If you’ve researched content marketing, you’ve seen impressive statements like these. Websites with blogs generate 67% more leads. Content marketing generates 3X the leads for 2/3 the cost of other forms of advertising.

While these statements are true, actual content marketing ROI varies widely. At the end of the day, can you turn your increased website visits into paying customers? As a business, that’s your goal. That’s where the ROI is found.

These proven strategies will help get the most out of content marketing by improving your content marketing ROI.

1. Invest in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO makes your website more visible in search results. You do this by creating a site that is fast and user-friendly. In addition, SEO employs strategies like link building and getting more customer reviews to build up your website’s authority in the eyes of Google and potential customers.

Without SEO, customers can still find your content through social media, email links, advertising or in other more direct communications. And these are valuable traffic-drivers. But SEO does something that other methods can’t. Internet Marketing Sydney

It shows your content at the perfect time. When someone asks Google a question, your content answers it.

To increase your content marketing ROI, optimise its visibility in searches. This takes time. But the sooner you start, the sooner you reap the real rewards of content marketing.

2. Research What Your Target Customer Is Looking For

In order to improve your content visibility and click-through rate on social media, in searches and email, build content around topics that customers search for. These topics aren’t a mystery. Find out what they are by:

Social listening – Use software to track hashtags and industry keywords to understand what content in your industry earns social shares. Even if the content doesn’t go viral, these shares propel content from obscurity to highly visible on multiple channels.

Considering search intent – Instead of building content around topics like “How to hire a plumber” or “Why we’re the best plumbing service”, which someone is very unlikely to search for, choose topics that are likely to be searches for like “How to unclog a sink drain fast”. These kinds of topics establish you as the expert and build instant trust. Don’t be afraid to give a little at risk of losing a would-be customer because now they can unclog the drain without you. They will find this information online somewhere so it might as well be your website. And when they determine that that drain is more than they can handle, you’ll be the first company they call.

Researching keywords – Use keyword research tools find phrases that people commonly search for.

3. Create a Clearly Defined Content Marketing Funnel

Do people leave without taking any action that clearly works toward your revenue-generating goals? Create a clear funnel that aligns with the buyer’s journey. According to Hubspot, customers go through three distinct stages when buying something:

Discovery – They discover that they have a problem, need or desire… I have a clogged drain.

Consideration – They consider their options… What are my options to unclog it? Do I have the tools I need? Can I do it myself?

Decision-making – They make a decision that they need help from a professional and have options, including your competitors… I tried to unclog this drain and failed. Who can I hire to unclog this drain? I’ll call the company that tried to help me do it myself. Because they were helpful, I feel like I already trust them.

To create a funnel that aligns with these stages, you’ll:

Attract a person with a problem or desire you have the answer for… How do I unclog a drain?

Offer them something of value. This may come in actionable tips, a helpful tool, or a how-to video. These are all types of content… This is how to unclog a drain fast.

Collect contact information, usually an email. Do this through a lead generation form. Offer them a discount, more information, a chance to win something, a free trial or other small but significant token in exchange… Get more home helpful home maintenance tips to your inbox when you sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Continue to nurture that lead through relevant content sent to their email on a regular basis. This keeps you top of mind whether they need your help now or in the near future. Don’t be overly promotional. But do encourage these leads to make their first purchase… Here are those weekly home maintenance tips we promised. And, by the way, you can save 20% today on plumbing service.

To clearly visualise these funnels, set up sales funnels in Google Analytics and track funnel performance. Test different methods. Optimise.

Content marketing isn’t about making a quick sale, although you’ll make those too with the right content marketing strategies.

You’re playing the “long game” to build a life-long relationship with this customer. This is how to improve content marketing ROI.

4. Value Data Analytics

Do you create content each week and forget it? Perhaps you’ve heard that it takes time for content marketing to work. So you believe that if you just keep creating content, eventually it will pay off.

The fact is, you’re taking a great risk. Yes, your greatest content marketing ROI is seen over time. But you can see now how people interact with your content to determine if you’re creating the best content for your company. And a solid content marketing strategy should begin generating revenues in some form immediately.

Review analytical data on social media, Google and paid analytics tools to learn things like:

What content earns clicks

Which titles and headlines encourage people to view the content

How long people stay on the page

How many pieces of content people view while on your website

How many leads the content directly generates

How many shares content receives

How visible that content becomes in searches

Use these “early indicators” to optimise your content to most cost-effectively focus your efforts and maximise your content marketing ROI.

5. Understand How Content Marketing ROI Is Different

We’re not making any excuses for content marketing. The ROI is there. It’s visible and measurable. But its ROI isn’t as straightforward as, for example, a PPC ad where you can apply simple maths to determine an ROI.

In addition to the easily measurable number of leads or sales you directly attribute to a specific piece of content, the ROI comes in the form of:

More targeted website traffic

Higher conversion rates (6X higher)

Larger first order sizes

Higher purchase frequency

More repeat customers

More social media engagement

Greater visibility on social media, in searchers and around the Internet

Decreased spending on ads

It does this by creating a magnet, building trust quickly and increasing the touchpoints that customers have with your brand.

How to Improve Your Content Marketing ROI

The competition is fierce because so many businesses have learned the value of content marketing online. So you must have effective content marketing strategies in place to get results. Don’t make these mistakes. Best SEO company Australia

Content marketing involves more than simply creating content. Create content around topics that people are looking for. Invest in SEO. Create clear funnels through which you’ll turn a website visitor into a paying customer. This is how to improve your content marketing ROI.