How we measure a ‘result’ can be perplexing.  With use of tools such as Google Analytics, there are seemingly endless ways to evaluate the performance of our digital content.  Fortunately, there are some universal steps you can take to increase the performance of your content, regardless of the measure you are using. Here is a quick rundown of some of the things you should bear in mind.

1) You must consider your target audience throughout

It sounds simple, and is nothing new, but it is easily the single biggest thing that when overlooked will lead to a lukewarm reception to your content.

Who do you think buys this book? What content do you think they would like to see? Is your content worth their time, and why? Are you offering them something new? Is it in the right format for them to digest? Have you posted it at the best time of day for them to view it? All these considerations will effect whether the reader wants more, and perhaps assist you in sharing the content.

A technique that can help you with the appropriate tone of voice and format of your digital content is a customer profile. This is a description of the needs and challenges in the life of someone you imagine being a potential buyer of the book you are marketing. When building your profile(s) you should try to outline the key demographics in the market you are attempting to reach. The more accurate and detailed your profile(s), the greater this tool can help to inform your content. Of course you will never pinpoint your entire market, everyone is different and people are far too diverse, but just shifting your perspective using this exercise should put you in a better position to make more informed decisions about the content you are about to post.

2) Quality is a must

If you have thought about the above considerations carefully, and have some well targeted, quality content on your hands, you stand a good chance of driving conversions. Make no mistake though; you won’t be driving any conversions unless the content is good. What is also true is that a certain degree of consistency is important to drive conversions. Your audience should be familiar with the high quality content you publish on a regular basis, so patience and perseverance are important here too.

3) Add a call to action

Finally, the most obvious ingredient in the conversion cake: adding a call to action. This is best placed at the end of your content. At this stage you know you have someone invested in the topic you are presenting them. Try adding calls to action whenever you publish content, and don’t limit this to a ‘hard sales pitch’. If anything, these should be limited, no-one wants to be nagged. From your audience’s point-of-view your main purpose should be to provide them with value.

Capitalize on this in your call to action by offering a way for the reader to access more of what they just enjoyed; it could be a mailing-list sign-up request, or a Twitter or Facebook follow.

It is a good idea to over deliver with your free content in order to build brand loyalty, a follower gained this way may act as an ambassador for you in the future and help drive results.