“How do you prove ROI of content to the boardroom,” was the question on the Content Strategy Google Group.

Before answering this question, stop and ask yourself – “What’s important to your boardroom?”  That should drive how you prove ROI.  You may think you don’t know – just look at any mission statement, marketing material, or annual report kicking around, and you’ll find your answers.

Here are examples:

• If new prospects or customers is an objective, then look at site traffic and new visits, how many pages per visit, etc.
• If conversion (visits –> customers, transactions) is objective, then look at how many site visits generated transactions.
• If increased public awareness is a goal, then mentions in media / blogs, etc. would be a good indicator.
• If SEO is a goal, then look at search rankings before / after.

If you work with a large organization, chances are they’ve tied these types of objectives to some dollar amount (e.g., attract new customers to generate revenues that push us over $1 Bn).  If you can get those numbers (or make guesses based on where company is now and just assume 10-12% growth goals), you can start to translate increased visits, new customers, conversion, etc. into dollar amounts.