How to report on content marketing? It seems to be a question that I started to hear more and more often. There are a lot of talks these days about the importance of content marketing for B2B companies. And if you are smart enough to be reading this, you probably already very well know how important it is and you are already doing it.
But what happens when it’s time to report on results? How do you show that all your effort is actually paying off?
This is often missing from the conversation. And it’s not surprising.
After all, content marketing is not like other forms of marketing where results can be easily measured. It’s much more subtle than that. And because it’s a little more complex, not many people know how to properly report on it.
In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about how to report on content marketing as a B2B company. We’ll go over stuff that people rarely talks and knows about, and after reading the article, you’ll have a much better understanding of how to show the impact of your content marketing, which will help you:
-Differentiate yourself from the majority of your competitors (most of them don’t do this)
-Get more budget and resources for your content marketing initiatives
-Improve the quality of your content marketing
So without further ado, let’s get started.
How to report on content marketing: the short version
Short answer: report on content marketing by tying content to pipeline, not to traffic. Ask every new lead and every closed deal where they actually heard about you (self-reported attribution), cross-check that answer against your analytics and your CRM, and report three things each month: which pages and CTAs produced conversations, which deals name content as the reason the buyer showed up, and what you will publish next because of it. Impressions, sessions and time on page belong in the appendix, not in the report.
Four ways to report on content marketing, and what each one is good for
| Method | What it answers | Where the data lives | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-reported attribution | How did this person actually hear about us | Form field, CRM, sales call notes | People forget, and the answers are messy to normalize |
| Last-click analytics | Which page was open when they converted | GA4, Search Console | Gives all the credit to the last step and ignores the content that built the trust |
| Multi-touch in the CRM | Which content the account touched before the deal | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive | Only sees known contacts, misses dark social, podcasts and private groups |
| Trophy room, qualitative | Which content people quote back to you | DMs, replies, call recordings | Not a number, so it has to sit next to one |
None of the four is complete on its own. The combination that works for most B2B companies is self-reported attribution as the headline number, analytics as the sanity check, and the trophy room as the evidence that content is doing its job in between the clicks.
What is content marketing and why it’s important for B2B companies?
Content marketing is a term that is often used interchangeably with things like “native advertising” or “inbound marketing.” However, it is actually its own distinct form of marketing. Content marketing focuses on creating useful, informative, and valuable content that attracts and engages customers. This can take many different forms, including blog posts, infographics, ebooks, video content, and more.
The goal is not to directly sell a product or service, but rather to build a relationship with potential customers and establish thought leadership within an industry.
Content marketing is an especially important part of B2B marketing. These companies often have longer sales cycles, and they need to build trust with potential customers before they are ready to make a purchase.
By creating high-quality content that educates and informs potential customers, B2B companies can build trust and establish themselves as experts in their field. Content marketing can be an extremely effective way to generate leads and grow a business.
How to identify your target audience and create content that resonates with them
If you’re running a business, it’s essential to identify your target audience and create content that resonates with them. After all, you can’t be everything to everyone – and trying to appeal to everyone will just end up watering down your message. So how do you go about finding your target audience?
There are a few different ways to identify your target audience. One is to look at your current customer base and try to segment them into different groups. Another is to look at your competition and see who they’re targeting. You can also use demographic data such as age, gender, location, etc. to help you narrow down your target audience.
Once you’ve identified your target audience, the next step is to create content that resonates with them. This means creating content that appeals to their needs, wants, and interests. It should also be presented in a way that’s easy for them to consume – whether that means using visuals, videos, infographics, or something else entirely.
By taking the time to identify your target audience and create content that resonates with them, you’ll be able to better connect with the people who are most likely to buy from you – and that means more sales for your business.
Tips for doing high-quality content marketing on a budget (something you need to understand to know how to report on content marketing)
Creating quality content doesn’t have to be expensive. With a little creativity and thoughtfulness, you can produce content that is not only informative but also engaging. Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Plan ahead:
By planning your content in advance, you can save time and money. Make sure to clearly define your goals and target audience before you start writing. This will help you focus your ideas and stay on track.
2. Do your research:
In-depth research will help you create more comprehensive and accurate content. When possible, try to use primary sources such as data, surveys, and interviews. This will give your readers confidence in the reliability of your information.
3. Be thoughtful about design:
The way your content looks is just as important as the way it reads. Carefully select images, graphics, and fonts that complement your message and convey the desired tone. And don’t forget to proofread! typos can make even the most well-written article look unprofessional.
4. Promote your content:
Once you’ve created quality content, make sure it gets seen by the right people. Share it on social media, post it on relevant forums and discussion boards, or submit it to popular news aggregators like Digg or Reddit.
By following these tips, you can create high-quality content without breaking the bank. So get creative and start writing!
How to report on content marketing and measure the success of your content marketing efforts
Content marketing is a huge umbrella that covers everything from blog posts to Instagram stories. And while it may seem like a daunting task to measure the success of your content marketing efforts, there are actually a few key metrics you can focus on.
First, take a look at how much traffic your content is generating. Are people reading your blog posts? Watching your videos? Engaging with your social media posts?
The second metric you can focus on is conversion rate. Are people taking the desired action after consuming your content? Whether that’s signing up for your email list, downloading a PDF, or making a purchase, the tracking conversion rate will give you insight into how effective your content marketing is.
Finally, you can also track the engagement rate, which measures how engaged readers are with your content. Are they commenting on your blog posts? Sharing your videos? Liking and resharing your social media posts? The higher the engagement rate, the more successful your content marketing efforts are.
By tracking these key metrics, you can get a clear picture of how effective your content marketing is and make adjustments as needed.
How to report on content marketing as a B2B company?
As a B2B company, it’s important to focus on metrics that show how your content is helping drive leads and sales for potential clients or partners, but it’s even more important to know how to report on those results.
Let’s check on the way you can set up the reporting for your B2B company.
1. Self-reported attribution
Add “How did you hear about us?” fields on both demo requests and product signups. Set up monthly reports in Salesforce for both. You can complement this with triggers in Gong if you want even more insight.
I recommend adding another field called ” Why do you want to work with us?” if you’re selling service. It will give you more depth. See below one way to do it on a website form.
p.s. It works only if you’re creating demand. If you’re only closing demand, people will answer with Google and they wouldn’t know the reason why.
2. Compare data
Every month, compare the self-attributed data to the sources on sales qualified opps in Salesforce or Hubspot. This will help you understand which content is most influencing their journey.
3. Summarize the data
Why do people sign up? And why do they want a demo? Oftentimes, the two answers are different. If that’s the case for your business, consider having separate teams or programs for each need.
In your monthly report for the company, show how much demand each channel generated and what the ROI was for those channels. The conversion rates will be different because it’s a different funnel, but you can use that to determine where to focus your efforts and budget.
Additionally, share any case studies or success stories that came from content marketing efforts so other teams in the organization can see the value of investing in content creation.
By setting up reporting this way, you’ll have a clear understanding of how your content is driving leads and sales for your B2B company. And with that understanding, you’ll be able to optimize your strategy and continue generating even more success.
4. See which pages & CTAs convert best, and which pages influenced the conversion.
How: Google Analytics + Mutiny, Hot Jar (optional).
When you set up key events in GA4, you can see where people tend to convert. And which pages drive which actions. Now you know which pages to prioritize.
You can also see the last 3 pages they viewed before converting.
BE NOTED: A lot of content consumption won’t happen on your site and most won’t visit multiple pages, but you’ll get an idea of an ideal journey and what people want to see next.
5. Create a trophy room
Create a desktop folder called “Trophy Room” to store all of your qualitative feedback, including
- replies to emails
- reactions to social posts
- direct messages about your brand or product, and any other mentions.
Compile this feedback into a weekly or monthly report so you can track progress over time.
After you identify what content is driving traffic and interest, consider why it works so well and how you can produce similar content for other channels or platforms.
Examples of what’s driving interest: DMs and email replies about a live show, recorded webinars, and sponsored podcasts
Examples of where people convert: About Us page, integration pages, product pages, on-demand tour pages
Examples of what influences the last steps of the journey: case studies, blogs
Keep in mind that if you value measuring your content over making great content, you will miss out on potential earnings. don’t only stick to what you can measure- try to measure what will have the most impact.
These three things will make it easier to see the whole story so you can:
1. Prove impact
2. Double down on what’s working, and
3. Cut out the fluff.
The best tools and resources for content marketers
As a content marketer, you need the right tools in your toolkit to succeed. But with the vast array of options out there, it can be tough to know which ones are the best for the job.
Here are the best tools and resources for content marketers, whether you’re looking for help with research, writing, or managing your workflow:
– Google Sheets: A versatile spreadsheet application perfect for keeping track of data and insights from your content marketing efforts.
– Hootsuite: An essential tool for managing all your social media accounts in one place.
– CoSchedule: A great tool for managing your content calendar and helping you stay on track with your publishing schedule.
– Google Analytics: An essential tool for understanding how your content is performing and where your audience is coming from.
By using the right tools, you can set yourself up for success as a content marketer. So don’t be afraid to experiment until you find the perfect combination for your needs.
Conclusion
Content marketing is a powerful way to reach your target audience and build relationships with them. By creating content that resonates with your target market, you can attract new customers and keep them coming back for more.
High-quality content doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming to produce. With the right tools and resources, you can create engaging content that helps you achieve your business goals.
Measuring the success of your content marketing efforts is essential for determining whether or not it’s working for you.
Reporting on content marketing as a B2B company can be tricky, but it’s worth taking the time to do it right.
FAQ: reporting on content marketing
What metrics should a B2B content marketing report include?
Lead with pipeline: conversations started, opportunities created, and deals where the buyer names content as the reason they reached out. Then add the operating metrics that explain those numbers, like which pages and CTAs converted and which distribution channels brought the right people. Sessions, impressions and average time on page go last, because they explain reach, not revenue.
How often should you report on content marketing?
Monthly for the operating numbers, quarterly for the direction. A month is long enough to see conversions and short enough to change the next batch of content. Judging a content program week to week produces noise, and judging it once a year means you find out too late that nobody was reading.
How do you prove content marketing ROI when the sales cycle is long?
Use leading indicators while you wait for the deals to close. Track the number of qualified conversations that mention your content, the share of new pipeline coming from people who consumed something before the first call, and the movement in branded search. When deals do close, go back and record what the buyer actually read, so the next report has revenue attached to a specific piece.
What is self-reported attribution and why does it matter?
Self-reported attribution is one open question on your form or on the first call: how did you hear about us. It matters because analytics only sees the last click, while buyers arrive through podcasts, newsletters, private communities and conversations that no tracking code can follow. The answers are messier than a dashboard and they are usually closer to the truth.
Related reading: How to create a B2B content distribution plan, B2B SaaS metrics that actually matter, Demand generation vs lead generation.
This article is from the Funky Marketing blog archive. The work continues at Funky Enterprises: positioning, demand generation and commercial systems for B2B companies.
If you want to look at your own commercial system, book a 30-minute needs assessment. New conversations with people who build revenue are on the Funky Enterprises Show.
