Data Driven Content
7 min read
Data Driven Content refers to the approach of drawing on user data when selecting and conceiving content. Thanks to various types of data – quantitative tracking data as well as qualitative data from user research – it is possible to steer content in a targeted and successful way.
The content of a digital landscape usually develops over years and grows very heterogeneously. It is often not interlinked across channels (social, web, trade fairs, etc.), but instead sits within its own content silos. However, organisations should orchestrate the interplay of content across all digital channels and ensure that this content is actually wanted and used by users. To guarantee this, a content strategy is needed, along with a constant review of the content's value. Is it relevant and up to date? Is it written with a customer-centric focus? A data-driven content strategy draws on extensive analyses to determine the factors behind high-performing content.
In this article, you'll learn how to develop such a strategy and which data you should analyse to obtain reliable evaluation parameters. The interplay of expert knowledge and data analysis makes content better and more valuable, as content with a consistent focus on customer needs also leads to a higher conversion rate.
The most important thing for successful content: defining success
If we want to measure the success of content online, we need to know what success looks like. The most expensive texts, images and videos are wasted if they don't contribute to your company's value creation. That's why we define goals with our clients – ideally smart goals:
S – specific
Goals should be formulated as concretely as possible.M – measurable
Goals should be qualitatively and/or quantitatively measurable.A – attractive / accepted
goals should be challenging and desirable for those involved.R – realistic
Goals should be achievable with given resources.T – time-bound
Goals should be tied to timeframe.
Example goal formulation
To boost the revenue generated by our core product, (specific)
we want to increase the number of completed online orders. (measurable)
Our content team is creating new content for the landing page for this. (accepted)
We're aiming for a 5% increase in online orders within six months. (realistic)
We review order-number trends every month. (time-bound)
Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.
5 steps to measurably successful content
Data-driven content isn't, in our view, a one-off measure you can deploy short-term like an ad campaign. It's a strategy that ensures your content contributes to your company's success over the long term. These five steps and their accompanying questions give you an important guide for sustainably successful content. If you're stuck with your content, you should repeat these steps:
1. Define goals
What do we want to achieve? What business goals are behind this?
2. Define metrics and make them measurable
What do we need to measure for this? Can we measure it? If so, how? Qualitatively or quantitatively? Do we have the necessary tools and experts to carry out the evaluation? Are we running a UX test?
3. Define and implement measures
What exactly do we want to do for this? Who's responsible for it? What process is behind it?
4. Collect and evaluate data
How do the metrics behave after the measures have been implemented? What does that mean? Where is there still room for optimisation? Where are the pitfalls?
5. Adjust measures
What should we do differently? What needs to happen for that?
Over time, you should also regularly ask yourself: Have our goals changed? Do we need to redefine our objectives? Are we still measuring the right metrics? The internet is constantly changing. Your content and your strategy should be adaptable accordingly.
Optimising content with Data Driven Content
Whether a web offering is successful depends on many different factors. One important lever is the content – i.e. the texts, images, videos, tables, documents, application journeys, functionalities, etc. By analysing KPIs linked to the objective, it's possible to measure how changes to content affect the offering's performance.
For example, if shorter, simpler texts lead to an application journey being completed successfully more often, we can learn from that and adapt other application journeys accordingly.
Other informative data includes, for example, SEO information from Google Data Studio. Consistently good rankings over the long term indicate user-friendly content. When adapting content, the ranking should be taken into account to find out how well the content matches different search queries.
Data Driven Content at interactive tools
At interactive tools, we create user-centric content that measurably contributes to our clients' success. To do this, we define content KPIs together with our client teams, such as:
Conversion,
Visibility for relevant keywords,
Successful use of functionalities,
Reach across different channels.
We're also particularly interested in data from UX tests: How well can specific tasks be completed on the website? Do users understand everything on the website they're meant to understand? How do participants feel after visiting the website? Where does confusion arise?
We continuously observe these core questions in our UX lab and optimise digital content accordingly. Because in more than 20 years, we've learned that visitor satisfaction has a strong influence on business success.
What is a conversion?
More and more marketing managers are dealing with "conversion". But what's behind this buzzword?
Conversion is one of the most valuable measurable metrics in (online) marketing. Conversion always describes a transformation. Usually it's the transformation of a target person's status, for example turning a website visitor into a newsletter subscriber.
Classic examples of conversion include:
Signing up for the newsletter
Clicking a link
Registering for a customer account
Downloading a file
Completed online purchase of a product
Sharing content via social media
A conversion doesn't always have to take place on a website. However, it should always be linked to broader business goals. You should therefore individually define what constitutes a relevant conversion for your online content and consider how you can measure it effectively.
Content is King. Now what?
You've recognised that your digital content is the royal house of your organisation: very important, but also very expensive. What happens next with this realisation?
At interactive tools, we usually start working with clients with a content audit. First, we take a close look at the content and find out what's already working well and what still needs improving. In an initial KPI workshop, we also discuss goals and possible metrics. Once we know where the journey should go and what we need to measure for it, we can develop an action plan that makes your content measurable and successful.
Get in touch! We'll help you find out whether your content is a wasteful Sun King or actually reigns for the benefit of all.
Your contact person
- Meike Bölts
Consultingsynaigy
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