Creating breakthrough content doesn't come easy. Follow our Pre-Content Audit Checklist to set the stage for greatness.

Ready to up the ante on your content marketing initiatives? Maybe your current content is delivering sub-par results, you aren't sure how to measure your content's return on investment or you're revamping your brand and need to ensure that the new messaging carries across all of your assets.

Whatever the reason, creating breakthrough content is important to your marketing strategy, and begins with a comprehensive look at your existing content and strategy. This checklist will help you get started.

1. COME TOGETHER.

Come to a consensus as to who will lead and communicate the audit process internally. If needed, get buy-in and any access approval from C-Suite.

2. SET YOUR GOALS.

Determine the "why" of the audit. Some options are:

• General inventory
• Analyzing and comparing content themes
• Content mapping/collaborative filtering
• Improving your content’s depth engagement

3. MAKE AN INVENTORY.

Gather all available assets, who built them, and how they were used.

Assets can include:

• White papers
• Webcasts
• Social Feeds
• Web Pages
• Sales enablement materials
• Marketing materials

And sources can include:

• Marketing
• Field marketing
• Sales
• Corporate
• Media partners
• Analyst relations
• Social Media Team
• Advertising/PR agencies
• Research department
• Web development team
• Online community managers

4. DETERMINE THE DEPTH OF THE AUDIT.

An audit can involve observations and analysis on several different aspects of your content. Select the ones you’re interested in to direct your audit.

• Superficial taxonomies and demographics
• Aligning messaging with customer research
• Gap analysis: determining what’s missing
• Audience insights, e.g., purchase stages and personas
• Alignment of assets with corporate marketing messages

5. PICK YOUR BENCHMARKS.

Think about which independent measurements you can use to determine content quality, positioning and alignment with purchase cycle and personas. These measurements can include:

• Views, likes and shares on social media
• Conversion and click-through rates
• Audience engagement
• Monetary contribution to a sale

6. SET A BUDGET.

Determine what internal/external resources and budget will be required to conduct this audit in the scope and depth necessary.

7. EVALUATE YOUR CAPABILITIES AND CREDIBILITY.

Interview reputabel and independent content audit partners to determine whether it would be better to build or buy the auditing architecture and deployment. Determine whether the audit partner has the ability to create, refresh, realign and map the content asset library based on the results. Additionally, whether the audit partner also has the ability to deliver on the promise of higher leads based on the audit, gap analysis and prescriptive content recommendation process.

Time to Re-Think Your Approach?

Having fresh, up-to-date, and effective content is a priority for any business, especially if you have a big event coming up. If completing the content audit checklist revealed that you need to adjust your content strategy, we can help. HIMSS Media Lab takes a scientific approach to content marketing, so we can help you determine the right strategy and solution for your team. Contact us to learn more.