Title: Tracking content marketing performance using web analytics: tools, metrics, and data privacy implications

Authors: Julia Maintz; Fabienne Zaumseil

Addresses: Digital Media Management Department, Cologne Business School, Hardefuststr 1, 50677 Köln, Germany ' coliquio GmbH, Turmstr. 22, 78467 Konstanz, Germany

Abstract: This paper first compiles content marketing metrics based on an analysis of content marketing goals. Subsequently, current web analytics tools are reviewed for their potential to support the introduced content marketing goals and associated metrics. This results in an overview of content marketing metrics and additional informative dimensions which can be tracked by web analytics tools. The tracking of the described metrics and additional informative dimensions is discussed with respect to data privacy. For this discussion, the European General Data Protection Regulation enacted in May 2018 serves as reference framework. The findings of this study are based on interviews with eight experts working as chief digital officers and digital managers of multinational enterprises as well as managing directors and content strategists of leading media agencies. Moreover, tools and features of current web analytics tools have been studied and compared, in order to realise this study.

Keywords: big data; content marketing; data privacy; European General Data Protection Regulation; marketing analytics; marketing metrics; personal data; pseudonymisation; semantic search; semantic web; social graph; social media; social search; web analytics; web analytics tools.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2019.099500

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2019 Vol.13 No.2, pp.170 - 182

Received: 28 Feb 2018
Accepted: 05 May 2018
Published online: 07 May 2019 *

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