The Secret Your Website Traffic Might Be Trying to Tell You. According to the participants in CMI’s recent B2C content marketing roundtable, looking for ways to reach the audience that you have — even if it’s not the audience you wanted — may provide a path to new insights and activities. As a result, it is increasingly interested in finding out if the content is attracting the right audience. “But maybe,” he said, “they’re the right audience and you need to shift your view.” You could launch an in-house content initiative using the fourth content model to reach an audience that you built but doesn’t appear to be interested in your original product or service. It’s only the increasing sophistication (and acceptance) of content that makes the fourth model palatable for internal organizational decision-makers. For example, over half of marketers (60%) indicate that their organization is “extremely” or “very” committed to content marketing. Think about your non-converting website traffic. Mondelez, the snack-food company that brings us Wheat Thins, Toblerone, Oreos, and more, is making moves toward media company status too. And maybe there’s an unseen opportunity lurking in your current website traffic. Want to be inspired by brands turning their content into profit?
As a particularly feisty gust of wind tried to rob me of my new favorite scarf last week, I was reminded that just because I can’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
Gravity keeps us safely anchored to the ground. Ultraviolet rays turn skin alarming shades of pink. Fall breezes whip leaves into a frenzy and put scarves in mortal danger.
In all these cases, unseen forces can drive insight (I should wear sunscreen) and activity (chasing my scarf through the park).
When it comes to content marketing, an unseen message in your website traffic could open a new approach to content. According to the participants in CMI’s recent B2C content marketing roundtable, looking for ways to reach the audience that you have — even if it’s not the audience you wanted — may provide a path to new insights and activities.
The B2C roundtable featured Andrew Davis, author of Brandscaping; Margaret Magnarelli, senior director of marketing and managing editor for content, Monster; Thao Le, vice president of marketing at Hyland’s; Amanda Todorovich, director of content marketing, Cleveland Clinic; and Michael Weiss, vice president of marketing, Creative Circle. Deborah Holstein, vice president of marketing for Hightail, led the discussion.
Profitable content: The fourth model of content marketing
Earlier this year, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose started talking about a new content marketing model: using content as an independent profit center.
Put simply, this model involves brands launching media organizations within their existing marketing departments. The content these internal sub-organizations produce isn’t measured on typical marketing metrics; instead, its output is expected to turn a profit.
Increased brand awareness and a bump in beverage sales is a nice side benefit for Red Bull Media House, but at the end of the quarter it’s judged by its own bottom line.
On the days when content marketers struggle with accurate attribution, reliable measurement, and definitive ROI for content, working at a standalone media company may sound appealing.
But, tempting though it may be, “my content is hard to measure” isn’t a good reason to start building your own rogue media arm. During our discussion at Content Marketing World 2016, our B2C roundtable participants came up with one way to examine whether you already have an invisible audience that’s primed for the fourth content model.
The audience hiding in your website traffic
The discussion began with a question that many a content team has grappled with: Is website traffic an accurate indicator of your content’s success?
When the initial furor died down, Amanda Todorovich brought up an important qualification. As Cleveland Clinic’s audience is growing (it routinely gets over 4 million visits per month), the Clinic looks for new ways to monetize the content.
As a result, it is increasingly interested in finding out if the content is attracting...
COMMENTS