The Squishiness of Content to Pipeline Reporting | Part 1: The ROI of Story

Part 1 of 2

We are at a strange crossroads in the world of content marketing and SEO. Google is changing in ways that will undoubtedly have repercussions for anyone in publishing (and really anyone who does business online). At the same time, AI is making it easier to create content, which, good or lazy, is flooding the internet. 

Things are changing fast, and no one is really sure what the future will hold. So, I sat down with Content experts David J Ebner and Jonathan Gandolf.

David is the President of Content Workshop, and Jonathan Gandolf is the co-founder and CEO of The Juice.

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The Dreaded ROI Conversation

Business leaders are slashing marketing budgets and leaning on new technology to generate traffic through old distribution models. 

These conditions mean content creators are asked to tie their content to the sales pipeline, which they often lack the tools or access to do. 

Here’s what David had to say about it: “The toughest and worst conversation any content creator can have is when the C-Suite asks questions about the ROI of their work. And it’s tough for good reason because there aren’t many great ways to measure outside of direct attribution. It’s hard to find a direct path from designed piece to sale.”

Jonathan empathizes with creators who are asked to serve two sometimes opposing goals: creating something compelling and creating something trackable. 

“I think David’s absolutely right. I started hearing about creators having these conversations more and more in the last two years. Great content is created by great storytellers. They’re not quantitative people, but they’re being asked to do it — unfairly sometimes. It’s diminishing the craft because they’re spending more time on this pipeline pressure instead of creating.”

These conversations led Jonathan and his co-founders to build better reporting for the content creators he serves. “We weren’t trying to build something focused on dollar-and-cents ROI reporting, but customers were asking for help. So we built it.” 

Words are cheap, and good storytelling has gotten more valuable.

Marketers can choose dozens of incredible AI platforms to generate a nearly infinite number of words, even though the value of a word is literally at an all-time low. 

But an original story hasn’t been this valuable since the invention of the printing press. 

Every movie is based on old intellectual property, and an increasing amount of internet real estate is AI-generated—10% by conservative estimates and more than half by others. 

None of this is meant to villainize AI. We used AI to organize notes from this meeting, spell check, and correct odd phrasing. We’ll probably use AI to help distribute this article. 

But AI-generated content is content based on the most likely next word/image/frame/note. It’s an average of the rest of the internet content it references. I even recently heard an AI-generated wedding speech. Great, who was that for? 

David said this is a chance to inject value into your current efforts simply by humanizing your content strategy. “Human nature hasn’t changed. We’ve been grunting stories since the beginning of time. That’s how we’re hard-wired to learn — from religious texts to history, government formation, and economic policy. That’s not going to change. If you keep applying efforts on that side, you’re going in the right direction.

“Even beyond the traditional SEO thinking, down to ads and newsletters and other content-fueled marketing initiatives, every story will count more than before.”

There’s a Gap in the Marketplace

Jonathan said there is a nearly identical opportunity where budgets are concerned. With the right strategy and partnerships, the value of your marketing dollars may grow in relation to the value of a good story. 

“I really think there’s an opportunity to zag instead of zig here. As a percentage of revenue, marketing budgets have been at their lowest since 2012. There are so many people retreating because of this larger macroeconomic environment. 

“But that creates an interesting opportunity to partner with agencies and organizations because they’ll be more flexible and work harder to retain your business. 

“This is a fork in the road — we can look at it and decide to stay on this path, or we can embrace the opportunity to get creative. That’s the type of work I want to be doing now.”

David said he’s considering his marketing budget more of an investment than an expense as other brands leave the marketplace. 

“I think of it like investing — buy low, sell high. If there is more supply than demand, things will be less expensive. Also, if your marketshare competitors are dropping out, just staying the course will increase visibility. With everyone dropping out, your job is easier.”

Good Is Sustainable

Stories, laughs, and helpful information are the primary currencies of good content marketing. They were before search engines existed and have continued to be the main factors for success after each new algorithm update. 

“I’m neither an AI nor SEO expert, so I’m happy to recklessly offer my opinion on both, as unsophisticated as it is. I may not be increasing my SEO budget right now, but I’m holding fast with content marketing. 

“Search isn’t going away. It’s just going to change soon. Someone will monetize it and you’ll have to invest in it then. Either way, if it’s good, if it educates, and if it entertains, people will find it.” Shared Jonathan. 

David agreed, saying quality wins in the end because it drives interaction.

“If no one opens the AI dropdown, Google will pivot. If users continue to scroll past sponsored results, Google will pivot. When Google loses money or sees an area where others are making money, they pivot.

“A lot of what we’re going to see is reactionary movement for top-of-funnel search terms.”

Quality or Quantity?

A good content strategy usually balances the quality of the story and the quantifiability of the content.

“I want to die on one of these hills, that you should always measure content ROI or that it doesn’t matter. And maybe one day I’ll build a house on one of those hills, but I think it’s both,” said Jonathan. 

David thinks the best approach to content isn’t to pick a side but an intention. 

“When I hear people talk about data-driven stories, it gives me pause. There is a strategic and philosophical question here, not just tactical. The best content is created to provide value to a specific audience. But if the data drives the story, not the audience’s pain points, you will lose the empathetic approach between the reader and the piece. Then the ROI is $0.”

“None of this is to say there is something wrong with telling stories to meet a specific outcome.” 

David likes to think about quality as a philanthropic pursuit. “When we create helpful content, it’s a little like philanthropy. I donate my time and money to non-profits. But I get something out of that. It makes me feel good. I feel guilty about how good it makes me feel.” 

That’s a good use of power. As storytellers and content creators, we can also use that power to a good end. “Why not create something of value, even if it’s ultimately profitable? Don’t feel bad for being good and commercial.” 

How do you track, report, and refine? 

Content-to-pipeline attribution is squishy at best, but it’s possible. But, tracking the effectiveness of your content to meet goals cannot be an activity you pursue after publication. It needs to be a part of the strategy from day 0.

When you have a plan in advance, you can create great written content for an audience segment that targets specific goals. 

From there, the measurement comes from the distribution.

See the second half of this conversation and read more about content-to-pipeline attribution in part two at The Juice HQ.

Do you need a partner in crafting better stories?

Content Workshop helps brands find their voice and cut through the AI noise. Learn how Content Workshop’s team of human content creators can help tell your story.