How to Create a Data-Driven Content Marketing Strategy

Content marketing has become a crucial strategy for businesses intent on driving results and staying ahead of their competitors. With the massive amount of content being produced these days, companies need to develop data-driven strategies if they expect to stay in the game. Optimizing content for search engines isn’t enough; it also needs to resonate with their target audiences. Most importantly, they need to use this data to inform successful business strategies.

Why Data-driven Decision-making is the Backbone of Successful Content Marketing

By analyzing relevant data, businesses can gain valuable insights into their audience's preferences, behaviour, and needs. When they learn how to use their own data, businesses will make more informed decisions about their marketing spend. 

Data from surveys and other customer feedback is helping shape new product rollouts. This same data allows them to create content tailored to their target audiences' specific interests and pain points. It increases the chances of engagement and conversion. 

Data-driven decision-making eliminates guesswork and ensures that content efforts are focused on what really works. By monitoring and analyzing data, businesses can identify trends, patterns, and gaps in their content strategy.

Source: Shutterstock

It Starts with Keywords and SEO 

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical aspect of content marketing. By optimizing content for relevant keywords and search intent, businesses can improve their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive organic traffic to their websites. 

Understanding Your Target Audience Through Data Analysis

To create content that resonates with people, businesses need to have a deep understanding of their target audience. If you haven’t created a detailed persona, this is a good time to do it. Your data will tell you how your audience likes to be communicated to, whether that be through messaging, email, your monthly newsletter or social media. This is the path to customer trust and loyalty.

Examples of Big Brands and Data-driven Decision-making

Source: SlideShare

Starbucks uses consumer data gathered from its app and rewards programs. 

This data influences product launches and other marketing decisions. Consumer feedback also influences service decisions and new customer targeting. I’m from Seattle, and I remember when there was one Starbucks store—in the whole world. I’ve watched the chain creep around town and around the world. I’ve watched the logo change over the years, and customer feedback has helped guide their rebranding campaigns.

Source: WTHR.com

Oreos develop unique flavours that celebrate people and causes.

Oreos launched their first-ever Rainbow cookie in PFLAG National, supporting LGBTQ+ people and their parents. But it all comes back to the original, the cookie with which we all fell in love. Their comprehensive marketing campaigns include SEO, backlinks, social media and video. It’s the resulting data that helps them make important product decisions.

Source: The Branding Journal

Who remembers Gap’s logo redesign disaster? 

In 2010, following the slumping sales of the 2008 financial crisis, Gap decided to redesign its beautifully classic 20-year-old logo, giving rise to what’s known as the “Gapgate” phenomenon. It was an effort to offset poor sales during the recession. 

The company turned to a well-regarded New York creative agency to “upgrade” the logo, making it “more youthful”. The response was immediate and so overwhelmingly negative that they reverted to the old logo within a week. That’s a master class in listening to the voice of your customers.

Analyzing Competitors and Leveraging Data as Part of Your Content Strategy

By analyzing their content, social media presence, and engagement metrics, businesses can gain valuable insights into their competitors' strategies and identify opportunities for differentiation. 

Start Going Where Your Competitors Go

Follow their social media sites, and you’ll get a really good idea of how your competitors interact with their audiences. Sign up for their newsletters, webinars, etc. Is there a product or service they’re not offering? 

Don’t be afraid to get inspired by your competitors’ ideas. Benchmarking your performance against that of your competitors helps you identify and capitalize on untapped opportunities. 

Pay attention to their location. It may be that you can take advantage of your being a local service provider. 

By leveraging data to inform their content strategy, businesses can create content that is not only unique and valuable but also positions them as industry leaders.

Tools and Techniques for Data-driven Content Marketing

To effectively harness the power of data-driven content marketing, businesses can choose from a wide selection of excellent tools that help with data analysis, keyword research, content optimization and performance tracking. 

You’ll need to get familiar with Google Analytics to measure your website traffic. Applications like SEMrush, Moz, and Ahrefs will help you identify keywords and perform a wide range of other functions. 

I use Ahrefs and I continue to be amazed at the amount of information this application provides. It will give your website a real-time health score and tell you where there are broken links and other errors you need to resolve. I turn to this application multiple times to look something up or check for keywords. It’s a workhorse. 

How to Optimize Content for SEO

 Content creation trends include a broad understanding of tools, techniques, testing and the ability to synthesize all of the information that comes from a wide range of sources. 

These include surveys, user feedback, social media listening, A/B testing, and heatmaps. By combining the right tools and techniques, businesses can gain a comprehensive understanding of their audiences, competition and content performance, empowering them to make data-backed decisions. 

Creating Data-driven Insights

A data-driven content optimization plan is essential for maximizing the impact of content marketing efforts. This plan should include your key objectives, target audience, content topics, and KPIs. By aligning content creation and distribution with data-driven insights, businesses can ensure that their content is not only relevant and valuable but also drives measurable results.

Measuring and Tracking the Success of Data-Driven Content Marketing

Data-driven content marketing requires continuous monitoring, analysis, and optimization. By measuring and tracking the success of content marketing efforts, businesses can identify what's working and what's not, allowing them to make more data-backed decisions that drive continuous improvement. 

If it seems like a lot, it is, but remember that every single business, no matter how successful, started at the same place. 

Source: Shutterstock

Key Takeaways: The Power of Data for Content Marketing Success

• Data-driven content marketing is a powerful strategy to drive results and differentiate businesses. 
• By leveraging their own data, businesses can make informed decisions about reaching their markets. 
• Complete accountability is data-driven insights’ appeal. 
• Through learning to optimize content for SEO, understanding the needs of target audiences, and analyzing competitors, businesses can create content that reaches their audiences and drives up their metrics and drives new business.

Bolster your content marketing strategy with TechWyse Internet Marketing! Our superior content management services will drive more traffic to your website, bringing your business to the top. We also provide businesses with a diverse range of other complimentary services. From SEO and Social Media Management to Paid Media and Web Design. To schedule an appointment, call (416)-410-7090 or contact us here. Get started today!