Do you feel like you’re constantly explaining content marketing?
Whether you’re seeking initial buy-in or justifying an existing program to a new executive, you’re often asked to prove that content marketing is a worthy investment.
Explaining the nitty-gritty inner workings and ROI of content marketing to bosses or clients is difficult. But it’s necessary. If you can’t get support behind your content efforts, how can you be successful?
So, how can you explain content marketing and its potential ROI in a way that’s persuasive, urgent, and incredibly convincing?
Fear not. You can make it happen.
Use relatable metaphors to explain content marketing
Explaining ROI starts with making sure executives understand the definition of content marketing and how it will get your brand to achieve goals.
Metaphors are always a great way to relate new or misunderstood concepts. Here’s an apt one to use:
Content marketing is a vehicle, and content marketing strategy is the engine. The vehicle takes you to your destination only if the engine is in good shape.
For example, if your goal is to increase organic traffic to your website, that’s the destination. Your content marketing strategy that calls for crafting a blog and posting three times a month targeting keywords your desired audience is using to search, that’s the engine. The content crafted for those posts is the vehicle.
Breaking down content marketing and content marketing strategy using an easily understood metaphor gives your bosses or clients a ground-floor understanding of how it all works.
After you lay it out, though, you need to dig in and really show them why it works and why they should care.
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Demystify content marketing ROI
All the metaphors in the world won’t help you explain content marketing ROI if you’re not speaking a language your boss or higher-ups understand. To drive home the impact and potential of content marketing, show them the money (metaphorically).
Gather examples of other businesses that have used content marketing to bolster their brand success. In particular, search for case studies that show gains from content in terms of hard data.
For example, Leslie Carruthers’ article, 4 Case Studies Show How to Crush It With Out-of-the-Box Content Marketing, details how four brands found success with their content marketing campaigns, including some of the results.
Most business leaders want to know the kind of results to expect from the marketing strategies in which they invest. Case studies and examples show them what’s possible.
But don’t just gather all the examples possible and put them out there. Think about the people you’re trying to convince and choose the examples most likely to appeal to them based on their role and goals.
Hit them with a tested formula for predicting ROI
If executives want to know what the ROI of content marketing strategy will look like in hard numbers (and many do), don’t despair. You can provide a model for predicting what kind of payoff to expect based on the initial investment.
This is how you literally show them the money.
Content marketing aims to:
- Boost traffic to a site
- Convert that traffic into high-quality leads
- Convert those leads into sales
Conversions form the foundation of the content marketing ROI model and…
