Time to Analyze your Content: What Worked and What Failed?
Posted by December 2nd 09
As the end of the year approaches, it's a good idea to shift focus from content to analysis. What has worked for you the past year and what hasn't? What was hot and what was not?
While people move into vacation mode, there's no harm in producing a little less content in order to focus on maximizing results in the coming year. Not effort. Results. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
What content has been most effective in terms of traffic, buzz or comments?
Look at your analytics to get a clearer idea of things like traffic patterns, searches that bring up your site, or key words that work for you. Spend more time thinking about how you can replicate efforts that have already worked. It's not about putting more time in; it's about spending it more wisely.
Are you going to where your audience is?
Perhaps you'll benefit from spending less time on blog posts and more time on Twitter or Facebook, or another social networking platform. If commenting on others' blogs isn't working, try interacting with them in their favorite way. Listen to what they want.
Are you delivering content the way your audience likes to get it?
In addition to blogging and Twittering or Facebooking, you may need to consider a different, more useful way of delivering your content. Perhaps a newsletter would help? Or a video, podcast, ebook, white paper or webinar? Can you package a "best of" roundup from the year in a slick, new way? Hint: Content marketing guru Joe Pulizzi says more and more Junta42 readers have been asking for video.
What can you give for free?
Perhaps you could plan to regularly offer free tutorials, reviews or expertise. If you're thinking that it's wrong to "give away" this kind of information, you should know that others are doing it already. Your content has to provide some ongoing value to people – it actually simply comes down to making them feel good or solving a problem.
Are you calling your audience to action?
This doesn't mean nagging. It means helping people navigate toward the best of your content, rather than getting lost and moving on. It means spelling out what you'd like them to do in the way you'd like them to do it. If you want them to sign up for your newsletter or fill out a survey, make it clear and prominent, and find as many places as possible to remind them about it.
posted in Thought Leadership
March 2010
