How do you find and fix weak spots in your online content?

A content strategy framework serves as a valuable roadmap for content creators and marketers. It provides structure and direction to your efforts, helping you create content that resonates with your audience and drives desired outcomes. Selecting the right framework, whether it's the Content Marketing Institute's model or another, depends on your specific objectives and target audience. It's a dynamic tool that evolves alongside your content strategy, enabling you to adapt and refine your approach as you learn more about what works best for your brand and audience.

Crafting a content strategy framework is akin to building a sturdy bridge—connecting purpose, audience, and channels seamlessly. Choose a model like CMI's or the 7 Cs, aligning content with objectives and anticipating audience needs. It's not just about fixing weak spots; it's about fortifying your content fortress, ensuring relevance, usefulness, and consistency in every step of the journey.

Before you even begin building your content strategy framework is a great time to review and reassess your organizational--or personal--mission statement as it relates to how your content stands right now. What message would you say your content sends to audiences as is? Compare that to what you THINK your content should be like and what you WANT it to be like. Do these ideas and messages align, or is it time to consider that perhaps your direction has been organically changing and evolving? There is not always a need to reinvent the wheel ans start from scratch--take stock in your current work and use it to inform/shape your goals, intentions, mission statement and framework design moving forward.

While a structure provides guidance, true value emerges from curiosity, not rigidity. Consider your framework an living document, adapting based on what resonates rather than predetermined notions. Listen to varied stakeholder insights before defining goals or personas. Explore diverse viewpoints through an open mind, uncovering nuances your initial framework overlooked. Iterative learning fuels relevance - question assumptions and continually reevaluate needs through flexible observation.

A content audit is an essential step in optimizing your content strategy. It provides you with valuable insights into what's working and what needs improvement in your content portfolio. By leveraging tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, or Screaming Frog, you can gain a comprehensive view of your content's performance. This data-driven approach allows you to make informed decisions about content retention, updates, or deletions. Ultimately, a well-executed content audit empowers you to align your content efforts more closely with your goals and audience preferences, resulting in a more effective content strategy.

Once you understand what your overall goals and mission statement are, then you can approach your content audit. As you do so, keep in mind that not every analytic tool and review strategy suits the need of every person, profession, or organization. Be sure to test with curiosity and consider how the metrics you unearth apply (or don't apply) to your overall goals. This is a great opportunity to network and reach out to peers: connect with those whose work you admire or wish to emulate, and inquire about what QA tools they use to meet their content needs and targets. While reviewing, take note of how these tools can be used throughout your content build-out process and help you better align your ideas and your products.

Conducting a content audit is like shining a spotlight on your digital library—revealing strengths, weaknesses, and untapped potential. Tools like Google Analytics unveil insights, guiding decisions on content retention, updates, or creation. It's a strategic compass, ensuring your content journey aligns seamlessly with goals and audience expectations for a robust online presence.

Look beyond metrics to qualitative human experiences. Interview readers regarding how content made them feel, think or act. Consider undetected biases limiting understanding of marginalized groups. Audit for respectful representation and accessibility. While data informs, prioritize diverse lived experiences when identifying strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. With compassion, acknowledge how content impacts well-being rather than solely conversions. Continuous learning uplifts all.

Utilizing the 5 Ws and 1 H in content creation is akin to laying a sturdy foundation. It ensures clarity, relevance, and engagement by addressing audience needs and context effectively. By answering these questions, content resonates authentically, delivering value and guiding desired actions—a roadmap for impactful storytelling in the digital realm.

The 5 Ws and 1 H framework is a versatile tool that can significantly enhance your content creation process. By addressing these fundamental questions, you ensure that your content aligns with your audience's needs and preferences. You clarify your message and its value, helping you stand out in a crowded digital landscape. Timing and context become strategic considerations, and you have a clear sense of purpose and objectives. Finally, understanding the "how" equips you to choose the most effective delivery methods and call-to-actions. Overall, the 5 Ws and 1 H provide a structured approach to creating content that resonates with your target audience and achieves your goals.

While thorough fact-finding, recognize information alone doesn’t motivate. Convey why the message inspires action through your own conviction. Ask not just what audiences want, but what uplifts their humanity. When crafting where and how, envision bringing divided worlds closer through empathetic delivery. Consider too whose voices have been excluded and how content could empower more full participation. Truth and trust emerge from answering “why” with passion for higher purposes beyond predefined goals.

Look beyond formulas to understand diverse needs. Solicit input from people with varied abilities regarding respectful design choices. While simplifying for broad understanding, avoid diminishing through over-simplification. Consider too how artful expression engages and enlightens. Test not just comprehension but emotional resonance through well-told narratives. Accessibility enables rather than limits when guided by empathy, valuing each person’s potential to contribute in their own way.

Discern feedback’s intent before reacting. Respond to criticism with curiosity, seeking to understand rather than defend predetermined views. Value respectful process over solitary output. Test not just engagement metrics but also undetected biases limiting understanding. Prioritize co-creation through diverse partnerships. Iterative learning then inspires progress for all when guided by compassion for humanity in its full richness. Effectiveness emerges from continual reconsidering with open minds and hearts.

I've found that talking to your customer facing teams is a great insight into the content of your website. By asking the questions "what are the most common questions people call with?" "What are the common complaints?" "Do you tell the customer they can do or find this on the website? If yes what's their response?" If customers are calling to ask things that are on the website it's a great indication that it's in need of some work! Also adding the functionality of quick voting buttons at the bottom of the page or on the exit of the page will give customers a way to quickly tell you if this page is helping people.

Experiment and A/B Testing: Test variations of your content. Try different headlines, formats, visuals, or calls-to-action (CTAs) to see what resonates better with your audience. A/B testing can provide valuable insights into what works best.