Measuring the Success of a Slow-Growth Model, Part 2

Yesterday, we examined some of the components of the slow growth of the Food Thinkers by Breville site. Today, we pull out the tape measure and get down to business.

Surely you measure something

The Tippingpoint Labs methodology involves creating content that doesn’t necessarily attract a quantity audience. Instead, by design, it attracts a quality audience. The content we create for clients is highly targeted at relevant audiences for whom our client offers a unique value.

When looking at traffic numbers, I always look for who’s referring traffic to the channel. For example, one of Food Thinkers’ biggest referrers of traffic is Twitter. This is a key metric of success. Yes, it’s a massive social network with the potential for a ton of irrelevant visitors. But we strategically choose whom to follow and broadcast our content to.

Quality is always important

Plus, we don’t abuse the channel by simply promoting ourselves there. We adhere strictly to the 4-1-1 rule of Twitter. This ensures that the traffic we get to Food Thinkers via Twitter is quality, and these visitors will find value in the content promoted on that day.

Direct, search, and referred

In addition to the referrers list, the percentage of traffic that’s referred is important as well. For a lifestyle blog like Food Thinkers or a corporate eCommerce site, the traffic breakdown should be roughly 1/3 direct, 1/3 search, and 1/3 referred.

• Direct traffic indicates repeat visitors who’ve made your channel an important destination. One of the first places they visit.
• Good search results mean you’re Search Engine Optimized and you have a good level of mass appeal.
• Referrals mean you’re reaching influential channels and leveraging their existing platforms to grow your own.

When one of these three begins to tip too far one way, it’s an indicator that something may be wrong or you’re not aiming for the right audiences:

• Too much direct traffic means you’re not reaching a lot of new people or you’re not promoting well. Little growth.
• Too many referrals means you’re only reaching influentials, but there’s little pass along. Small gardens are consuming your content, but volumes are too low to generate noticeable revenue bumps.
• Too much search traffic means you’re reaching an audience that is too broad and unfocused. Your bounce rate is probably high, and time on site is probably low. The traffic may be up, but the audience isn’t finding value and you’re not building relationships.

The Online Brand Value Metric

While content is being created, distributed, and promoted, relationships are being built, and influence is the natural result. We measure the value a brand has online with a proprietary metric we call Online Brand Value.

This metric gauges the relative online popularity of the brand against the competition. Traffic to branded sites is combined with overall search volumes for branded keywords in relevant geographies and categories. That combination provides a key indicator of brand awareness in the online world, but it’s affected by all marketing efforts, including traditional offline activities.

Seeing the big picture

Methodology: In short, the total traffic for branded channels is combined, and each brand’s share is determined. Then the branded term’s search volume (per Google Insights for Search) is normalized into a percentage of category-wide search volume. The traffic share and search share calculations are halved and combined into a score, x out of 100, for brands in competition.

This metric is a better indicator of online brand awareness than traffic. As I’ve written before, anyone can cause a traffic spike, but this doesn’t accurately capture online perception. By combining traffic analysis — against the competition — with a measurement of online activity surrounding the brand, the Online Brand Value Metric more accurately reflects the volume of relevant discussion online, and how popular you are in the marketplace.

by Food Thinkers

The inevitable cooking metaphor

One of the monthly features of Food Thinkers, Slow & Steady, focuses on the benefits of slow cooking. Cooking stews and soups on a low temperature for a long time keeps the flavor in and lets it penetrate the foods better for a richer meal. But … you know … you have to wait all day.

This is, of course, the same philosophy behind Food Thinkers itself. Bring together quality ingredients, publish them on the right platform, season it with strategic insights, and let it simmer.

About the author

Brad Schwarzenbach -

As an analyst on the Tippingpoint Strategy team, Brad explores new opportunities for clients to build relationships with their customers. He’s always testing new social media channels, poring over analytic data, and identifying emerging trends. He also speaks at conferences & events about uncovering powerful messages hidden within brands' unique values.

Brad’s research has contributed to the development of content & contributor strategies for such clients as Breville, Rodale, Long’s Jewelers, and Fusionapps, as well as being a frequent contributor to the Tippingpoint blog. He’s been “listening” to the way we communicate online since the old AOL People Connection days and watched the way that digital communication has evolved.

An English and Creative Writing major at the University of Connecticut, Brad’s spent most of his career creating web content and becoming intimately familiar with web theory for Bayard, Inc. and TomTom Inc., giving Brad keen ears and eyes to what, exactly, makes web content valuable.

Outside the office, Brad feels most at home with his beautiful wife-to-be Kristina, or on the golf course. “There’s a distinct pace and rhythm to the way people communicate online.  Understanding and taking part in them yields amazing opportunities for my clients to not only grow but to improve their business. I’m constantly looking for those opportunities.”