Anyone who says “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink” is probably not a marketer.

And yet, this is something a lot of content marketing initiatives get wrong. Sure, the target audience may be making it to your content in droves, but leading people to your content is only step one.

As a marketer, you already know getting your visitors to perform an action is crucial to the success of any marketing initiative. Content marketing is no different. Tracking measurable actions (like newsletter subscribers, social shares, leads, clicks, and sales) tied to your content is crucial to gauging its efficacy.

Here is where most people get lost: They are creating content that isn’t leading people to perform measurable actions. Every piece of content you publish should be crafted with this in the forefront of your mind. If you’re not doing this, you’re wasting your time.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What action do you want people to take after reading your content?
• Which piece of past content inspired the highest number of these actions?
• What elements of this content do you think contributed to its success?

Below is a breakdown of eight elements that inspire action and how to add them into your content. You should be purposefully weaving these elements into your content. At the end of this post, I’ve included an evaluation rubric for you to consistently measure if your content incorporates these attributes.

The Elements of Impactful Content

So how do you create content that leads your audience to perform a desired action?

Simply slapping a call-to-action at the end isn’t enough. Chances are your past content successes contained many, if not all, of the same attributes. Including these following elements throughout your content will help move people to action.

1. Provocative

Does your content flip conventional wisdom on its head?

Easily confused with controversy, being provocative is about more than raising eyebrows. Provocative content ignites emotion by pushing boundaries and challenges the status quo.

Example: Reinventing the Toilet

Non-profits are masters at using provocation to incite action. To raise awareness around poor sanitation conditions, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation put together a stellar content marketing campaign about, well...poop. Using a combination of infographics and kinetic typography videos, they packaged content that is shocking, frankly discusses a taboo subject, and makes the viewer think differently about something as pedestrian as a toilet. Makes you want to donate, right?

2. Visionary

Are you causing a “Eureka moment” for the reader?

Visionary content puts into words a frustration, realization, or need that the reader has, but may not have been fully aware of or seen properly verbalized previously.

Example: 15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy

This virally successful article didn’t reinvent the wheel (or the toilet), but rather, it produces a “why didn’t I think of that?” reaction. This was a simple list of things the reader probably had never connected with making them less happy in life. The title of this post is also provocative (one doesn’t associate giving things up with happiness) and no doubt greatly contributed to its viral success. Just take a look at the social shares in the screenshot below the title to see how many actions this piece spawned.

3. Differentiated

Are you rehashing what others have already said?

Differentiated content presents a completely original idea or discusses a tired topic in a new fashion or format. This is uncommon to most content and one of the toughest attributes to master.

Example: The Noob Guide to Online Marketing

Instead of being yet another “ultimate guide” blog post, this comprehensive resource combined expert knowledge with a visually-compelling format. And the accompanying infographic is anything but typical; it’s meant to be printed out and used as a checklist (you can rip the “cogs” off of the wheel as you complete each task).

4. Relevant

Does your content appeal to your target audience?

Content should be related to your brand without being an overt sales pitch. If you do go off topic, you’re doing so from the perspective of your vertical.

Example: Nature Valley Trail View

Nature Valley understood that a map of where you could buy granola bars wouldn’t be compelling (except for someone who was really into granola bars). But what is compelling to active people (the target audience of a mobile snack) is a map where you can take virtual tours through America’s national parks. There is no mention of granola bars in this virtual map, save for the subtle branding of the Nature Valley logo. This type of content is exactly what all businesses should be doing: providing your target audience with resources of entertainment relevant to their interests and lifestyle. They also posted a blog about how they created this project, another source of content that would be of interest to their target audience.

5. Timely

Are you one of the first to cover hot topics?

Even if you aren’t trying to break news, you should be incorporating current trends and news into your content. Leverage news items your audience is naturally talking about or seeking more information about.

Example: From Pump Pains to Pink Slips

My company, BlueGlass Interactive, created this infographic with Forbes which covered how rising gas prices affect unemployment, elections, and the stock market. We took a topic in the forefront of many people’s minds and made it compelling through data visualizations.

6. Demonstrates Mastery

Are you positioning your brand as a thought leader?

Masterful content offers an unparalleled depth of insight. It expands on complex ideas and shows a comprehensive analysis on the topic unlikely to be found from other sources.

Example: Local Search Ranking Factors

If you asked for a resource on local search, chances are you’d be directed to this mammoth survey of local search experts. Every year, David Mihm polls local search thought leaders about the ranking factors that drive Google’s Local Search algorithms and releases a new volume after each survey. Creating this type of resource (and continuously updating it) can position your brand as a top authority in your niche.

7. Can Be Delivered On

Do you provide the solution?

Content should intrigue the reader about your brand, and make them feel they have an unmet need only your brand can fill.

Example: Dollar Shave Club

You’ve probably heard the phrase “unique selling proposition,” but have rarely seen it in true form. Dollar Shave Club built their entire campaign on the very thing that no other competitor can offer: one dollar for razors mailed to you each month. With a unique selling proposition this strong, the viewer is almost forced to take action and sign up for the club. It doesn’t hurt that the video is hilarious, only adding to the uniqueness of the brand.

8. Narrative

Are you telling a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end?

Content with a strong narrative takes the reader on an exciting journey full of surprises and leads to a call-to-action of value for the brand. It’s cohesive, easy to understand, and inspires action related to the story.

Example: Water Changes Everything

Using another example from a non-profit, this motion graphic video from Charity Water takes the viewer on a treacherous journey. It illustrates how people without access to clean drinking water collect water and the repercussions of the struggles they face. It then presents a solution to the problem at hand, explaining how a specific dollar amount can contribute to helping the issue.

Using the Content Evaluation Rubric

I’ve put together an evaluation rubric that grades content on the above eight attributes.

Content Evaluation Rubric

Periodically measuring your content against this rubric will allow you to see if your content is incorporating these elements. After reading through your content, give each attribute a score of 1-5. It will be next to impossible to get a perfect 100%, but the great thing about this rubric is it will challenge you to include these elements in all of your content.

I recommend going through both your old popular content and your content that flopped to see how they fare on this rubric. Which attributes were strong or weak? You can adjust the rubric to give more weight to the attributes that resonated most with your audience in the past.

You can also customize the rubric to match the types of content you produce. For example, if you are primarily creating evergreen content, you can remove the “timely” attribute.

Conclusion

It’s tempting to chase viral success and create content that only produces traffic spikes and social shares. If you’re only creating content with this in mind, you may find yourself producing content that is completely unrelated to your business, not reaching the right audience, and not getting your visitors to perform the actions you hope.