Executive Summary

Storytelling has always been and will always be an integral part of our daily lives. It’s how we share narratives and messages, evoking emotions and understanding within our intended audiences. The methods of storytelling are vast and ever-evolving, especially in marketing and communications, where the hero of storytelling is quality content.

Quality content can be uniquely defined by everyone because storytelling is about personal resonance and interpretation. This diversity makes measuring the success of content challenging. How do we quantify the ROI of a story? Content marketers often find measurement daunting. It requires not only the right technology and data but also a defined process. It involves agreeing on what to measure and how to measure it, making information accessible to the right people, and evolving the program based on insights to make swift, informed decisions.

1- Philosophy of Measurement

Measurement is vital to ensuring the success and growth of content programs. Without measurement, it’s impossible to prove whether you’ve achieved your intended outcomes. It allows you to understand where and how you’re investing time and resources and whether your efforts are successful. A measurement strategy eliminates guesswork, showing if the content is engaging or falling flat, and guiding you on what to continue or change. At Brightspot, we believe that measurement requires a shared understanding of purpose and the right tools to create a seamless system.

Every piece of content should start with one question: what purpose does this content serve? This question helps your team create content with greater intention. What problem are you addressing, and are you providing a solution? What outcome are you expecting? Is it to increase engagement, drive acquisition, or something else? Answering these questions is essential in content marketing.

Do I Have to Measure?

Yes, you need to measure your content. Understanding why you’re creating something and how it’s performing is crucial, regardless of your industry or team. Creating quality content is an investment of time and resources. Marketing and communications teams should have a clear intention behind each piece of content and measure its performance. Different types of content serve different roles and should be measured accordingly to understand which types and channels perform well and which do not.

Ultimately, content teams need to report on the program’s performance. Your director of communications, CMO, and other executives will want to know how effective the strategy is and if resources are allocated correctly. This is the business of storytelling. Despite its importance, only 42% of B2C and 41% of B2B marketers have a documented content strategy.

2- Practicality of Measurement

The North Star has long been a navigational tool for explorers, guiding them on the right path. In content creation, a similar guide is needed. With various paths and channels to deploy content—from websites and blogs to videos and social media—content teams need a North Star to determine if their strategy is working.

Measurement provides insights into the effectiveness of your strategy and must be consistent and straightforward. It shouldn’t require teams to spend countless hours on spreadsheets, switching between platforms, and developing reports. Purpose, paired with goals and confirmed by metrics, should be the North Star of your content program.

Let’s dive in.

Establishing purpose:

5 essential questions to ask and answer

• What are my company’s goals?
• How do those tie into content goals?
• How do goals translate into performance benchmarks?
• Whose’s buy-in will I need?
• What happens after I achieve my goals?

• Executive Summary
• 01 Philosophy of Measurement
  • Where to begin?
  • Do I have to measure?
• 02 Practicality of Measurement
  • Your North Star for content creation
  • Establishing purpose: 5 essential questions
• 03 Measurement with Brightspot

Number of Pages:

• 18 pages

Pricing: 

• Free