three channels could take you anywhere from thirty minutes to an entire hour for formatting and editing.
It's totally worth it.
If you want to increase your content marketing ROI, it is worth taking the time to do this type of social promotion.
If you really want to get the most from your content, why don't you take your promotion strategy a step further?
Repurposing your Content
Repurposing content is similar to social media promotion. However, it's possible if you use the right channels.
Repurposing takes a little more work than just publishing your work on social media, but it is essential to present your content in multiple formats to increase your reach and score new leads.
This is particularly true in an age when text-based content is no longer sufficient.
It is clear from the statistics regarding the growth of visual content that we must go beyond the written word whenever possible. Take this example:
- Engagement is twice as high for posts with imagery on Facebook and Twitter than it is for posts without.
- Infographics are three times more popular than any other content on social media.
- Three quarters of marketers believe that investing in video marketing directly impacts their business.
To encourage more sharing, you should try to add images to your articles and social media posts. If you write content that involves data, infographics are a great option. Here's an example.
img alt="Use infographics in articles and social posts to increase shares" class="wp-image-167414" height="408" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-13.png" srcset="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-13.png 385w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-13-350×371.png 350w" width="385"/>
You can also use imagery to preview and highlight your content for your followers on social media.
Canva and other platforms allow you to quickly create text-based photos, which is great for boosting your social media posts.
What about turning your content into video?
YouTube's massive user base of more than 1 billion is making it a huge success. 92% of mobile users also share videos. Video marketing has a lot of viral potential.
Bloggers should also consider this: Our audience is more likely to watch videos than read blog posts, particularly when covering a complicated or boring topic.
Your blog posts can be turned into videos, which will give your content new exposure. It also gives you the opportunity to double-dip your keywords for potential SEO benefits.
It is easier than you might think to shoot video. You already have a blog post.
The new trend in informal, "talk to camera" vlogs is catching on. Jorden Makelle from WritingRevolt has created this video clip. She repurposes her blog posts regularly into video content.
You can tap into the power and potential of video marketing if you own a smartphone with a camera. You can also take your blog content to use as a Facebook Live presentation or webinar presentation, to get even greater value from the same piece.
Camera shy?
It's not a problem.
You can go above visual content if you want to really think outside of the box.
Podcasts are a popular way to engage with your audience and turn your blog content into a conversation. My podcast, Marketing School, is one example. It uses my blog content to create a variety of episodes.
But there's more.
My promotion goes one step further. I use my podcast content to inspire my email marketing campaigns.
img alt="Repurpose podcast and blog content in your email campaigns. class="wp-image-167423" height="526" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 637px) 100vw, 637px" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-20.png" srcset="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-20.png 637w, https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/content-marketing-ROI-20-350×289.png 350w" width="637"/>
You can see how it works.
You can share more content the more you reuse. You get more leads and traffic.
It sounds like a lot to do, doesn't you think?
However, if you look at the 80/20 rule again, it isn't.
These strategies are not quick, but they will exponentially increase your chances of reaching your leads than organic traffic.
Frequently Asked Question
What are some KPIs that I can use to measure the effectiveness of my content marketing?
It doesn't take long to figure out how to measure the impact of content marketing on your marketing plan. You can start with four important content metrics: sharing, lead generation and sales. Consumption is the measure of how much content you consume, from web traffic to social visibility. The number of downloads and backlinks that your brand has received is measured by sharing. Fill-out content forms, demo requests, and influence from CTAs are all key factors in lead generation. Sales metrics are used to measure overall sales. However, customer testimonials are also included. These are important for measuring the success of content marketing ROI to reach business goals, not just content objectives.
How can I tell if my content marketing strategy has succeeded?
A content marketing strategy that works includes audience personas, brand positioning and owned media value proposition. It also includes a plan component. Long-term planning allows you to anticipate problems and use your budget wisely. These components can be outlined in stages to help you create and implement a content strategy that aligns with your commercial and marketing objectives. The data will allow your audience to speak directly through it, showing high KPIs and engagement.
How can I create a content marketing strategy that is profitable?
A content strategy requires a deep understanding of your audience and mastery of SEO best practices. You also need to set and track performance-based goals, even ads. You can learn from a variety of actions and conversions your team can use for pivots to improve your content marketing ROI.
How can you make money with a great content strategy?
A content-rich plan is the key to a successful content strategy that makes you money. Your content should be engaging, with a strong hook and easy to read, but also full of key takeaways.
Visuals are a great way to reach your audience and share your valuable content. Analyzing data will show you how conversion tactics, whether paid ads or collaboration with others, will help you plan for consistency and optimize trends that meet your goals. These tactics will allow you to generate leads and improve your sales funnel flow.
Conclusion
Republishing and repurposing every piece of content you create is a great way to increase your content marketing ROI, considering the time involved.
Don't be afraid if this seems overwhelming at first. You will find that your promotion process is more efficient the more time you spend. Promotion becomes second-nature quickly.
Smart promotion can create a snowball effect by quickly identifying which pieces of content are performing well and how to use that information in your marketing strategy.
You can't save your content until you hit "publish".
You need to reconsider your approach if you don't take the necessary steps to ensure your pieces are being found and rediscovered repeatedly.
What promotional strategy do you think would be most effective for your business?
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By: Neil Patel
Title: How To Make Your Content Marketing Profitable
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/content-marketing-roi/
Published Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0000