What are two of the three key components for evaluating the ROI of content marketing?

The reason that investment in content and performance of content are key components for evaluating the ROI of content marketing lies in the fundamental goal of measuring returns against the resources used. The investment in content refers to all the costs associated with creating and distributing that content, including production costs, marketing expenses, tools, and platforms used for dissemination. This financial baseline is crucial because it helps marketers understand how much they have spent to achieve their marketing objectives.

Performance of content, on the other hand, refers to the effectiveness and impact of the content once it's out in the market. This includes metrics such as engagement rates, conversions, leads generated, and potentially revenue attributed to the content efforts. By comparing the investment with the performance outcomes, businesses can ascertain whether their content marketing initiatives are yielding a positive return.

While options such as content format and audience engagement, and brand awareness and long-term strategy are important elements in content marketing, they do not directly tie the financial investment to the outcomes generated by that investment, which is critical for evaluating ROI. Understanding market trends and competitive analysis also plays a role but does not specifically measure the return on investment in the context of content marketing operations.