Our Work What we Do About Us Blog Join Our Network Contact Us

#MeasurementMonday

#MeasurementMonday: How to Measure SEO Success of a Blog Post

June 6, 2016 by The Motherhood

A staggering 89 percent of consumers begin their purchase process with a search engine, which leaves no doubt that search engine optimization (SEO) in influencer marketing campaigns plays a huge factor in generating long-term value and results for brands.

To best understand how important good SEO can be for a campaign, consider this: The first page of Google Search Results receives more than 91 percent of all search clicks, with the top three results in the list nabbing 61 percent of all clicks. Not only can strategic SEO help influencer content rise to the top of search results, but it can also boost your own company website’s ranking: Blog posts are sources of authoritative inbound links which factor into your own site’s search ranking success.

In today’s Measurement Monday post, we are taking a close look at how to structure campaigns for SEO success, as well as how to measure that success practically and accurately.

measure see success of blog post

In one of our previous posts, we touched on why influencer-generated evergreen content is so powerful. Blog posts that are “evergreen” offer brands long-term results, as they help content rise to the top of search rankings and provide potential customers with readily available resources as they are searching for information related to the brand or product.

Before launching an influencer marketing campaign, be sure to do some keyword research and craft a strategy that leverages specific keywords in the blogger-generated content. The words and phrases you use should offer a balance of the most commonly searched terms (those that currently rank the highest) and those that have lower competition and are more “ownable” to your brand. These keywords should appear not only in the headings of blog posts but also regularly throughout the body content and in image descriptions.

It’s important to remember that you can use SEO strategy in social media posts by utilizing keywords, especially since Facebook and Twitter posts are treated like any other web page by Google’s rankings. Studies have shown that engagement of social media posts have a direct correlation to higher search rankings, furthering the value of engagement in influencer campaigns. You can apply SEO on Pinterest by focusing on image relevancy and using strategic keywords in pin titles and descriptions. Social signals increase search rankings by signaling search engines you are relevant and by increasing domain authority.

When correctly executed, influencer-generated blog posts can become significant traffic sources for a brand website over time. For example, in one of The Motherhood’s recent campaigns for a healthcare client, blog posts from our team of influencers served as one of the top drivers of traffic to the client’s website and contributed to significant conversion. Many of the influencers’ blog posts have generated hundreds and even thousands of monthly visits to the company’s site.

As you can see in the graph below, the top-performing blog post increased in popularity over time, generating a high level of traffic from Pinterest and organic search and continuing to drive high levels of visits to the company’s site, even 10 months after being posted.

evergreen traffic increase over time

A study by Halverson Group found that the lifespan of a blog post is almost 24 times as long as the standard 30 days reporting metric, indicating that the current measurement metrics are undervaluing blog post performance by failing to measure any results over time. The takeaway? It is important that our measurement methods account for this long-term value.

Metrics that can be monitored to track the SEO success of a blog post include search engine rankings, views after a certain period of time, and social media engagement. It is important that these factors are tracked consistently across blog posts if there are multiple posts resulting from a given campaign.

Three ways to measure the SEO success of a blog post:

  1. Record the page views at time increments, such as after one week of posting, three months and six months after. Be sure that these numbers are being recorded from a consistent measurement source across all posts.
  2. Do a search for your keywords and pay attention to how the post ranks on search engines. This includes images that appear in search!
  3. Monitor engagement on Pinterest (and other social platforms). While this activity may not always immediately convert to page views, it will over time, and it indicates intent and boosts search rankings. Engagement on other platforms should also be measured, as social signals increase the off-page SEO results.

SEO, along with effective measurement of long-term campaign success, are important strategic factors in influencer marketing. Using the three methods mentioned above, the long-term value of search engine optimized influencer marketing can be better reported and included in the measurement of overall campaign success.

Interested in learning more? Read all of our #MeasurementMonday series posts HERE.


Campaigns with The Motherhood’s bloggers have seen program content rise to the top of search rankings. We’d love to work with you in developing easy-to-find, evergreen blog posts that will live on for potential consumers to find when they’re searching for more information online prior to purchase. If you’re interested in working with us, email [email protected].

Filed Under: Research & Insights Tagged With: #MeasurementMonday, Content Marketing, Influencers, seo

#MeasurementMonday: Collecting Smart Data from Influencer Social Media and Blog Content

May 16, 2016 by The Motherhood

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen a significant rise in the use of the term “big data.” There are more tools and opportunity than ever before for collecting massive amounts of data online – but our abilities to make sense of and create value with all that data are still lacking. “Paralysis by overanalysis” plagues even the most sophisticated brand marketers.

This #MeasurementMonday, we are tackling the less quantitative side of marketing measurement: smart data and insights.

Smart data insights from social marketing

Before beginning an online campaign, insights collected through research can help shape a well-planned strategy. Social media marketing, especially in collaboration with influencers, can encourage the collection of smart data and insights. When campaigns are crafted in a way that creates authentic content and encourages natural conversation, the results will generally tell a robust story of how consumers responded to the information shared, what stuck out to them, and where they found the most value.

So, how can you cultivate these insights?

Unfortunately, there is not a simple formula for gathering data. Automated marketing tools and influencer marketing platforms do not rise to this level of sophistication in their reporting. In order to gather smart data, methods of data collection and storage must be consistent and timely, even across multiple channels and platforms. That data must then be aggregated into a single format and analyzed for trend recognition. Compiling insights from smart data collected during marketing campaigns requires a human touch, which at times can be tedious, but creates immense value when pulled correctly and presented in a meaningful way.

As a data-driven influencer marketing agency, The Motherhood leads brands in the process of cultivating, distilling and analyzing small data, and couples that with influencer-provided insights as part of our built-in feedback loop, to deliver meaningful ways to inform future strategy.

THREE WAYS TO collect smart data and insights IN YOUR Influencer marketing CAMPAIGN:

1. Allow creative freedom. 

When given creative freedom, influencers generate content that reflects the thoughts of actual consumers. Influencer-generated content is created in ways that make sense to consumers and can teach brands a few things about how to connect with their target audience on a personal level. In the sponsored campaigns facilitated by The Motherhood, we often see an allowance for creative license bear fruit for the client – we advise giving influencers a selection of general themes to help shape their content and then allowing them to write in a way that is most authentic to them and engaging for their readers.

2. Tap niche communities through target influencers.

As influential leaders within their respective communities, bloggers publishing sponsored content can provide brands with a window into consumers’ minds – seeing how consumers react to their products or service offerings on a more personal level. Engagements (likes, shares, comments, etc.) on blog and social media posts are great indicators of factors such as reciprocity and shared value in a particular online community.

3. Facilitate natural conversations around a specific topic.

Influencers’ blog posts, tweets, contests and more can be crafted in a way that encourages feedback and ideas from real-life targeted consumers – so the brand can not only generate awareness of and interest in its products and services, it can gather insights on topics of interest from comments and replies to the online coverage.

At The Motherhood Inc., we focus on gathering smart insights and reporting them in meaningful ways to our clients. We listen closely to what our teams of influencers have to say and the feedback their readers share. Interested in creating an influencer marketing campaign that generates deep insights for your brand or company? We’d love to talk! Email us at [email protected] to get started.

Social Media Marketing Measurement Monday

Continue following our #MeasurementMonday series and view past posts here!

 

Filed Under: Research & Insights, Trending & Social Media Tagged With: #MeasurementMonday, data, Insights, smart data

#MeasurementMonday: Going Beyond the Impression

April 18, 2016 by The Motherhood

If you find measuring social media campaigns to be a challenge for your brand, you are not alone. More than half (53 percent) of marketers surveyed for a recent Forrester report said measurement was their main challenge with social marketing. While we know that influencer and social media marketing can have significant ROI, there is no one simple formula for determining a campaign’s success, which bring us to the importance of identifying a way to effectively measure social engagement.

The value of influencer marketing comes from brands’ ability to tap into an influencer’s close-knit community of followers who already know and trust the influencer. This value cannot be communicated effectively with sheer impressions alone, but instead can be seen in how followers engage with a post, an indicator of lasting impact that will motivate followers’ future opinions, decisions and purchases.

The bloggers we work with continue to tell us that numbers alone are not their biggest success factor – the real connections and shared value with readers is what matters. Most of these influencers feel that there is a gap between their thinking and brands’ point of view on what works and what doesn’t in a social media campaign.

Take a look at some of the “gaps” we found:

  • Impressions and reach are not the only value of an influencer: deep, targeted connections and quality content are very important.
  • Success shouldn’t be hindered by the limitations of measurement today – avoid focusing only on impressions, unique monthly views, page visits and bloggers’ reach.
  • Other factors, such as engagement, provide valuable consumer insight and are often indications of purchase or action.
  • When their readers view posts in that moment, they are just that – readers. Purchases or actions may not be immediate, but without a doubt, there is an impact on purchasing behavior.
  • Knowing the brand’s objectives going into a campaign is extremely helpful in getting the desired results.
  • Content does not go viral right away, and there is also value in evergreen content.
  • Online influencers are more than numbers and impressions – they are community creators and thought leaders. They have a relationship with their readers built on trust and shared values, which makes them powerful voices.

We often see that brands believe working with the highest-reach bloggers will make their campaigns more successful, but we know that highest reach doesn’t always mean the best results. When sponsored content is authentic, it naturally provides value for its readers. We see influencers with high AND lower reach creating true connections with their followers, and their content performs well and garners higher engagement over time.

Since we’re finding that the long-standing impressions metric does not always communicate the inherent value of influencer marketing, we’re continuing our #MeasurementMonday series by tackling the topic of going beyond the impression — and how to measure social engagement.

measure social engagement in influencer marketing

Why measure Social engagement?

Impressions are one piece of a campaign’s success. For example, a recent study from The Motherhood found that 80 percent of blog readers were more likely to seek out brands they’d seen on social media and blogs. But when we measure social engagement, we get better insight into how users responded to the content and receive more tangible metrics to analyze.

Here are five reasons to measure engagement:

  1. Easily indicates top-performing content
  2. Allows for analysis of factors that lead to high engagement
  3. Engagement rate as a percent of total impressions levels the playing field between large and smaller influencers’ followings
  4. Industry standard ROI calculations rely on engagement as a metric of earned media value
  5. Each different type of engagement (likes, shares, comments, etc.) indicates users’ response to content

What does an Online engagement mean?

There are many reasons people like, share and comment online; however, in general, those actions can indicate the following:

Shares and re-tweets indicate that a post resonates with those individuals. 86 percent of people say that they share to give others a better sense of who they are and what they care about without having to explicitly state it.

Likes and favorites often indicate reciprocity. We do this because we want to maintain or reinforce closeness and add value to relationships as well as to indicate a shared emotion or understanding of post. (You can actually connect your Facebook profile here to find out what your likes indicate about you.)

Commenting on posts can indicate a variety of things based on the content. However, commenting does indicate that the user took time to view and interact with the post. Comments, even negative, are said to create value for other post viewers as well: 85 percent say that reading others’ responses on a topic helps to understand and process information and events.

Not all engagement is created equal; as we mentioned in a previous #MeasurementMonday post, success factors can vary based on campaign goals. Studies indicate that shared values were a much bigger driver for consumers than lots of interaction with a brand. Engagement metrics help us to better understand how online users react to sponsored content.

Social media influencers help create a more personal and shared brand experience for consumers, and the value of that experience is best showcased in understanding engagement and insights. When brands measure social engagement as a key performance indicator in their influencer campaigns, they’re acknowledging the power of well-written, authentic content in moving the needle.

Continue following our #MeasurementMonday series and view past posts here!

Filed Under: Research & Insights, Trending & Social Media Tagged With: #MeasurementMonday, social media measurement

Measurement Monday: Defining Your Campaign Success Metrics

March 28, 2016 by The Motherhood

It’s #MeasurementMonday, and we are discussing the very first step in measuring any social media or influencer marketing campaign —  defining success metrics.

If you do not know exactly what you should be measuring, then how can you measure it accurately?

Just as you wouldn’t start playing a soccer match without fully understanding what you have to do to score, you shouldn’t start a marketing campaign without defining what your “win” will be. One of the main issues we see with online measurement today is that goals are not clearly defined, or the goals are to do everything at once.

When defining success metrics, there is not a “one size fits all” standard, and success factors vary based on the goals of a campaign or brand, making it crucial to determine what your “win” is up front. Before launching an influencer campaign, we encourage our partners to decide which factors will make the campaign a success for their particular brand.

success metrics in influencer and social media marketing

Top Three Reasons to define SUCCESS METRICS prior to launching a campaign

1. The strategic approach and the tactics for the campaign will become clearer. 

If your brand’s goal is awareness, a blog tour and social media campaign may be ideal. If the goal is understanding a target audience better, executing a survey or focus group may be recommended. Perhaps you have the goal of leveraging an already existing conversation in a really powerful way on behalf of your brand, and in that case, a Twitter activation may fit the bill. There are many tactics that result in success for a brand, and having a clear objective will help determine the overall strategy and tactics that will deliver for your brand.

2. The whole campaign team (brand, agency and bloggers) are on the same page and pulling toward the same goal.

Everything from writing blog posts to tracking engagement and responses takes time and diligent work. It is critical that all parties understand upfront what the objective of the campaign is and how that can be achieved. This is especially important for the influencers representing the brand. The Motherhood’s research recently found that there is a noticeable gap between brands and influencers in terms of what they think works during a sponsored campaign, and agencies who specialize in influencer management can deliver success by bridging this gap. The campaign will naturally have greater impact when everyone involved is united and striving to meet one common goal.

3. You can identify exactly which metrics to evaluate for the program.

There are numerous metrics to consider when running and evaluating a marketing campaign (engagement such as comments, shares and likes; reach based on unique monthly blog views, followers and fans; SEO rankings; purchase intent and downloads, etc.). It can be time-consuming and costly to track and analyze every last one of them. Having a clear objective will help identify which metrics you should track and evaluate in order to accurately determine the success of your campaign.


So how does a defining your campaign “wins” help your measurement process? Below are some examples of possible campaign goals and success metrics:

If your goal includes building awareness…

Consider measuring brand mentions, SEO rankings, reach and/or impressions.

If your goal includes building your audience…

Consider measuring increased brand following or the increased share of voice on different platforms. Again, if we know this is the goal, we can tailor the campaign tactics and measure items such as the increase in followers, brand mentions compared to competitors or overall industry, search rankings and demographics.

If your goal includes increasing engagement…

Considering measuring the likes, shares (re-pins, re-tweets, etc.) and comments.

If your goal includes gaining social insight… 

Consider measuring data found through surveys, online conversations and other social media listening tools. If your brand has questions related to product development, getting feedback from loyal customers and/or potential consumers is far more valuable than a number!

If your goal includes conversions…

Consider measuring link clicks, downloads, or purchases. This also requires its own set of campaign tactics, and measurement metrics such as tracking unique link clicks as well as downloads and purchases with a specific code. Be sure you fully understand how sponsored content leads to purchase, so that you can track accordingly.

The possibilities for campaign success are endless, but one thing stands true – you have to know the “win” factors prior to kicking off a campaign. Influencer marketing plays a huge role in the greater marketing space, and with the rise of ad blocking, it is beginning to replace the spend of traditional ad dollars. Influencers on social media have the power to share messages in an impactful and personal way that resonates with modern consumers. Be sure that you are accurately measuring your results so that they can be reported in a meaningful way that helps inform future campaigns.


continue following our #MeasurementMonday series and view PAST posts here!

Social Media Marketing Measurement Monday


We’d love to talk to you about the different marketing and measurement tactics that are right for your brand! Email [email protected] for more information.

Filed Under: Research & Insights Tagged With: #MeasurementMonday

#MeasurementMonday: Evaluating the Shift in Social Media Marketing Measurement

March 14, 2016 by The Motherhood

Have you noticed the shift in how brands are addressing social media marketing measurement? At The Motherhood, we’ve seen the focus slowly move from impressions and clicks to other metrics like purchase intent and engagement.

BuzzFeed, a major leader in the online social news and entertainment industry, recently announced that it is changing the way it measures its content and audience. In an effort to look at itself “more holistically,” the site is abandoning the unique visitor metric and embracing a range of new metrics based on unique goals and content distribution.

We expect more and more brands and agencies to follow this line of thinking – moving beyond impressions alone in social media marketing measurement. The question on everyone’s minds: “Is there a more effective way of a measuring a social media campaign’s success, and if so, what is it?”

The Motherhood has been involved in influencer marketing since its inception, when blogs were just beginning to take off and social media was in its infancy. We’ve regularly led the conversation about measurement with brands and bloggers through primary research and an active feedback loop with influencers. We will share some of those insights on Mondays moving forward.

Follow along with our #MeasurementMonday Series as we tackle social media marketing measurement – one of the most difficult aspects of influencer marketing.

Social Media Marketing Measurement Monday

As the online marketing industry evolves, so will social media marketing measurement standards. The Media Rating Council recently released Social Media Measurement Guidelines to create more consistency in terms and measurement metrics across the industry – a “common reality point for setting expectations and evaluating results.” These standards will provide a baseline for comparing metrics across media platforms so results can be clearly and accurately communicated to clients.

Furthermore, the PR industry’s Barcelona Principles, a set of concepts created in 2010 to measure the efficacy of PR campaigns, have been updated in in the past year. These principles are designed to provide consistent, industry-wide standards and practices to guide measurement and evaluation of online public relations efforts.

While measurement standards provide a good starting point, each social media marketing campaign is unique, and there are many factors to consider when evaluating success. For example, when do website traffic, downloads, purchase behavior and more come into play? How do they compare to an impression? It can be difficult to measure all of these factors on a standard scale.

The key is to identify your campaign “win” and primary success metrics prior to kickoff.

In our #MeasurementMonday series, we will tackle these topics and discuss ways to create clear social media marketing measurement standards. Tune in next week for The Motherhood’s tips on how and why to define your campaign “win” before getting started!

We’d love to talk to you about the different marketing and measuring tactics that are right for your brand! Email [email protected] for more information.


Read all of our #MeasurementMonday series posts HERE!


Brands and bloggers, what are some difficulties you’ve had when trying to measure results of blog and social media efforts? Share your comments or questions in the comments, and we may address your issue in an upcoming #MeasurementMonday post.

 

Filed Under: Influencers & Impact, Research & Insights Tagged With: #MeasurementMonday, measurement, social media measurement

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Our Blog

You'll find the latest on all the great things happening here at The Motherhood.

Blog Topics

  • Featured Clients
  • Influencer Spotlights
  • Influencers & Impact
  • Marketing Resources
  • News
  • Research & Insights
  • Trending & Social Media
  • Uncategorized
Contact us
©2025 The Motherhood
Privacy Policy
Site by
bar image
Sign up for our newsletter!


    bar image