If you want to create content that works, you need to make informed decisions and not rely on guesswork.

Data-driven marketing can help you collect, analyze, and apply data to your content.

If you don't know how to use data in your content, read on to learn the best ways to use it.

How to Use Data in Content Creation

Data can be used at different stages of the content creation process.

1. Using Data Before Content Creation

Just as no one sets out to build a house without first calculating the cost, so too should marketers not create content if they don't know what the data tells them.

Insights from data can help you figure out what type of content to create, who to create it for, and how to present it.

Data can be used in a number of ways before you start creating.

Conduct Keyword ResearchHow to Use Data in Content Creation: conduct keyword research

The first step in creating any piece of content is to know the topics you want to talk about or the words you want to use.

One of the main goals of content creation is to engage with an audience, so it is important to uncover the queries they are searching for online. You can get valuable insights into these queries with the help of a research called a "skin in the game"

It's important to analyze the intent behind a search, whether it's informational, navigation, or transactional.

It is possible to use some of the best tools forKeyword research.

Identify Your AudienceHow to Use Data in Content Creation: Identify your audience

You won't make any sales if you try to sell steaks to a vegan audience. If you don't put your best content in front of the right people, it can have mediocre results.

You can use data to find the right people.

You can use data to get rid of assumptions about your audience.

Data can give you information about your target audience, such as their age range, interests, and social media platform.

You can use a variety of analytic tools to find out what your audience likes and dislikes.

Choose the Right Content FormatHow to Use Data in Content Creation: choose the right content format

You can use data to find their most preferred format after uncovering who your audience is and what they search for online.

They might want to read a post on the internet. Is there a thread on the social networking site? Are you interested in seeing video content like TikTok? What do you think about the photos on the social media site?

Where to spend most of your content creation efforts will be determined by the data.

You can use BuzzSumo and other tools to find the right format for your audience.

2. Using Data During Content Creation

Data can be used to create content.

It is possible to use data to breathe life into your posts. It doesn't mean threading spreadsheets into your posts. You should think about how to frame the data in a way that will advance your story.

If you put data into context and use it to strengthen your point, you can give readers a post that will stay with them for a long time. When using data in your posts, here are a few narrative techniques to think about.

Demonstrate Change

Data can be used to show change over time.

Data and maps are used by The Zebra to show the changing cost of car insurance in the US over the last few years.

Areas with the highest car insurance rates can be seen on the map.

How to Use Data in Content Creation: demonstrate change using a map

The cost can be seen as you click the button.

Why It Works

It is possible to evoke an emotional response from your readers if you show a striking change trend.

Show Discrepancy

Data can fall flat if it's isolated on its own. A strong narrative can be created by putting a set of data into context.

There is a discrepancy between the many COVID predictions and the reality.

How to Use Data in Content Creation: The Atlantic showing discrepancy in dataWhy It Works

You can highlight gaps that lead to clear calls to action if you show discrepancies between perception and reality.

Show Connection or Correlation

The British Heart Foundation used data to show a correlation between watching TV and having a heart attack. BHF does a good job of showing the effect of a sedentary lifestyle.

It's important that you don't imply causality when showing the correlation between things. You are only showing that two things are connected, not that one leads to the other.

How to Use Data in Content Creation: BHF showing connection and correlation between TV and heart disease

Why It Works

Data can be used to show the connection between two or more things.

Give Scale

Data can be used to demonstrate scale.

The scale of the tallest buildings in the world is shown in a chart by the New York Post.

How to Use Data in Content Creation: New York post showing the scale of tallest buildings in the world

Why It Works

Adding context to your posts can be helped by scale. What data can you give us that would lend itself to this visualization? Did you serve more customers last year than the average attendance at a Red Sox game? The scope of your impact is something that can be shown.

3. Using Data After Content Creation

Data can be used before and during content creation. How can you still use data after you have published your post?

Optimize Published Content

Data can be used to find opportunities for new content.

You can see if a piece of content needs an update or refresh by looking at the data from the tools.

The best performers from the existing content can be identified through a content audit.

Analyze Audience Engagement

A lot of metrics can be tracked after you publish a piece of content.

If you want to know how long readers stay on a specific piece, you can use the data from the adwords website. You can use other tools to see how your audience is interacting with your website.

Final Thoughts

There are nine ways to use data in different stages of your content creation process.

There are many tools you can use to make data work for you, even if you have never used data before.

The post was first published in September of 2011.

content planning in 2022

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The story was originally published on Sep 8, 2022.