At Hughes & Co. we preach a marketing methodology called Inbound Marketing. One of the fundamental elements of Inbound is Content Marketing. There are a lot of digital media consultants that are starting to see the light, but we have seen and heard some unbearably inaccurate numbers on how long it will take for a content marketing strategy to start generating results. So, we thought we would clear up the confusion and get you started on a measurable path to success.

Content Marketing Results in Three to Six Months 

A good content marketer will tell you not to expect dramatic results for three to six months. There is no getting around this. The variance in that timeline has to do with the existing web strategy and how successfully you have optimized your website in the past. Sharing content on social media will help drive traffic but it will not be the deciding factor in a successful content marketing campaign. Thoughtful posts and website content that puts into action the key principles of a strong content marketing strategy is the only way to ensure you are marketing well. Here are the principles:

Does It Answer a Pain Point? Are you doing anything for your audience by writing the content?

Is It Relevant to Your Business? Is it in any way related to what your business does or is involved with?

Have You Done Keyword Analysis? Do you know what people are actually looking for?

Is it On Brand? Does the content and the voice of the author make sense for your business?

It Doesn't Try to Sell to the Audience You are not pitching, you are providing. Don't forget that.

It Demonstrates Thought Leadership Be a trustworthy voice with leading information for your audience.

If you are not meeting those requirements in your posting, you are doing it wrong. Being a content marketer is about more than being able to put together sentences and blog posts.

This post will serve as an example. At Hughes & Co. we monitor about 940 keywords that are longtail in nature. This post has a keyword density of 23% (average) and it features 6 of our local market priority keywords. This blog post will compete with websites for standing and the more you read it and click on it, the better we are going to do. Right now our site is out-ranking our competition in the local marketplace for search terms that people like you are actually looking for.

So, if your content marketer is bragging about publishing history you want to take a step back and ask them how they are measuring the success of the strategy. A wordsmith is great, but can they back that up with solid application of analysis to ensure your success. If the answer is Google Analytics, hit the drawing board and keep hunting for the content marketer that is going to take care of your company responsibly. Proving success in this marketplace should be easy. You are a business person, return on investment is the only language you speak when it comes to the feasibility of your marketing campaign.