What is the most important KPI for Content Marketing?

There are lots of ways to measure success when it comes to Social Media… page likes, visits, page views, positive comments… but which one speaks more to social media success? Is there one in specific that should be focused on?

In a recent poll, taken with almost 400 participants- 90% of whom were from North America and the United Kingdom, 24% felt that social shares were considered the most important KPI (Key Performance Indicator). Coming in a close second was unique visits with 23%, then engagement with CTA’s at 20%, and backlinks with 19%.

Pageviews and positive comments were less important with only 8% and 6% of the vote, respectively.

What does this poll show? Well, most Digital Marketers look at a spread of metrics to determine the success of their content marketing on social media.

It shows that marketing efforts shouldn’t be confined to just one area- and that multiple KPIs should be closely monitored.

Monitoring social shares in particular, is important, because it’s a good measurement of reach of a piece of content. You are able to see how far your content has spread- which matters because it can place your information in front of influential people who will hopefully share it with their networks.

However- don’t spend too much time focusing solely on social shares. You cannot get an accurate picture of your success simply by paying attention to only one KPI.

When you choose to monitor multiple KPIs, it is easier to evaluate reach, buzz, and impact of your content, so that you know it’s true worth and value. Just be sure that you understand the significance of the data you collect so that you don’t draw the wrong conclusions.