Episode 392
Content Marketing Success, How Do You Define It?
Whether you have a podcast, YouTube channel, or blog, everyone wants to know if they’ve achieved content marketing success!
Today, I wanted to explore a YouTube comment I received recently that was interesting. It called out my video views going down — which they have. It also complimented my “content was too good for that,” which was a lovely departure from the snarky comments about having crappy videos. (Ahhh, the internet trolls. They’re lovely, right?)
Anywho, this comment prompted me to ask the question…
What does content marketing success look like?
The question started with me wondering about my videos, and then I realized, “Oh, my audience needs to hear these lessons too!” So, I came up with four things I use as my measuring stick for measuring and defining content marketing success. Let’s dig into them…
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How Do You Define Content Marketing Success?
Before we officially dive into the definitions of success, I wanted to share where I got many of these ideas from. If you haven’t read Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game, grab it on Amazon — like, right now! I snagged this at the airport in 2019 when I was in the middle of transforming my business into what it is today.
The message was clear…
You’re not playing a finite game with a beginning, middle, and end. You’re playing the infinite game. Let the journey be filled with chapters to your next adventures instead of a final destination.
The examples in the book changed my perspective on how I define my success and my life. It’s no longer filled with comparisons of others’ success or pressure to “get rich quick — ASAP!”
I’m in it for the long haul.
I’m here to stay.
With that, I know there will be ups and downs, right turns and left, and countless other journeys on this path of long-term commitment to paying the game.
The Definition of Content Marketing Success
One thing I know for sure…
You can’t rely on one platform to “define your success.”
There’s a lot of misguided advice that leads content creators to believe that success is all about the numbers. Subscribers. Followers. Downloads. Views. Dollars.
But the truth is, other important factors go into defining your content marketing success. Let’s break them down.
1. CHANNEL GROWTH OVER TIME
Are your numbers going up and to the right? Image a chart of your progress since you started your podcast, YouTube channel, or blog. Are there ups and downs — peaks and valleys in your numbers?
Good. Then you’re 100% on the right track.
But I don’t view the numbers of ONE channel to measure my success as a content creator. I look at all of them collectively and over time. For example, here are my podcast downloads over time. There’s not a straight line to the top — or even success that’s linear from year to year.
However, my downloads and listener base have continuously grown over time. The rest is seasonality for my content and clear promotions where I probably pissed off my audience by selling too much. (I know, you live — you learn!)
2. AUDIENCE & CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
There’s a reason why I talk so much about getting audience and customer feedback. Because that allows me to hear actual feedback from people in my audience. The humans that are behind the numbers.
When I start having feelings of doubt or wondering if I’m on the right track, I reach out and ask!
- How can I do better?
- Where is there room for improvement?
- What do you want to see next?
Being in touch with your people is one of the fastest (and most fulfilling!) way to understand if your content is heading for success.
Check out these resources for customer and audience feedback here:
- How to Survey Your Audience for Feedback & Content Ideas
- “How Do I Get My Audience to Be More Engaged?”
3. PROFIT INCREASING YOY
A big measure for success for any business is profit – money in the bank. And the question I like to ask is, “Am I making more money (profit) this year that I did last year?”
Here is a funny story, I made about the same amount of money in 2021 vs. 2022. Except, I increased my profit by $10K in 2022. What happened?
Well, I saw how HIGH my expenses were in my 2021 financials and I intentionally went into 2022 with the mindset, “I’m going to cut costs (mostly apps I didn’t need) and focus on taking more money home this year.” And, it worked!
Even if your revenue goes up one year, you still need to focus on increasing your profit over time — not just your revenue. Make sure you’re looking at your income and expenses to identify your profit margins correctly.
And I love and highly recommend the book Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. It help me get my business finances in order.
4. CONNECTIONS
Lastly, you have to bring humanity into your success. You don’t want to be the next millionaire that winds up incredibly rich and unhappy because you lost every important relationship along the way.
That’s why I believe connections are a huge measure of success. Connections through networking, brand partnerships, affiliates, and even programs I’ve enrolled have helped me get here today.
I’ve met some amazing industry leaders (Dave Ramsey, Rachel Cruze, Amy Porterfield, Marie Forleo, and Brene Brown) all because I prioritized making genuine connections with people without asking for anything in return.
The beautiful thing about connections are that they grow and strengthen over time the more you invest in them.
So, don’t let metrics and numbers hold you back. We’re playing the infinite game, right? The numbers will go up and down, but that just means you’re still in the game.
Define content marketing success by your terms!
Video Recap of Today’s Episode:
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