Marketers must tailor their content and distribution channels for target audiences to earn engagement and drive results.

Marketers understand that in today’s world of big data, brands must draw on consumer information to create personalized web content. A one-size-fits-all no longer appeals to most buyers, who have grown accustomed to receiving offers tailored to their interests and purchasing histories. Despite the increasing importance of custom content for online conversions, a recent Silverpop study conducted by Forrester found that only 45 percent of marketers have actually harnessed customer information for better insights.

When companies don’t have a grasp on their content analytics and social media metrics, they might not be able to recognize the content they share is alienating entire customer demographics.

In one example of this disconnect, CEFRIO recently published the “NetTendances 2013” report, which revealed that French-speaking audiences use difference social networks than their English-using counterparts. A higher percentage of English speakers used social networks, read and shared online content, logged into accounts, interacted with other members, followed people and created their own updates.

This language barrier may not be as prevalent in the United States, but brands may face different challenges when targeting diverse consumer groups. Brafton recently reported that Google is rolling out new user segmentation capabilities for content analytics that can help brands track which articles, updates and posts drive engagement with individuals who represent certain consumer groups. This can also be an effective tool to learn which channels or types of content are ineffective and require strategic adjustments.

Lauren Kaye is a Marketing Editor at Brafton Inc. She studied creative and technical writing at Virginia Tech before pursuing the digital frontier and finding content marketing was the best place to put her passions to work. Lauren also writes creative short fiction, hikes in New England and appreciates a good book recommendation.