Welcome Patrons. ๐ฅ
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It's that time again to pull up a seat, grab your drink of choice, and let's talk about something you have probably said to yourself at least once: "I know content is important, but I don't see how it makes me money."
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You're not alone if you've ever felt like you're pouring time into content without seeing a return. Content marketing is a long game. It isn't about getting likes and shares; it's about creating a pipeline that moves people from awareness to sales.
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The problem?
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Most businesses don't track the right things and miss the connection between content and revenue. So today, let's break down how to track your content's impact, map it to sales, and ensure you're getting paid for the time and effort you put in.
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Why Content Feels Like a Cost Instead of a Revenue Driver
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Let's start with the problem. You probably spend a lot of time and resources creating content - blog posts, social media, and newsletters like this - only to feel frustrated when you don't see immediate revenue.
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I get this. I posted for years without seeing a direct tie to revenue. Here's the hard truth about content:
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Content is a long-term asset that attracts, nurtures, and converts customers.
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Like a big-ass Ferris wheel, content takes time to get the wheel moving. The more content you put out, the more inertia the wheel gains as it begins spinning. Once it starts to spin, it gains momentum.
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It's that time between publishing content and momentum when frustration sets in, and many give up. Instead of tracking the right metrics to gauge success, you chase vanity, which makes it easy to overlook its impact on sales. So, how do you fix this? By tracking metrics that matter.
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The Metrics That Matter
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Like many things in life, beers and spirits, not all content is equal. At the beginning of your content journeys, you gauge "success" using vanity metrics - likes, shares, reactions. While these metrics provide signals, if you only look at these, you're missing the actual indicators of revenue impact:
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- Engagement & Awareness Metrics (Top of Funnel)
- Lead & Conversion Metrics (Middle of Funnel)
- Revenue & Sales Metrics (Bottom of Funnel)
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Let's take a look at each one.
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1 Engagement & Awareness Metrics (Top of Funnel - TOF)
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Using "digital marketing" terms, the top of the funnel is where people first discover you; it begins the customer journey and is where they enter the top of the funnel.
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Content at the top-of-funnel aims to raise awareness for your business and brand. Metrics to look to at this stage are:
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- Time on Page โ Are they reading or bouncing?
- Website Traffic โ How many people visit because of your content?
- Social Shares & Comments โ Is your content resonating with people?
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There are, of course, other metrics to look at based on the platform, but one of the biggest things to keep track of at this stage are the comments left on your posts.
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2 Lead & Conversion Metrics (Middle of Funnel - MOF)
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Once people engage with your content, your metric focus shifts to understanding if your audience is taking the next step. The next step at this stage usually revolves around your lead-generating assets or lead magnets, which means tracking things like:
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- Lead Magnet Downloads โ Are people willing to exchange their email for your content?
- Newsletter Subscribers โ Is your audience growing?
- Email Open & Click Rates โ Are subscribers engaging with your content?
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You also want to identify which content pieces and topics drive the most opt-ins or sign-ups. At The Distilled Brandยฎ, in addition to the main newsletter sign-up page, I also have a guide (with videos) on how to wireframe a story-based website.
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3 Revenue & Sales Metrics (Bottom of Funnel - BOF)
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Now we're getting to the holy grail. The goblet that makes it all worthwhile and where the money starts rolling in (if only). Understanding these metrics tells you if your content is driving business results.
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Sales Calls or Demo Requests โ Are people booking calls after engaging with content?
Lead-to-Customer Conversion Rate โ How many content-engaged leads turn into buyers?
Revenue per Lead โ How much is each content-generated lead worth?
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The biggest challenge businesses face is NOT getting a sale; it's getting booked calls.
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Sales, like sports, is a numbers game. Your chances of scoring go up with more at-bats, shots, swings, or swigs, depending on what game you're playing.
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The exception is if you're bad at sales; no amount of content can save you here. You need sales training. Anywhooโฆ
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How to Connect Content to Sales
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Now that you know the metrics to track, you need to understand how content drives revenue. Here are three things you need to do to connect content to sales.
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1 Map Content to the Buyer's Journey
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Not all content is meant to sell immediately; that's why the funnel has three stages. Some attract (TOF), some nurture (MOF), and some convert (BOF). As part of the Brand Messaging Systemโข๏ธ, I help my clients map their content to what I call their audience's awareness levels.
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A. Awareness Content (What and Why - Blogs, social posts, videos) โ Goal: Bring new people into your world.
B. Consideration Content (How-to - Webinars, case studies, guides) โ Goal: Demonstrate your expertise, build trust, and deepen interest.
C. Decision Content (Transformations - Sales pages, testimonials, demos) โ Goal: Nudge (or push) leads to buy.
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Real Example: A while back, a prospect found this video on LinkedIn (Awareness). She commented on it. Then she went to another video, left a comment, then a post, and left a comment (Consideration). She then sent me a DM and asked to schedule a strategy call (Decision). While my content didn't close the sale, it did create the pathway to revenue.
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2 Look at Content-Assisted Sales
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I learned as a bartender to ask people who sat down at the bar where they were from. Not only does this give me some background on them, but it also provides a starting point for a conversation.
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Now, when I get on a strategy call, I always ask, "How'd you find me?" It serves the same purpose but helps me understand their journey to the call because you don't want to give credit to only the last thing a customer saw before buying.
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What I have found in nearly all cases is that the person I'm speaking with had been following me for a while, and one of my pieces of content hit a nerve that gave them the courage to call.
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It's essential to document your calls so you capture these important moments to know what's working and what's not. You can use a CRM to track how they found you, i.e., which content they engaged with, before jumping on a call. If you notice that most of your sales come from leads who read a specific article, that's 180 proof your content influences revenue.
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A Prompt to Link Content to Revenue
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Use software like Fathom (I do for all of my calls) to record your call, you can upload the transcript to ChatGPT and ask it to analyze the call for:
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- How they found you
- Obstacles they're facing
- Objections they have
- Outcomes they want
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Once you have a few recordings, you can use the information to create relevant content and webpage copy.
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3 Make the Next Step Obvious
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Too often, entrepreneurs stop short of asking prospects to take the next step. Or, worse, they have too many steps someone can take, which overwhelms prospects. Your content will not drive sales if people don't know what to do next.
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Have you ever heard the bartender at a bar whisper last call? Nope. Because, if memory serves me well from my days as a bartender, they want you out so they can start drinking themselves...or that might just be me.
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So, be big, bold, and clear about your call to action.
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- End blog posts with a clear call to action (e.g., "Download this guide" or "Book a call").
- Social posts should link to relevant offers instead of being "engaging."
- Emails should move people toward action (not just provide information).
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The clearer the path from content to conversion, the easier it is to track and optimize results.
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BTW, if you struggle with your content missing the mark or need to create your content Ferris wheel, schedule a strategy call with me, and let's talk about how you can gain momentum by linking your content to sales. See, it's not that hard.
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Last Call: Link Your Content to Your Money
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Too many businesses quit on content because they don't see immediate sales. But when you track the right metrics and connect content to revenue, you realize it's not just a marketing expense; it's a business growth tool.
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And by consistently tracking, analyzing, and optimizing content's impact, you turn content marketing into a predictable, revenue-generating machine by:
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- Tracking the right metrics โ Move past "look at me" metrics and start tracking conversions.
- Mapping content to the buyer's journey โ Know which content nurtures and which converts.
- Analyzing content-assisted sales โ See what role content plays in closing deals.
- Using clear calls to action โ Make it easy for people to take the next step.
- Refine and optimize โ Double down on content that leads to revenue.
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You may not see it yet, but your content is working harder than you think, but you need the right system (The Brand Messaging Systemโข๏ธ) to prove it.
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Until next time, Take your swings, keep your glass full, and get your sales funnel flowing like a champagne fountain at a wedding before tariffs were a thing.