Using Analytics to Inform Content Strategy

You probably don’t need to be convinced of the value of tracking the performance of your content with tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, Sprout Social, SEMRush, and Crazy Egg as well as the built-in analytics tools in platforms like MailChimp, Unbounce, and HubSpot. While there’s a lot to the topic of analytics reporting depending on the level of sophistication and insight desired—a topic that could span volumes—it’s important to make sure you’re actually using your analytics to inform your content strategy. Even the most robust reporting processes don’t do much good if they’re not actually informing strategic decisions.

So, what are some tips for using analytics to make better content decisions when it comes to your website and other digital assets?

Determine and Document Goals and Processes

It’s not uncommon to have structures in place for measuring various metrics like page views, bounce rates, and email click rates. Many already know it’s important to record such metrics. But this shouldn’t be done in a vacuum. It should be done according to a comprehensive, strategic document outlining your goals and processes.

In other words, it’s important to have specific, measurable goals and processes assigned to each metric and this should be written down somewhere. It should be clearly documented and available to relevant stakeholders.

This document should define what metrics should be measured, how they should be measured, what content/outcome each is associated with, and the goal for each one. There can be great flexibility here, of course, but here are some things to consider:

• Create a master document that details not only what you will be measuring but also why. For example, if tracking the success of an academic program page on your website, detail which metrics should be recorded (different metrics will matter depending on the page), instructions for how to do so (this way you can easily train new analysts), the content they relate to (Request Info forms, videos, etc.), and the goals (Request Info sign-ups, video engagement, etc). By taking time to think about and document what success looks like for a given type of content, you can ensure you’re measuring it with intentionality (as opposed to just collecting data to collect it).

• Be clear about which metrics actually matter to your content strategy. Some of the most common types include:

  • Basic web metrics such as new visitors, bounce rate, referral sites, time on page, and engagement (videos watched, buttons clicked, etc.)

  • Email open and click-through rates

  • Form submissions (applications, request info, etc.)

  • Social media followers and engagement

• Include goals and expectations. You don’t have to be too rigid here, but you should have rough goals for each major metric. You can rely on industry standards, expectations set by your department, projected trends, and so on. Without a documented goal, you won’t have a way to measure progress.

• Make this document available to relevant stakeholders. Obviously, whoever is running your reports should have access to it, but there might be others in your office (copywriters, designers, strategists, etc.) who could benefit as well. By creating a document like this, you’re also implicitly communicating that content decisions are grounded in concrete evidence: that, while metrics don’t tell us everything, they still play a major role in creative and marketing work.

• Remember that the success of certain content may not be tied to metrics. For example, certain long-form narrative content may serve a specific mission of your school (say, educating the public on the value of Christian higher education). While you can certainly attach some meaningful metrics to a piece of content like this, such as page visits or time spent on the page, this may be a strategy that supports the mission of the university in more abstract and value-focused ways. While something like that needs to be balanced with strategies that do have concrete goals (increased sign-ups, submitted applications, etc.), make sure you’re not demanding too much of every piece of content when it comes to measurement and goal-setting.

Hold Regular Sessions to Discuss Findings

If you have an individual or small team tracking analytics, they might be regularly digging into the weeds, documenting their findings, and sending an emailed recap once a month. But aside from those on the email chain, this can keep the reports from being seen by others who might have valuable insight. This type of routine analytics reporting can go on for months—even years—without resulting in any strategic discussions that allow these findings to inform your content strategy.

To prevent this, it’s important that you have regularly scheduled meetings (perhaps once a month or once every quarter) where you meet to discuss relevant metrics with key stakeholders (be they people in your office or from other areas around campus). By setting time aside to review findings with others, you’re inviting them to get together and intentionally examine your content’s effectiveness. Here are some things to consider:

• Decide how often you will discuss analytics and who should be involved in those discussions. Will you be pulling in other relevant stakeholders (directors, deans, etc.)? If so, what stakeholders across campus should be invited to these meetings? Keep in mind that more isn’t necessarily better.

• Assess your metric goals for relevant content with others. Are your metric goals reasonable? Should they be adjusted because they are too high or low?

• Discuss whether your findings justify the effort or expense needed to sustain a given content strategy. For example, is your podcast or digital magazine (both strategies that require a ton of resources) resulting in a high enough level of engagement (this is why having goals tethered to your findings can help inform these questions)?

• Discuss possible reasons for the success or lack of success of a certain strategy. Do others have some ideas or insights that might offer clarity?

• Determine what concrete actions need to take place based on what you’re seeing in your analytics. Do there need to be copy, design, or UX changes? Does an entire strategy need to be discontinued? Does the success of one strategy need to be carried out in other areas of the website? Who will be responsible for making these changes and by when?

Complement Your Analytics with Qualitative Findings

While analytics can do reveal a lot, it’s always important to combine your reporting with qualitative findings when you can. This is because there are simply some things you cannot determine by looking at numbers.

It’s valuable to bring in survey data or conduct interviews with users. Platforms like SurveyMonkey, UserTesting, and Userlytics can be great resources for getting this type of qualitative feedback.

From reviewing your analytics, you may be able to determine that users are leaving a certain page without any engagement. But why? Is it because the copy is confusing? Do the design elements clash? Is the title of the page misleading? Have you built a page that very few people have any need of on the website?

These are the types of questions you can often get answers to by asking users through a survey or an in-person or online user testing session (where you invite people to complete various tasks on your website and have them share their thoughts as they do so).

Aside from helping you measure the success of certain content, it can also help you plan new content strategies. Does your audience prefer student spotlights or feature stories? Would they listen to a podcast about a given topic? Are they interested in seeing more videos showing off your campus? By asking these questions in a survey, for example, you can use them to help inform future content strategies. The more you can acquire qualitative data and combine it with your analytics, the more insights you’re going to have as you think through your content strategies.

Ultimately, by determining and documenting your analytics goals and processes, discussing your findings regularly with others, and combining quantitative and qualitative insights, you’ll help ensure your analytics are actually informing—and improving—your content strategy.