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No matter how long your brand has been using content marketing, one question you’re likely to face sooner or later is, what sort of return are you getting from your marketing investment? Whether you have to answer to a CEO or a marketing manager, you need a way to track campaigns. You need content marketing analytics tools.

Surprisingly, fewer marketers measure content marketing ROI than you’d expect. According to research from the Content Marketing Institute, just 35 percent of B2B marketers and only 43 percent of B2C marketers measure content marketing ROI. One of the biggest reasons for not measuring ROI is there wasn’t an easy way to do it.

In fact, there are numerous ways to measure content marketing ROI. Plus, you can confirm your efforts produce the results you want. That’s to use content marketing analytics tools.

What Do Content Marketing Analytics Tools Do?

In short, content marketing analytics tools provide you with access to specific metrics. You can then tailor those tools to focus on specific metrics that will help you best track your brand’s goals.

For example, your goal could be to produce content that gets shared on social media organically. Then, you track the number of shares each piece of content receives. You can use the analytics on each social media platform, such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or LinkedIn, to track it.

Another thing content marketing analytics tools do is show you the overall performance of your campaigns. For example, a tool can track how many pieces of content you’ve published. But some can also track the total number of views, engagements, and shares that content receives. In some cases, content marketing analytics tools provide actual ROI figures your campaign produced.

A few of the other metrics content marketing analytics tools measure include:

  • Cost per engagement
  • Total reach
  • Distribution of organic shares
  • Engagements per post
  • Total social value of a campaign

Top Content Marketing Analytics Tools

Google Analytics

Google Analytics lets you know how much traffic your content receives, where that traffic comes from, who your audience is, and how long people stay on your site.

YouTube Analytics

YouTube Analytics is similar to Google Analytics, but exclusively for videos uploaded to YouTube.

Facebook Page Insight

Facebook Page Insights gives you the full scoop on your business’ posts on Facebook, including number of likes, reach, and engagement.

Twitter Analytics

Twitter Analytics is exclusively for Twitter and lets you get to know your followers and measure tweet activity.

Tweriod

Tweriod reviews a bunch of data and gives you an idea of what times of day would be best for tweeting.

Buffer

Buffer is a social media scheduling tool that also provides analytics and data on your posts.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite, like Buffer, is a social media scheduling tool that includes analytics.

Buzzsumo

Buzzsumo lets you analyze specific content marketing topics and gauge how well one topic or type of content might perform on a particular platform. You can use it to check out what content topics are the most popular, as well.

Kissmetrics

Kissmetrics helps you analyze your audience’s behavior and develop campaigns that will increase conversions.

SimilarWeb

SimilarWeb is a tool that lets you take a look at how content produced by your competition is performing.

Why Should You Use Content Marketing Analytics Tools?

The biggest benefit of using content marketing analytics tools is they provide you with concrete numbers and data. You can use this data to help you determine if your content marketing efforts pay off.

For example, some tools tell you what the actual ROI for your content marketing is. Others show which blog posts or videos  refer people to your website to make a purchase. You can then present that data to your marketing director or the CEO of your company. Doing so is a way to demonstrate your content provides the brand with concrete value.

Another major benefit of using a content marketing analytics tool is that doing so saves you time and effort. You can find the figures and facts you need to track ROI using separate tools such as Google analytics, YouTube analytics for videos, or other social media platform analytics to track social performance.

What Should You Look for in Content Marketing Analytics Tools?

What you want to look for in a content marketing analytics tool depends, in large part, on your goals and budget. If you want a one-stop-shop, choose a tool that provides the greatest number of metrics, as well as a tool that demonstrates the importance or value of those metrics.

Another thing to consider is your budget. There are plenty of analytics tools that are available for free, such as Google analytics or the tools built into individual social media platforms. While these tools don’t offer the comprehensiveness or streamlined nature of an all-in-one tool, they can be a good starting point for brands. As your budget grows, you can consider investing in more comprehensive tools.

Get Started With a Content Marketing Analytics Tool

Once you decide that using an analytics tool will help you measure your content marketing’s ROI, the next step is to find the right tool.

It’s usually a good idea to try out a tool before you commit to it. Requesting a demonstration or a free trial gives you a chance to play around with a tool and see if using it will benefit you or help you improve your content marketing efforts.

Some tools are DIY, meaning you are on your own when it comes to figuring out how to use and manage its day-to-day functions. On the other hand, some companies that provide analytics tools also provide full service and assistance with using them. Testing out a few tools before you commit to one will help you find the one that best meets your needs.

Want to learn the ins and outs of B2B Content Marketing?

Download your free copy of the B2B Content Marketing Guide today!