THE ROI OF CONTENT MARKETING
PAUL EVERETT, DIRECTOR,THE MARKETING PRACTICE
@TMPEverett
High PerformanceContent,The Ivy, 9 September 2015

THE ROI OF CONTENT MARKETING
Why are we doing content marketing?
Examples of ROI measurement
Tactics for improving ROI
INTRODUCTION

1.WHY AREWE DOING CONTENT
MARKETING?

1.WHYCONTENT?
OBJECTIVES OF CONTENT MARKETING
Typical strategic objectives:
- (re)Positioning the business to increase
conversion, lifetime value and customer
retention
- Engaging with buyers who are
researching online and pulling them into
the sales process (content replacing the
sales team)
- Impact on other audiences (analysts,
press, current/future employees)
- Because everyone else is doing it?
But measurement is still
mostly at the tactical level…
- Consumption (views, time on page)
- Reach/sharing
- 1st step lead generation
…not great indicators of
quality

A LONGERTERM INVESTMENT IN GROWING PROFIT
1.WHYCONTENT?
• IPA Databank
• 996 case studies
• 30 years of the IPA
Effectiveness Awards

A LONGERTERM INVESTMENT IN GROWING PROFIT
1.WHYCONTENT?
31% 40%
86%
% reporting very
large profit growth
as a result of their
campaign
Very large
improvement
in both
Very large
improvement
in price only
Very large
improvement in
sales/share only
Most marketing focuses on measuring growth in revenue, but we also need to build the
reputation that can sustain a higher price point if we want to have a big affect on profit
What drives very large profit growth?
• Only 31% of those who saw a very large
improvement in just their sales (but not the price
they can charge) as a result of their campaign
delivered a very large rise in profit
• 40% of those who saw a very large improvement in
just the price they can charge (but not in their
sales) delivered a very large rise in profit
• 86% of those who saw a very large improvement in
both sales and price delivered a very large rise in
profit
• So if we want to have a major impact on profit, we
need to drive demand and also build a reputation
that can sustain a higher price point

This is not a short term thing
A LONGERTERM INVESTMENT IN GROWING PROFIT
1.WHYCONTENT?%reportingverylargesales
growth
Volume growth can be immediate
Campaign duration
3 months 6 months 1 years 2 years 3 years
23
%
28
%
33
%
34
%
36
%
Price effects take time
Campaign duration
3 months 6 months 1 years 2 years 3 years
0%
1.7
%
1.8
%
2.9
%
3.1
%
%reportingverylargeprice
effects
Profit takes time to fully realise
Campaign duration
3 months 6 months 1 years 2 years 3 years
4%
8%
9%
14
%
15
%
%reportingverylarge
profitgrowth

2. MEASUREMENT IN ACTION

2.ROIEXAMPLES
ITSMA SURVEY: 2015 MEASURING AND
COMMUNICATING MARKETING IMPACT
http://www.itsma.com/research/itsma-online-survey-communicating-marketings-impact-roi-c-suite/

2.ROIEXAMPLES
ITSMA SURVEY: 2015 MEASURING AND
COMMUNICATING MARKETING IMPACT
Majority of current
measurement (quarterly)
Best sources of
content ROI

EXAMPLES: CONTENTTHROUGHTO RESULTS
AXA Wealth
Growing business 3x more with companies who engage with content than those who don’t.
Capgemini Expert Connect
Sales of EUR6m in 2014, EUR10m expected in 2015.
Microsoft/Nokia
In decision-makers targeted by content campaign: Consideration increased by a third; Purchase
Preference more than doubled. Part of a programme increasing business market share from
11% to 18% and now to 26%.
2.ROIEXAMPLES

3.TIPS FOR INCREASING ROI

FOURTIPSTO CONSIDER…
1. Use the sales team as a direct channel to market
Marketing ownership for social selling programmes: increases the reach of content
directly to people the sales team want to influence
2. Closer integration of ‘brand’ content with demand generation and bid
support
Target content further into the sales process where influence is easier to track
3. Push for more relevant and targeted advertising solutions to promote
content (retargeting, IP-based etc)
Don’t cut back on promotion budget just because you have made a large
investment in content
4. Proving rather than increasing ROI: keep investing in data and systems
Decide upfront on how you will track content efforts (not by clicks or likes if your
objective was increasing share of wallet or retention!) and ensure your
data/systems/reporting roadmap will support those metrics
3.INCREASINGROI

@TMPEverett
THANKYOU