Learn how to build a data-driven content strategy with tips from content strategy expert Stephanie Mansueto.

1. An Introduction to
Data Driven Content
Stephanie Mansueto
Senior Director of Content Strategy
stephanie.mansueto@rockcontent.com

2. About
Rock Content
Founded in 2013, Rock Content provides over
2,000 brands, marketers and agencies with
innovative content marketing solutions, creative
services, on-demand talent, and professional
training. Rock acquired ScribbleLive in late 2019
and now employs over 500 people globally and
maintains a talent network of over 80,000 creative
professionals. Together, we all share in Rock’s
mission to create growth opportunities for our
customers, talent community, and Rockers
worldwide.

3. Stephanie Mansueto
Senior Director of Content Strategy, Rock Content
● 15 years industry experience
● Digital Content Creator
● Content Strategist
● Professional Services Leader
stephanie.mansueto@rockcontent.com
@stephmansueto

4. Today
We’ll Cover:
● What is data driven content and
what can it accomplish?
● What are common goals of
content and where data strategy
fits in.
● Tactical ways to implement a data
strategy
● Q&A

5. What is Data
Focused
Content?
Data driven content marketing means
knowing exactly what your audience is
looking for using all the available web
analytics tools, and then tailoring, formatting,
and timing your content accordingly.

6. When people think content,
they often think creative.
But in reality, great content
is a blend of both creativity
and data.
*Convince & Convert

7. Content Strategy focuses on the
creation & distribution of content at
all stages of the customer journey;
attract, convert, retain and ensures
that content is sent to the right user
at the right time in their content
journey.

8. But without a data strategy, you
would never know if you are sending
the right content and if that content is
impactful.

9. What do we aim
to achieve from a
data driven
content strategy?
● Educate our customers & prospects - a
more informed buyer is a more qualified
buyer and one will that will be more
sticky as a customer.
● Influence conversions - content
marketing is a great way to encourage
people to complete our lead form to
access materials.
● Gain exposure as thought leaders -
Content enables you to showcase your
expertise within your industry which
builds trust with customers.
● To learn who our audience is and what
motivates them - great content, when
partnered with data tools, can tell us a
lot about our customers - what drives
them, what they want to learn and what
influences their buying decisions.

10. 5% of marketers
rate their overall
content approach
as extremely
successful

11. Only 5%?
That is a lot of disappointed
marketers & business
stakeholders.

12. So, how can we
improve our content
approach?

13. Merge content strategy
with data strategy

14. The Steps to
Create a Data
Driven Content
Strategy
● Research
● Content Planning
● Creation
● Distribution
● Analyzing

15. Research
Competitive Analysis,
Internal Content Audit
and Market Research

16. Content
Audit:
● Take Stock of What You Have - Create a
Google Sheet of your content - blogs,
assets, video, etc.
● Get Organized - Once you have your
content organized in one spreadsheet, add
any details you can compile into the sheet
including but not limited to:
○ Date launched/Last updated
○ Category
○ Content Type
○ Ranking or Performance Metrics
○ Action Item - Update, Merge, or None
How to complete an effective
Step 1: Research

17. Competitive
Analysis:
● Define Who Your Competition Really Is:
Just because you’re in the same industry,
doesn’t mean you’re going after the same
audience.
● What is their Product Strategy: Analyze
review sites, product forums, request a
demo or sign up for a trial, etc.
● Analyze their Content Strategy: What
keywords are they targeting, what content
are they creating, how often are they
distributing new content pieces, and use
marketing tools to find what keywords rank
highest for their content.
● Compile your Research: Pull all of your
research together in a format that is easy to
share, update, and reference. Google Sheets
& Trello work well for us!
How to complete an effective
Step 1: Research

18. Target
Audience:
● Who Consumes your Content
Today - Use social and web
analytics to learn more about your
current subscriber base.
● Outline the Benefits of your
Products and What Challenges it
Solves - Digging into what your
product offers and the challenges
it solves will help you determine
who they may benefit..
● Talk to Sales & Customer
Success - Who buys our product
and who succeeds in their
adoption of it?
How to define your
Step 1: Research

19. Content
Planning
Content Process & Workflows,
Content Calendar, and Strategic
Objectives

20. Content
Objectives:
● Think S.M.A.R.T. - Your content
objectives should align with
business objectives. The best way
to do this is to make them
S.M.A.R.T. --
○ Specific
○ Measurable
○ Achievable
○ Realistic
○ Timely
How to measure and determine
Step 2: Content
Planning

21. Content
Plan
● Create a Content Workflow - How
will your content be created,,
reviewed, approved, and
delivered?
● Ideation - Brainstorm with your
team to come up with content
ideas that your audience actually
wants.
● Editorial Calendar - Define when
and where you will publish your
content in a Editorial Calendar.
Let’s get ready to formalize a
Step 2: Content
Planning

22. Creation
Content for the Customer
Journey and Content
Formats

23. Customer
Journey
●Awareness
●Consideration
●Decision
●Onboarding
●Retention / Advocacy
Creating Content for the
Step 3: Creation

24. Content
Formats:
● Infographic
● Blog Posts
● Ebooks / White Papers
● Data Sheets
● Presentations
● Sales One Sheeters
● Interactive Content
● Webinars
● Tutorials
● Checklists
● Landing Pages
Step 3: Creation

25. What to Track
During this
Stage
● How long did the content take to create?
● How many resources did it take to
complete?
● Was it created in house or by a contractor?
What was the contractors rate?
● Did we buy a tool to create this content?
How much does that tool cost?
Step 3: Creation

26. Distribution
Deployment to the
right Channels for
Visibility

27. Distribute
Content:
● Social Media
● Video Platforms
● Email Campaigns
● Events or Conferences
● On-Site
● Guest Blogging
What platforms are best to
Step 4: Distribution

28. Analyzing
Performance
Analyze, Optimize,
Test, and Improve

29. Content
Analysis:
● Page Views
● Unique Visits
● Average Time on Page
● Engagement
● Bounce Rate
● Traffic Source or Traffic Driver
● Shares/Comments/Follows/Mentions
● Subscribes
● Leads Generated
Let’s do some
Step 5: Analyzing
Performance

30. Analysis to
Inform the
Future
● Optimize your Content
● Launch an A/B Split Test
● Create Supporting Content
● Tweak the Social Message
● Try a Different Audience
● Ask your Audience for their
Thoughts
Let’s do some
Step 5: Analyzing
Performance

31. Having a data driven
content strategy will
help us have higher
performing and higher
quality content.

32. Keys to a
Successful
Data Driven
Strategy:
● Start Research
● Create a Content Plan
● Develop your Content in Varying Formats
● Distribute it Across Channels
● Analyze, Optimize, Improve
Always be learning!
To wrap us up:

33. Thank You!
Any questions? You can find me at:
Stephanie Mansueto
Senior Director of Content Strategy
stephanie.mansueto@rockcontent.com