2022, we have expanded our service portfolio and, in addition to the production and distribution of native advertising campaigns, offer some additional services related to content marketing. One of them is the content audit.
Who needs a content audit?
From the customer’s point of view, the initial situation before a content audit can be compared to a well-stocked closet: You look inside, wear mostly the same pieces, often have a poor overview of the rest of your wardrobe, and have a hard time thinking about what you could actually wear differently. And that’s despite the fact that the outfits of others always seem fresh, creative and varied.
3 scenarios can be the starting points for booking a content audit:
- You don’t have a good overview of your own pool of content – which may have grown over the years – you are looking for structure and would like to have analyzed which topics and formats you actually already cover, how potential target groups might perceive this content, and so on.
- You want to compare your own content with the content of the competition and find out where there is currently a need to catch up (thematically or in the preparation).
- You want to compare your own content with the content of your competitors and find out which topics are not yet covered by anyone (or not in a certain form) in order to tap into completely new potential.
Applied to our business, we can say that content audits can be useful for anyone who does content marketing – with the aim of creating content not just for the sake of it, but also to pursue a clear strategy with it.
This is how the content audit works
Step #1: Everything starts with a briefing session in which we get an overview of the initial situation and the available material and discuss the customer’s overall goal.
Step #2: Now it’s time to capture the content. What this content is, is determined by the customer. The customers provide us with lists of links (to company websites, blogs, social media, etc.) or concrete text documents as a basis. Ideally, we also receive reports or analytics data on the content.
Step #3: Now it’s time to review the content – using a systematic catalog of questions that we have defined in advance in consultation with the customer. We examine the content on a content, thematic and design level and record both individual findings and emerging patterns.
Step #3a: Depending on the objective of the audit, Step #3 is now possibly also implemented for the competition in order to be able to make comparisons.
Step #4: The evaluation of the results follows. The key takeaways and recommendations for action are summarized in a document for the customers.
Step #5: The most important learnings and recommendations are discussed with the customers in a joint meeting.
What can’t a content audit accomplish?
Everything at the same time. As with pretty much everything that has to do with (well-functioning) content, the content audit must also start from a clear question or a clear goal. So: do I want a stand-alone analysis of my existing content? Do I want to know my need to catch up with the competition? Or do I want to know which topics I can completely revamp? Only if it is defined in advance what I want, can I get satisfactory answers with a content audit.
What our customers say about content audits
… is the greatest praise for us. Because the phrase “putting your finger in the wound” could probably be used synonymously for conducting a content audit. Why? Because the results of an audit hold up a direct mirror and make many a “construction site” visible.
And the best thing about it is that our recommendations for action give you the tools you need to eliminate these construction sites – with our help in terms of content creation and editorial plans. So, are you ready to explore your existing content potential?