Is Your Content Working? Key Metrics to Track Messages and Visuals

We live in a consumerist world where we are constantly flooded with content, it is imperative for businesses to ensure their content is clear and impactful. From email marketing to social media, or data presentations, being able to measure effectiveness guarantees engagement and results (when adjustments are made accordingly). 

There are many metrics that can give your business insight into this, but lets take a look at 4/5 essential ones: awareness and recall, engagement, conversion, clarity/ comprehension.

Awareness and recall is where it all starts. If your audience doesn’t remember your message, they won’t respond to it. Brand tracking studies and recall surveys are useful for this. And comparative tests can also show how brand cues can shape recall. A great example of this was a blind taste test where Pepsi was preferred by 51% of participants, but when they showed the brand names, Coca-Cola won 65% of the vote (Chernatony & McDonald, 1992). Awareness is important and powerful, and even a simple infographic comparing blind versus branded results can really highlight this. 

Engagement is where you find out if your audience is interested enough to interact. Engagement can be measured in likes, shares, comments, click-throughs, or even time spent on your website or app. For example, Instagram Insights or LinkedIn Analytics make these easy to keep track of, and comparing these against competitors will let you know where you stand.  

Conversions take engagement a bit further by proving that your communication is driving real action. Some examples of this could be a blog subscription, a purchase, or even a follow. Google Analytics and tools like this let you track goals, and allow you to link conversions to spend and use that to calculate ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment). For example, Nike’s “Dream Crazy” campaign with Colin Kaepernick. Though it was controversial and the company did see some negative effects, the results spoke for themselves as online sales jumped 31% within days of launch, and the company’s stock soon reached an all-time high (Business Insider, 2018). It proves that good messaging doesn’t only get people’s attention but also boosts sales. 

Visual clarity and comprehension make it easy for people to understand your message right away. Brand audits can also help by checking that your materials are consistent and match your brand’s identity. Testing different designs and gathering quick feedback through polls can help you identify parts that might be confusing.  

When you combine all these (awareness, engagement, conversions, clarity, and comprehension), you move from guessing to knowing. These numbers won’t be just reports, they will give you insights that will help you create stronger communication. With the right visual aids next to the facts (data), you can tell a story that proves your messages and visuals are not just noticed but also drive impact.