The document discusses the gap between content marketing and measuring its return on investment (ROI). While 86% of B2B firms use content marketing, only 21% feel confident in their ability to track ROI. However, 55% of firms plan to increase or maintain their content marketing budgets without accurately tracking ROI. The document argues that firms need to identify key metrics to report on for both financial stakeholders and content creators to close this gap and clean up the "huge mess".

2. Mind the gap.

3. There’s a gap that exists in content marketing and it’s causing
a mess. One that many firms are making even worse.
With statistics applied from
the 2015 B2B content marketing report,
let’s reveal this growing chasm.

4. Imagine every B2B organization in North America as 100 firms.

5. Just 14 of those firms DON’T use content marketing.

6. 86% of firms DO use content marketing.

7. Those firms were asked how successful they were at tracking the
return on investment from content marketing campaigns.

8. Just 18 of our 86 firms feel confident in their organizations
ability to track the return of content marketing campaigns.
21%

9. 21% 64% 15%
55 of these B2B firms feel that their ability to track ROI from content
marketing is either mediocre or not at all accurate. The remaining 11
firms don’t even bother tracking ROI from content marketing.

10. More organizations using content marketing
Lack of success in tracking content marketing ROI
&

11. Disaster.
(and it gets worse…)

12. What did these 86 firms plan to do with their content
marketing budgets in the upcoming year?

13. 55%
47 of the 86 firms plan to increase content marketing
spend over the next year.

14. 55%
32%
28 firms are going to keep the
budget where it is currently.

15. 55%
32% 11%
2%
9 of the firms are unsure of the budgets fate, while just 2 firms
are decreasing or eliminating the budget altogether.

16. 21% 64% 15%
BUT WAIT! Remember this? 79% of firms either don’t track ROI at all or
feel pretty mediocre about their organizations abilities to do so.

17. 55%
32% 11%
2%
These same firms are upping budgets or keeping them the same.
Without even knowing what they’re really getting in return.

18. More organizations using content marketing
Lack of success in tracking content marketing ROI
&

19. Throwin’ money
without discretion

20. Huge freaking mess.

21. Clean-up time.

22. Before a firm even begins a content marketing campaign, it
must identify how the results of the initiative will be reported.
There are two core reporting groups for every content
marketing campaign. The first report is to whomever is holding
the purse strings. We’ll refer to that group as the “Chief Suite.”
The second group is one that is too often overlooked in
reporting processes: the content creators.

23. Leading
Lead
Metrics
Market
Share Revenue
Lagging
Chief Suite
We’ll begin by looking
at the key metrics the
Chief Suite is
interested in and
where to find them.

24. o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Lagging
Choose what represents revenue within your
organization.
Is the content driving sales?
Is the content saving costs?

25. o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Leading
Choose metrics that directly
impact the lagging indicator.
Lead quality
Lead quantity
Sales cycle duration
Market share

26. o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Correlation Causation
Implementing Tracking Pixels
CRM & Sales Close Rates

27. Site
Metrics
Query
Rankings
Social
Metrics
Supporting
Content Creators
Too often overlooked, but
oh-so critical. It is
essential to provide the
content creators with
results from content
marketing campaigns.

28. Why does the content
perform the way it does?
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Supporting

29. o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Bounce Rate
Social Engagement
Search Query Rankings
Website TrafficConsumption Habits
User Paths
Use these metrics
to identify:

30. Now what?

31. Leading
Lead
Metrics
Market
Share
Site
Metrics
Query
Rankings
Social
Metrics
Supporting
Revenue
Lagging
Content Creators Chief Suite

32. Supporting indicators that
drive leading indicators.
Leading indicators
that prove the
lagging indicators.
Lagging
indicators.
Identify & CONTINUOUSLY DOCUMENT the:

34. twitter @realemilylouisa