“Half the money I spent on advertising is wasted, the trouble is I don’t know which half.”
– John Wanamaker
Many years later, even with all the free web analytics from Google and countless software, most marketers and entrepreneurs still do not know what’s working and what isn’t.
WHY?
Do we need more tech? More AI? Does everyone have to become a marketer? Have a marketing degree? Be an analytics wizard?
I once worked as a marketer, and because I think like an entrepreneur, I wanted to always get to the heart of the matter, to reason from first principles…to know what is working and what isn’t.
This is the reality for countless marketers and entrepreneurs today when it comes to marketing on the internet. You pour time, energy, money, and resources into creating content, hoping it will hit the sweet spot of engagement (i.e. likes, views, shares, comments, clicks etc.) and conversions. But more often than not, you end up with a mixed bag—some content gains attention without any real tangible results, while others go completely unnoticed. You’re left with a lingering question: How do I create content that truly works?
Let me take you on a journey—a story of transformation through simplicity.
It all started during a consultation with a small business owner who was feeling the pain of spending heavily on Facebook ads without seeing any sales. She ran an online boutique, and though her posts sometimes caught fire with likes and shares, they rarely led to sales. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t figure out what made some posts go viral and others fall flat, or why engagement almost never translated to sales.
Enter the BCG Matrix – a tool that companies use to evaluate their product lines and investments. It was used by half of the Fortune 500 companies and made it simple for anyone, even those not in leadership positions, to know what was working and what wasn’t. It categorizes products into four groups: Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks, and Dogs. The simplicity of categorizing based on growth potential and market share inspired me to apply a similar approach to content marketing, but with an emphasis on engagement and conversion.
That’s when Simba’s Content Matrix (SCM) was born—a framework built to help marketers understand the complex world of digital content. It categorizes each piece of content into four clear quadrants: Stars, Evergreens, Question Marks, and Zombies.
Much like the BCG Matrix helps businesses determine where to invest their resources, Simba’s Content Matrix helps creators and marketers decide where to focus their energy, which content to amplify, and which to retire. It’s rooted in a simple yet powerful idea: online success hinges on engaging and converting.
Every like, share, or comment represents engagement – it’s how people interact with your content. But true success comes when engagement leads to conversion – a purchase, a sign-up, or a download. That’s when content moves from simply being seen to actually driving business outcomes. Simba’s Content Matrix puts the power back in your hands, showing you how to classify content to understand what works, what doesn’t, and what actions to take next.
The original inspiration for SCM—the BCG Matrix—is often applied by corporations to evaluate their product portfolio, identifying which products to invest in and which ones to phase out. I realized that content, much like product lines, requires a strategic evaluation. You need to know which content pieces are your Stars (high engagement and high conversions) and deserve more fuel. You also need to understand your Question Marks (high engagement but low conversion) that may need strategic adjustments to convert well, and your Evergreens (low engagement but high conversion) that consistently generate returns even if they don’t make waves.
What about your Zombies (low engagement and low conversion)? Just like the “Dogs” in the BCG Matrix, Zombie content has no place consuming your precious resources. Identifying these underperformers means you can stop wasting energy on what doesn’t work.
For the small boutique owner, understanding this matrix was a game-changer. We tracked her content over the past three months using SCM principles and realized that her posts featuring her products on models were gaining engagement but not conversions. They were Question Marks. Her behind-the-scenes content about her brand story and ethical sourcing was a Star – high engagement, high conversions. Surprisingly, her styling tip videos—while not hugely popular—had high conversion rates, making them Evergreens. Once she knew where to focus, she began doubling down on Stars and tweaking her Question Marks to make them more conversion-focused. The result? More sales, fewer wasted ads, and a clear understanding of what her audience wanted.
If you’re creating content and wondering why it’s not paying off, Simba’s Content Matrix is your solution—your guide to creating content that isn’t just seen, but remembered, shared, and acted upon.
Overview of Simba’s Content Matrix
Simba’s Content Matrix (SCM) is a strategic framework designed to help marketers and content creators evaluate their content based on two key parameters: engagement and conversion. Engagement refers to how much your audience interacts with your content—likes, comments, shares—while conversion is all about the actions your audience takes, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a resource.
SCM categorizes content into four quadrants:
- Stars: High engagement, high conversion. These are the pieces that successfully capture attention and drive actions. Stars are your content gold mines, and doubling down on them is crucial for maximizing returns.
- Evergreens: Low engagement, high conversion. This content is not flashy, but it is incredibly effective at generating consistent conversions. Evergreens are important for maintaining a steady flow of leads or sales without requiring constant attention.
- Question Marks: High engagement, low conversion. This type of content gets noticed, but fails to drive significant actions. If you have Question Marks, then maybe revisit your Customer Ikigai of your target audience. Maybe there is a perception issue—they like your content (it makes them laugh, makes them share it)—but what is stopping them from buying? Or maybe it’s a place issue: the platform they are on doesn’t really allow them to buy immediately, or they see the post but it quickly disappears in their newsfeed? It may need optimization, such as stronger calls to action or better alignment with your business objectives.
- Zombies: Low engagement, low conversion. These pieces are not adding value and should be revised, repurposed, or removed entirely to save resources and focus on what works.
By categorizing content into these quadrants, SCM helps you determine which content deserves further investment, which needs tweaking, and which should be abandoned. It takes the guesswork out of content creation and ensures that your efforts are strategic, targeted, and results-driven.
Practical Steps to Apply Simba’s Content Matrix
Also, your results from the SCM should influence your strategy—keep an eye on Simba’s Five Forces. Sometimes you’re not getting attention simply because there is a competitor who has the forces working in their favor, especially the bargaining power of internet users. Maybe your competitor has more positive reviews or is loved on social media. Simba’s Content Matrix is simple because it wants marketers, entrepreneurs, and leaders to start having meaningful conversations about what to prioritize and what to fix.
To implement Simba’s Content Matrix effectively, start by categorizing your existing content. Here are the practical steps you can take to make SCM work for you:
Step 1: Track Your Engagement and Conversion Metrics
Begin by collecting data on your content. Use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, or any platform-specific metrics to measure two main aspects: engagement (likes, shares, comments, etc.) and conversions (sales, sign-ups, downloads).
Create a simple Excel spreadsheet with columns for each piece of content, the type of content (video, blog post, social media post, etc.), engagement metrics, and conversion metrics.
Step 2: Categorize Your Content
Based on your data, place each content piece into one of the four quadrants of SCM:
- Stars: High engagement, high conversion. These are your success stories. Amplify this content by boosting posts, repurposing them, or building campaigns around them.
- Evergreens: Low engagement, high conversion. These pieces are valuable, even if they don’t create much buzz. Keep them updated and consider improving their visibility by optimizing keywords or internal linking.
- Question Marks: High engagement, low conversion. These are opportunities. Revisit these pieces to add stronger calls to action or optimize for conversions.
- Zombies: Low engagement, low conversion. Either rework these to add value or let them go. Don’t be afraid to prune your content library.
Step 3: Take Action Based on Your Findings
- Double Down on Stars: Amplify and promote content that works. Consider creating sequels or repurposing successful content for different formats.
- Optimize Question Marks: High engagement content has potential. You may want to do A/B testing, revisit the Customer Ikigai, do surveys, or invest in conversion rate optimization (CRO) to understand and address the gap. Experiment with different calls to action, add lead magnets, or link them to relevant products to boost conversions.
- Update Evergreens: Since they convert well, ensure your evergreen content is updated regularly. Optimize SEO, and make sure the information is still relevant and valuable.
- Eliminate Zombies: Content that falls flat in both areas is draining your resources. Maybe you want to pause, rethink, and change angles to see if there is any way to add value or repurpose these pieces effectively. Consider merging, updating, or even deleting them to maintain a lean, high-performing content library.
Examples of SCM in Action
Scenario 1: Ecommerce Store Owner Evaluating Facebook Ads
Imagine you’re an ecommerce store owner running several ad campaigns on Facebook. After categorizing your ads using SCM, you notice that ads featuring user-generated content (like customer photos) are getting lots of likes and shares but very few purchases—they’re Question Marks. On the other hand, ads showcasing discount offers directly lead to conversions but don’t get much engagement—these are Evergreens.
Actionable Insights: Use a mix of both types. Keep the discount ads running for consistent sales and work on optimizing the Question Marks by adding more persuasive product descriptions or clearer calls to action to encourage purchases.
Scenario 2: A Startup Seeking Content/Market Fit
A SaaS startup is trying to figure out which platform and content type resonate most with their audience. They’ve posted on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, sharing product updates, thought leadership articles, and memes.
Using SCM, they find that their thought leadership posts on LinkedIn are Evergreens—they drive sign-ups but aren’t widely shared. Memes on Instagram are Question Marks—they receive plenty of likes but lead to few conversions.
Actionable Insights: Double down on LinkedIn content to keep conversions coming and experiment with Instagram calls to action. Make the memes more connected to the product or add links to learn more.
Scenario 3: Large Fortune 500 Company Optimizing Digital Channels
A Fortune 500 company has multiple channels—website, app, blog, and chatbot. By analyzing engagement and conversion data, they discover that the app content is a Star—high engagement and high conversion. The blog posts are Evergreens, as they consistently lead to sign-ups despite low social shares. The chatbot, however, is a Zombie, neither engaging users nor converting them.
Actionable Insights: Allocate more resources to developing app content and explore strategies to improve chatbot interactions, such as revamping scripts or adding incentives for users to engage.
Conclusion: Your Content, Transformed
Simba’s Content Matrix isn’t just about categorizing content—it’s about understanding your audience, optimizing your strategy, and driving real results. By applying SCM, you can identify what’s working, amplify successes, and learn from failures. The beauty of SCM lies in its simplicity—it gives you a clear map of where to focus your energy and how to make every piece of content count.
So, if you’re tired of guessing which posts will thrive and which will flop, give Simba’s Content Matrix a try. It’s time to turn your content from mere noise into an engine for growth, one that captures attention and turns it into action.