Key performance indicators: it’s not all about the traffic
We have this tendency to focus on performance indicators based on volume and not really on quality.
In the last report you read on the performance of your content initiatives, did you have performance indicators based on the quality of the results of your initiatives or only indicators on the volume of this or that metric?
Let me explain.
In many cases, we see a desire among our clients to have performance indicators based on the volume of results. Number of subscribers, unique visitors, number of leads, etc.
But these indicators only present part of the picture.
What was the quality of these subscribers? Of these unique visitors? Of these leads?
Your list of performance indicators should be based on your organization’s business objectives (you can learn more in our Workbook on content strategy), and they should take into account both the volume AND the quality of results.
What proportion of your new subscribers matches your personas? What percentage of your unique visitors come from the market you are currently developing? What ratio of leads passed on to sales really deserved a call from a sales person?
This type of indicator is key because it ensures that we are not only working on metrics that “look good” (I love the expression “vanity metrics”), but also metrics of quality.
Patti Podnar, a content strategist, has written a very good article on the importance of going beyond measuring your web traffic, making sure to also focus on the quality of that traffic.
I invite you to look at your performance indicators and ask yourself the question: to what extent are we measuring the quality of our content initiatives, beyond the volume of results?
Would you like to discuss the performance indicators of your content strategy? Let us know and schedule a consultation with our experts at Toast today.