How to track and report on content usage metrics within Mediafly

If you’re reading this, you probably already know that dumping a ton of content into your sales enablement platform doesn’t magically make reps use it—or help you prove to your boss that it’s worth the investment. This guide is for marketers, sales ops, or anyone tasked with showing what’s actually happening with your content inside Mediafly. We’ll walk through what to measure, how to get the data, and what’s worth your time (and what isn’t).

Why Content Usage Metrics Matter (and Where People Get Lost)

Before you start pulling reports, take a second to ask: why do you care about usage metrics? Not all numbers are created equal. Most teams want to know:

  • Are sellers actually using our content?
  • Is it getting shared with customers?
  • What’s landing with buyers, and what’s collecting dust?
  • Can we tie content to pipeline or deals?

It’s easy to get lost in vanity metrics (like “downloads” or “views”) that don’t really tell you if your stuff is helping sales. Focus on what gives you real answers, not just big numbers for a slide deck.

Step 1: Know What You Want to Track

Mediafly spits out a lot of possible metrics. You’ll hear about:

  • Views: Who opened a piece of content, when, and how often.
  • Shares: When a rep sends a file or link to a customer.
  • Engagement: Did the buyer actually open it? For how long? Did they click through?
  • Top/Bottom Content: What’s used most and least.
  • User Activity: Which reps use what, and who’s not touching anything.
  • Attribution: (If you’re feeling fancy) Did a piece of content help close a deal?

Pro tip: If you’re just starting out, pick two or three key metrics. “Content shared with buyers” and “rep usage by team or region” are usually more actionable than just “views.”

Step 2: Set Up Your Content for Tracking

No software will magically fix a messy content library. For Mediafly to tell you anything useful, you need:

  • Clean, logical folders: Group content by use case, product, or region so you can compare apples to apples.
  • Consistent naming: Use clear, human-readable file names with version numbers. “Q2_Product_Overview_v3.pdf” beats “finalFINAL_product.pdf.”
  • Metadata: Fill it in. Tags, owners, and descriptions make filtering and reporting much easier later.

What Doesn’t Matter (as much as you think)

  • Don’t agonize over perfect taxonomy on day one. You’ll tweak it later.
  • If content is outdated or never used, archive it. Don’t let “content bloat” mess up your reporting.

Step 3: Access Mediafly Analytics

Now for the fun part (or at least the part where you get some answers).

  1. Go to the Analytics section. Usually, you’ll find this in the main navigation. If you don’t see it, check your permissions—admins get the most options.
  2. Pick your time range. Don’t just look at “all time”—try last 30 or 90 days for a clearer picture.
  3. Choose your report type. Most common:
    • Content Usage: What’s being opened, viewed, or shared.
    • User Activity: Who’s doing what.
    • Engagement: Buyer interaction after a share.

If you’re new to the interface, it can feel overwhelming. Start simple: pull the “Top Content” and “User Activity” reports, then dig deeper as you get comfortable.

Heads up: Mediafly’s dashboards are pretty good, but not perfect. Sometimes filters reset or reports run slow—don’t panic. Export to Excel or CSV for heavy analysis.

Step 4: Interpret the Data (Don’t Just Stare at Numbers)

Here’s where most teams get stuck. A big spreadsheet of “views” doesn’t tell you what to do next. Focus on:

  • Content that’s used a lot: Double down on what works—maybe update, promote, or create more like it.
  • Content that’s never used: Ask why. Is it buried? Useless? Outdated? If nobody’s touched it in six months, archive it.
  • Shares vs. views: If reps are opening content but not sharing it, maybe it’s helpful for them, but not buyer-ready.
  • Engagement drops: If buyers open something and bail after 10 seconds, it’s probably too long, boring, or irrelevant.

What to ignore: Don’t obsess over “impressions” (how many times something shows up in a search). Focus on real actions—opens, shares, engagement.

Step 5: Build and Share Reports

You’ve got your insights. Now, make them useful to someone else.

  1. Customize the report. Filter by:
    • Team or region (who’s using content)
    • Content type/category (e.g. case studies vs. product sheets)
    • Date range (recent trends vs. old habits)
  2. Export as PDF or CSV. Mediafly lets you save and schedule reports—use that if your boss wants a weekly update.
  3. Add context. Don’t just send a spreadsheet—include a one-liner summary: “Here’s what’s performing, what isn’t, and what we plan to do.”

Honest advice: Don’t try to make the data say more than it does. If there’s no clear trend, say so. People respect honesty.

Step 6: Act on What You Find

Data’s pointless if you don’t use it. Here’s what to actually do:

  • Promote top content: Move it up in folders, link to it, or tell reps about it.
  • Update or sunset duds: If something never gets used, either fix it or get rid of it.
  • Fill gaps: If reps keep using old or off-brand stuff, it’s a sign you’re missing what they actually need.
  • Train and remind: Sometimes, usage is low because people forget where to find things. A quick training or “content of the week” email can help.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Chasing vanity metrics: “Look how many views!” isn’t a win if it doesn’t help sales.
  • Trying to track everything: You’ll drown in data. Start focused.
  • Ignoring feedback: Ask reps and customers why they use (or ignore) content. The “why” matters more than the “what.”
  • Overcomplicating reports: Fancy dashboards don’t impress anyone if you can’t explain what matters.

When to Use (or Ignore) Advanced Features

Mediafly offers some advanced tricks—like content attribution to pipeline, integration with Salesforce, and buyer engagement heatmaps. These can be useful, but only if:

  • Your team actually updates CRM data (otherwise, the attribution’s garbage).
  • You have enough buyer data (not just internal sharing).
  • You have time to analyze it (and act on it).

If you’re spending hours chasing one cool-looking chart but it never changes what you do, skip it. Simple, consistent tracking beats one-off deep dives.

Quick Reference: What to Track, and Why

| Metric | Why It Matters | What to Do With It | |-------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------------| | Content shares | Shows what’s buyer-ready | Promote/refresh top shared items | | Rep usage | Spot adoption gaps | Train or follow up with low users | | Buyer engagement | Signals content effectiveness | Shorten, update, or replace duds | | Top/Bottom content | Prioritize improvements | Archive unused stuff |

Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often

Don’t overthink this. The best teams check usage monthly, act on what’s clear, and don’t try to spin every dip or spike into a story. Track a few useful metrics, get rid of junk, and keep asking if your content actually helps sales. If it doesn’t, change it up.

Every quarter or so, tweak your reports and approach. You’ll never have perfect data, but you can always get better at making sense of it. The goal isn’t a fancy dashboard—it’s content that gets used and helps close deals. That’s it.