Step 3: Perform a Content Audit

In this section, we will explore the process of performing a content audit, a crucial step in developing an effective content marketing strategy. A content audit involves systematically reviewing and analysing your existing content assets to evaluate their performance, relevance, and alignment with your marketing goals and objectives. By conducting a thorough content audit, you can identify gaps, areas for improvement, and opportunities for repurposing or updating content. This process not only helps you make informed decisions about your future content marketing efforts but also ensures that your content continues to provide value to your target audience and supports your overall business growth.

Inventory Existing Content

To catalogue your current content assets, you’ll need to follow a systematic approach that includes gathering information about each piece of content’s format, topic, and performance metrics. Here’s a step-by-step process for cataloguing your content assets:

1. Create a content inventory spreadsheet: Begin by creating a comprehensive spreadsheet to record and organise all the information about your content assets. This will serve as the foundation of your content audit.
2. List all content assets: Gather a list of all your existing content pieces across various platforms, such as your website, blog, social media channels, email campaigns, and any other marketing materials. Include assets such as articles, videos, infographics, e-books, whitepapers, podcasts, case studies, and webinars.
3. Categorise by format: Organise your content assets by their format, making it easier to analyse and identify gaps or trends in the types of content you’re producing.
4. Identify the topic: For each content asset, note its primary topic or focus area. This will help you determine if your content covers a diverse range of topics relevant to your target audience, or if there are any subject areas that may be underrepresented in your current content mix.
5. Gather performance metrics: Collect data on key performance indicators (KPIs) for each content piece to evaluate its success in achieving your content marketing objectives. Metrics to consider include page views, unique visitors, average time on page, bounce rate, social media engagement (likes, shares, comments), conversion rate, and search engine rankings.
6. Include additional information: In your content inventory spreadsheet, you may also want to include other useful information, such as publication date, target keywords, buyer persona(s), and any notes or observations about the content’s quality or relevance.
7. Analyse your findings: Once you’ve catalogued all your content assets with the relevant information, analyse the data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. Look for patterns in which topics or formats perform well, underperforming content that may need updating or removal, and areas where new content could be created to address your audience’s needs.

By cataloguing your current content assets with their format, topic, and performance metrics, you’ll gain valuable insights into your content marketing efforts’ strengths and weaknesses. This information will help you make informed decisions about optimising your content strategy and ensuring that your content continues to provide value to your target audience.

Assess Content Quality and Relevance

Evaluating your existing content based on quality, relevance, and alignment with objectives is crucial for optimising your content marketing strategy. Here’s how you can assess your content in these areas:

1. Quality: Analyse your content to ensure that it meets high-quality standards. Consider factors such as:
   • Accuracy and reliability of the information provided
   • Clarity and readability of the text
   • Visual appeal and formatting, including images, headings, and bullet points
   • Proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling
2. Relevance: Evaluate whether your content is relevant to your target audience’s needs, interests, and pain points. Ask yourself:
   • Does the content address a topic or problem that is important to your target audience?
   • Is the information up-to-date and reflective of current industry trends or best practices?
   • Does the content provide valuable insights or solutions that help your audience achieve their goals?
3. Alignment with objectives: Assess how well your content aligns with your marketing goals and objectives. Consider:
   • Does the content support your SMART objectives, such as increasing website traffic or generating leads?
   • Is the content tailored to specific buyer personas and their unique needs?
   • Does the content contribute to your overall brand message and positioning?

Identifying Content Gaps and Opportunities for Improvement

Once you’ve assessed your content’s quality, relevance, and alignment with objectives, you can identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. Here’s how:

1. Analyse content coverage: Review the topics covered by your existing content and compare them to your target audience’s interests, needs, and pain points. Identify any subject areas that may be underrepresented or missing from your content mix.
2. Examine content formats: Look at the variety of content formats you’re currently using (e.g., blog posts, videos, infographics) and consider whether there are additional formats that could appeal to your target audience or provide a fresh perspective on a topic.
3. Evaluate content performance: Analyse the performance metrics of your content to identify underperforming pieces that may need updating, repurposing, or removal. Conversely, look for high-performing content that could serve as a model for future content creation.
4. Identify opportunities for repurposing: Determine if any existing content can be repurposed into different formats or updated with new information to extend its reach and value. For example, a popular blog post could be transformed into an infographic, video, or podcast episode.
5. Review content distribution channels: Assess the effectiveness of your current content distribution channels, such as social media platforms, email campaigns, or guest blogging. Identify any gaps or opportunities to expand your reach and engage with your target audience more effectively.

By assessing your content’s quality, relevance, and alignment with objectives, as well as identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement, you’ll be better equipped to optimise your content marketing strategy and ensure that your content continues to provide value to your target audience.