On measuring content

If your content falls in the digital forest, how do you know if it worked?

Content - and its effectiveness - can be extremely difficult to measure. Sure, there are metrics to follow, data to analyze, but how do you know if those stats are really measuring what you think they are?

Marketers argue that content can easily be tracked and measured through metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and page views. While this may be true on some level(s), there's so much more to content than the % Exit rate.

First, there's the confounding variables that abound in the various outlets where you may find your content. Your website? A high bounce rate could mean that your content was poorly received, but it could also mean that your site design is off-putting. Your page view count might be higher than ever, but people might click right off your site after they get there.

How do you extricate your content from its surrounding context?

Second, there's the idea that content (and content marketing) isn't really about the numbers. It's about reaching people and resonating with people. Quote a famous author or offer a cute picture and people will pause, they'll share, and they'll remember. You can't measure the conversation they have with a friend later, but you've made an impact. 

You could create really fun, engaging, original content that has nothing to do with your services, but hits home with people - a shareable piece of content can be hard to track by the numbers, but it'll pay you back in dividends as you build positive brand recognition.

When it comes to digital content, it can be tricky to measure your return on investment when you put hours and dollars in, and aren't sure if your metrics represent results. But combine quality content with analytics + engagement, and you've got a solid formula for success.

Content By Numbers

Just how long is too long when in comes to web writing?

It can be hard to tell when you've written just enough, or totally overshot the mark.

Social Media Today  posted an article about the ideal length of various forms of content marketing. From Tweets to presentations and everything in between, they covered - in detail - just how long (or short!) your verbiage should be.

And, get this, it's backed by data! Actual, scientifically proven data!

It's an April miracle.

The article was a long one, so here I've boiled down a bit of what they found:

1) Multiple sources (including Twitter itself) reports that tweets get the most retweets when they hit around the 100 character mark.
So don't go pushing the limits of your 140 character max, but don't sell yourself short either.

2) Facebook posts should be 80 characters or fewer for 66% higher engagement - around 40 characters if you're playing in Hard Mode (and want 86% higher engagement)!
It can be hard to keep posts concise yet still convey the full message you're trying to share, but even in the land of unlimited characters, shorter is definitely sweeter.

3) Email subject lines incur both the highest open rate AND the highest click-through at 28-39 characters, which amounts to just a few short words.
You only get a few words and precious little time to catch a recipient's attention as they sift through their email inbox. Use your subject line wisely!

4) Surprisingly, the ideal blog post length is a whopping 1,600 words, or 7 minutes of reading! According to Medium's own data, anyway.
This seems mighty long, but the trick is in the writing itself. Anyone can blather on for a few thousand words, but having enough real detail and keeping attention for 7 minutes requires skill and knowledge.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but the key is in delivering quality content that people want. If you're providing something of value - and demonstrate it clearly (whether it's hard-hitting info or a funny gif of kittens), you're sure to score with your audience.

The balance between succinct, concise writing and delivering adequate detail and sentiment is a difficult one to strike. But when you find it, you've struck gold!



As Mark Twain once said,

“I didn't have time to write a short letter,
so I wrote a long one instead.”