How do you manage and update your content assets and resources?

1 Define your content goals and standards

Before you start creating or updating content, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how you want to measure it. This means defining your content goals, such as increasing awareness, engagement, conversion, or retention, and aligning them with your business objectives and audience needs. You also need to establish your content standards, such as tone, voice, style, format, and accessibility, and document them in a content style guide that everyone can follow.

2 Audit and inventory your existing content

To manage and update your content effectively, you need to know what you have, where it is, and how it performs. This means conducting a content audit and inventory, which are systematic processes of reviewing and evaluating your current content assets and resources. A content audit helps you identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your content, as well as the gaps and overlaps that need to be addressed. A content inventory helps you organize and catalog your content, as well as the metadata, attributes, and dependencies that describe it.

3 Implement a content management system

A content management system (CMS) is a software platform that allows you to create, store, edit, publish, and manage your content assets and resources. A CMS can help you streamline your content workflows, improve your collaboration and communication, enforce your content standards and policies, and optimize your content performance and quality. There are many types of CMS available, such as web CMS, enterprise CMS, headless CMS, or hybrid CMS, depending on your needs and preferences.

4 Use a content calendar and a content roadmap

A content calendar and a content roadmap are two essential tools for planning and scheduling your content creation and update activities. A content calendar helps you organize and visualize your content tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities, as well as the channels, formats, and audiences for your content. A content roadmap helps you align your content strategy with your long-term vision and goals, as well as the milestones, resources, and dependencies for your content projects. Both tools can help you prioritize your content efforts, avoid duplication or confusion, and ensure consistency and coherence.

5 Monitor and measure your content performance

To manage and update your content effectively, you need to track and analyze how your content is performing against your goals and expectations. This means using various metrics and indicators, such as traffic, engagement, conversion, retention, or satisfaction, to measure your content impact and value. You also need to use various tools and methods, such as analytics, feedback, testing, or surveys, to collect and interpret your data and insights. By monitoring and measuring your content performance, you can identify what works and what doesn't, and make informed decisions on how to improve or update your content.

6 Review and update your content regularly

Content is not a one-time project, but an ongoing process that requires constant review and update. This means evaluating your content assets and resources periodically, based on your content goals, standards, and performance, and making the necessary changes or enhancements. You also need to establish a content lifecycle and a content governance framework that define the roles, responsibilities, and rules for creating, updating, and deleting content. By reviewing and updating your content regularly, you can ensure that your content is relevant, accurate, fresh, and useful.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?