How can you create a content dashboard with the best metrics?

1 Define your content goals

Before you start building your dashboard, you need to define your content goals and align them with your business objectives. What are you trying to achieve with your content? Do you want to increase awareness, engagement, conversions, retention, or loyalty? Depending on your goals, you'll need different metrics to track your progress and success.

2 Choose your content metrics

Once you have your goals, you need to choose the metrics that will help you measure them. There are many types of content metrics, but they can be grouped into four categories: consumption, distribution, behavior, and outcome. Consumption metrics tell you how many people view, read, or listen to your content. Distribution metrics tell you how your content reaches your audience, through which channels, platforms, or devices. Behavior metrics tell you how your audience interacts with your content, such as likes, comments, shares, or clicks. Outcome metrics tell you how your content affects your business results, such as leads, sales, revenue, or retention.

3 Select your data sources

Now that you have your metrics, you need to select the data sources that will provide you with the information you need. Depending on the type and format of your content, you may need to use different tools or platforms to collect and analyze your data. For example, you may use Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, YouTube Analytics, or email marketing software to track your web, social, video, or email content. You may also need to integrate data from your CRM, sales, or customer service systems to measure your outcome metrics.

4 Build your content dashboard

The next step is to build your content dashboard using a tool that allows you to visualize and organize your data in a clear and meaningful way. You can use a spreadsheet, a dashboard software, or a custom solution to create your dashboard. The key is to make sure that your dashboard is easy to use, update, and share. You should also follow some best practices, such as using charts, graphs, or tables to display your data, using filters, segments, or categories to compare your data, and using colors, labels, or icons to highlight your data.

5 Review and optimize your content dashboard

The final step is to review and optimize your content dashboard regularly. You should check your dashboard at least once a month to monitor your performance, identify trends, and spot issues or opportunities. You should also compare your data with your goals, benchmarks, or competitors to evaluate your success and areas for improvement. Based on your insights, you should adjust your content strategy, tactics, or experiments to optimize your results.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?