How to Track Content Marketing KPI in B2B Marketing

Companies around the globe are spending almost one-third of their budget on content production and distribution.

As per a study, it has been established that content marketing costs 62% less than other forms of marketing. While it's great, you need to measure the performance of your content marketing efforts to know whether you are succeeding or not.

An ideal KPI is the one that suits your campaign goals and could influence growth in your company. However, with so many content marketing KPIs to choose from, it gets a little difficult to pick the best one.

In this post, we will discuss the different types of content marketing KPIs you should track and the steps taken to track KPIs in B2B marketing. Stay tuned!

Marketing KPIs: What Do They Mean

Marketing KPIs, also known as Key Performance Indicators, refer to measurable values that help in tracking the progress of marketing campaigns, like blog posts, case studies, e-books, and more. Marketers use KPIs to understand whether the campaign is moving towards the goal that they have set for different channels.

Data has always been invaluable. It means by having the right information about your content marketing performance, you can know what works for you and what does not. Following this, adjust and improve your strategies to get the best possible results.

In addition, tracking content marketing KPIs allows you to get a clear picture of how your target customers perceive your content. You also get an insight into how much they engage with your content and whether it resonates with them.

By using the gathered information, you can identify the kind of content that your customer wants and take action. Lastly, it helps you find the right content distribution channels to achieve maximum results.

In simple terms, content marketing KPI gives you the power to make smarter and better decisions. Likewise, it gives you an opportunity to optimize marketing speed to increase your sales and generate more leads.

Steps to Track Content Marketing KPIs in B2B Marketing

You can follow these steps to efficiently track content marketing KPIs in B2B marketing:

1. Define Clear Objectives

Before you start tracking KPIs, it’s essential to establish a clear understanding of your content marketing strategy and figure out your goals.

Common B2B content marketing objectives include nurturing prospects, brand awareness, driving conversions, and generating leads. Different sets of KPIs are used to measure the success of each of these objectives.

2. Identify Relevant KPIs

After defining your clear objectives, you can move towards identifying relevant KPIs that best suit your goals. You can choose one from the common KPIs, including website traffic, paid traffic, conversion rate, organic traffic, cost per click, and more.

3. Implement Analytics Tools

The next step requires you to track the identified KPI efficiently. You can use effective and robust analytics tools like Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, and HubSpot to monitor user behavior and website traffic.

If you are more interested in nurturing campaigns or lead generation, use marketing automation platforms like Marketo and HubSpot.

4. Set SMART Goals

Your next focus should be on setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals. This way, you can make sure that your objectives are properly defined and achievable.

For instance, if you wish to increase your website traffic, it's better to clearly state your goals. That’s because a SMART goal like “increase organic website traffic by 40% in one year” sounds more realistic and achievable than a vague goal such as “increase website traffic.”

5. Analyze and Report

Regular analysis and monitoring are essential for the success of KPIs. Try creating consistent reports to get a clear understanding of your marketing efforts. Likewise, identify the areas you need to work on and analyze trends to change your B2B content marketing strategy accordingly.

6. A/B Testing and Experimentation

By using A/B testing, you get a chance to compare different headlines, channel distributions, formats, and CTAs. Common KPIs like lead generation and conversion rates can be improved by regularly testing and improving your approach.

7. Align with the Sales Team

Alignment between sales and marketing teams is crucial in B2B marketing. That’s because regular collaboration ensures that sales teams are helping with converting MQLs into SQLs. Remember to track how your content impacts the sales pipeline.

Common Content Marketing KPIs to Choose From

Here are 6 of the most common KPIs and how they can help you measure and improve the success of your marketing campaigns:

1. Website Traffic

Website traffic refers to the total number of audiences visiting your website. While this KPI does not provide much information on its own, as a baseline, it provides content for other traffic metrics, like paid and organic traffic.

What it tells: This KPI helps you understand that your campaign is driving people to your website.

2. Organic Traffic

The total number of visitors coming to your website through a search engine is considered organic traffic. It does not include paid ads and is one of the most useful KPIs for measuring the performance of the best content marketing strategies.

Since visitors qualify themselves through search intent and do not require extra cost to acquire, increasing organic traffic is important.

What it tells: This KPI helps you understand that your content is successfully being discovered in search engines.

3. Paid Traffic

It refers to the total number of audience visiting your website through paid promotions, like display ads, sponsored content, and paid search. Depending on the advertiser-defined demographics, paid campaigns are targeted to show audiences what they really want to see.

What it tells: This KPI helps you understand that your ads are driving traffic to your landing pages and content.

4. Cost Per Click

The total amount spent on ads divided by the number of clicks in a pay-per-click campaign is called cost per click. In simple terms, it is the amount advertisers pay for each click. By setting a CPC target, you can easily identify whether your paid B2B marketing campaigns are impactful or not.

What it tells: This KPI helps you understand that your campaign is generating clicks at an efficient cost due to proper targeting and bidding.

5. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The total number of impressions divided by the number of clicks is referred to as the click-through rate. Several B2B marketing contexts like paid search, email marketing, and sponsored content use this KPI metric.

What it tells: This KPI helps you understand that your creative, messaging or CTA is influencing audiences to take action.

6. Conversion Rate

The number of audiences visiting your website divided by the number of conversions is referred to as the conversion rate. Conversions can take place in different ways, including making a purchase or downloading ebooks.

What it tells: This KPI helps you understand that you are doing an effective job of guiding users toward the campaign’s intended goals.

Conclusion

Tracking content marketing KPI in B2B marketing helps you know the effectiveness of your efforts and strategy. Make sure you set a clear goal, select a relevant KPI, and use the right analytic tools to gain insights into your campaigns.

You can hire a digital marketing company in USA, like Protonshub to help you with tracking KPIs. Our reliable team of digital marketing professionals can help you throughout the process and make tracking KPIs easier for you.

Visit our website to learn more about the services.

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Ekta Singh

"Senior Content Writer"

Ekta Singh is a rookie food experimentalist and k-drama fan with 4+ years of experience in writing. Bridging gaps between companies and customers through conversion-driven content is her forte. She believes in writing stories for a living and living life for exploring places.