Before you work with an agency on a brief for a content marketing piece, it may be a good idea to run a content audit so that you know the types of blogs and articles that could be successful while keeping tabs on what your rival brands are doing. Here are several quick steps you can follow to complete an audit quickly.
Mine data for insights
Your website is a treasure trove of data and statistics, all of which can be used to inform content marketing decisions. Google Analytics is a great tool for mining data such as traffic levels and most-read pages for relevant insights.
Finding out what actions visitors are taking across a site will give you a clearer idea of the types of content topics and mediums that could serve a user’s needs. Remember, exploratory research at this stage will give you a much better chance of crafting a strategy that works.
Look at competitors
Blindly following competitors is rarely a good idea, but judicious research of other brands is recommended as you will be able to see what forms of content and campaigns resonate with certain audiences. You might also be able to spot a keyword or trending topic they haven’t covered. Addressing these gaps in the market could give you the edge.
Look at social
After researching competitors, take a look at the shareability of content on social media. While likes and other vanity metrics are not a true representation of success, they will give you a quick snapshot of what’s moving the needle and making the most noise on Twitter et al.
Google Analytics will also be handy again here as you can find out the best-performing social channels by navigating to the ‘Network Referrals’ tab under ‘Social’.
Analyse previous content
If you have published content in the past, now is the time to analyse those campaigns and use the insights to support your future endeavours. Even if your previous content fell short of expectations, you can still find out exactly what went wrong. The findings could put you on the right path moving forward.
