Whether you’re preparing to dive into content marketing for the first time or are a content marketing veteran, it stands to reason that you can’t be effective if you don’t know what content you have. And I’m not talking categories here (“We have some white papers. And we have some case studies.”). I’m referring to an itemized accounting of every single piece of content — in any form — that you possess.
Failing to know what you have can cost you in a number of ways:
- You may expend unnecessary time and money recreating content that already exists.
- You may miss the opportunity to provide prospects with content that is critical to their decision making process because you didn’t know you had it.
- You may be caught off guard by prospects’ requests for content because you aren’t aware that you don’t have it.
Suffice it to say, if you aren’t completely up to speed on the assets at your disposal, you should be. And the sooner the better.
More Than Just a List
In your quest to master your content inventory, step one is to gather every piece you can find and make note of it in a spreadsheet. Every company’s method of tracking their content will be different, but ideally your spreadsheet should indicate the minimum:
- A unique identifier for each piece (alpha, numeric, or a combination)
- The name of the piece
- The persona the piece is targeting
- Its type (video, slide deck, document, web page, etc.)
- The date it was last reviewed and/or updated
- Its location
- Notes about the piece (who developed it, why it was developed, etc.)
If you get that information recorded, you’re off to a great start. But you’re not finished!
As content ages, its value may drop as information becomes outdated, its design begins to look a little tired, etc. By adding a ROT score (Redundant, Outdated, Trivial) to your spreadsheet it can give you a scale for recognizing when a piece of content needs to be updated or dismissed. If Sales comes to you and says they’re looking for some killer content to help close a deal, you want to be able to provide them the best of the best, not yesterday's news.
Of Analytics and Inventories
Which of your web pages are visited most often? Which pdf gets downloaded most frequently? Which video get the most views? For assets where that kind of measurement is possible, it’s great to add metrics to your spreadsheet as well. You may have a fondness for piece A, which involved a tremendous team effort and looks fantastic, but if your target personas are clearly more interested in piece B, that’s the one you want to emulate when it’s time to create more content.
Helping Businesses Take Stock
Performing a content audit is critical to your content marketing success. If you could use a hand with that process or with developing strategies for maximizing the value of your materials and the impact they have on your target market, we’d love to help. From our offices in Colorado Springs, CO, Olympia, WA, and Springfield, MO, we collaborate with clients nationwide. Give us a call. And sign up to receive blog posts full of insights and advice in your Inbox!
