We are solidly into 2018, and with any luck, you’re a little wiser than you were in 2017. Or at least, by now you should have analyzed what went well for your business and what didn’t. As marketers, we’re always in Analysis and Optimization Mode, but the end of Q4 is always exciting because then you can start to see trends.Did you get goosebumps? Because I just did.
You built the plan in Q1 and though you’ve seen results in your short-term conversions, you’re starting to understand better what that means for your business overall. Like everything in marketing, success is only as good as the goals you set. And it’s what you can garner from the previous year that can set you in a new direction right now.
So, when it came time to plan our content calendar for 2018, we weren’t just looking at who saw what blog on the day that we posted it. We were looking for trends, behaviors, and data that can help us anticipate the types of content that our readers want to see.
Without further ado, these are the blogs you enjoyed the most (and how we can tell).
The most basic of marketing metrics: page views. How many eyes have seen this blog? A LOT.
Read: The 7 Secrets of Content Marketing
Traffic is not a one-time thing. It’s always something to strive for: driving more and more people to your online presence. And so, it’s useful when you’ve got something that continually draws people in. Like an evergreen marketing campaign that never gets stale (#goals), this is the blog that attracts the most new readership.
Read: Content Marketing Examples Part II: 5 Ways to Make Social Media Advertising Work for You
Once you graduate past basic views, you want to know what people find engaging. And who better to determine that than our beloved subscribers? Our subscribers receive a weekly email to remind them to get their marketing and PR fix with our articles, but this is the one that got the most of you clicking to read.
Read: Uh-Oh! What a New Survey Reveals About Advisors’ Marketing
Whether it was something really interesting, difficult to grasp, or just plain entertaining, readers spent some quality time on this blog. We like to think that it’s because you guys were taking notes.
Read: Content Marketing Examples Part IV: Check Out This Checklist
We’ve said time and again that your website is your storefront. It’s your first impression and most likely the first contact. And—with a lot of work—it will be the deciding factor in whether or not a prospect reaches out to you. This blog had the lowest exit rate; that means that readers of this blog went on to explore other pages on our site afterward.
Read: Getting the Most from Your Email MarketingHope you enjoyed revisiting the blogs you loved in 2017, and we at FiComm can’t wait to unveil what we have planned for 2018!