How can you use content audits to improve your thought leadership?

KPIs can differ based on your overall goals. A high amount of impressions may not matter if your goal is to increase visits to your website. Some research on overall platform benchmarks and even further digging into your competitors averages can give you some indication of goals you should be striving for.

Think about these things things; what are you good at, what are you passionate about and what did you want to be known/famous for. The answers to those will likely form the basis of your goals and objectives. When it comes to metrics, consider all the possibilities.. from the basic measurement of likes, shares, comments and follows, all the way up to being known for specific topics within your area of expertise. For you, success might mean sales, it might mean event invites or speaker opportunities offering, or it could mean being recognised in your field as a go-to voice for insight. Or all of them!

You've got to ask yourself...what metrics are you trying to improve? What do you want to measure? Likes? Comments? Clicks/shares? Don't just focus on all at the same time

Setting clear goals and metrics is a foundational step in any content audit. It not only provides direction to the process but also enables you to measure success effectively. Identifying specific objectives, whether it's boosting traffic, increasing conversions, enhancing engagement, or building reputation, allows for a targeted approach. Key performance indicators like rankings, clicks, shares, comments, or testimonials serve as valuable benchmarks to gauge the impact of your efforts. My opinion is that this strategic approach ensures that your content audit aligns with overarching business objectives, making it a more purposeful and results-driven.

Content audits can allow you to find the content that you can best create to serve both your audience and the objective you have. By looking at your content, that of your competitors or peers as well as what your audience is talking about you can see what is working well, what is not working so well and where the grey space is that you could potentially position yourself into.

You won't get good results on social media if you put out mediocre content. Trust me on this. You have to make sure your content game is A++ This is the best way to start winning quickly

In my experience, decision-makers often hastily conclude that content with low traffic during a specific time frame is underperforming and should be removed. However, it's important to consider other factors such as the possibility of insufficient on-page optimization or accessibility issues for both search engines and users. It's crucial to investigate these aspects before deciding to remove content that appears to be performing poorly. This thorough approach ensures that potentially valuable content isn't discarded prematurely.

The content audit has revealed crucial gaps and opportunities to enhance our thought leadership. We must better explain key concepts, provide timely emerging issue analysis, and produce content on related peripheral topics to showcase our expertise breadth. Strategically prioritizing production to close these gaps will help us cement our position as trusted advisors by forming stronger mindshare connections across our client and community base.

Use both quantitative and qualitative data to make decisions. Data from your SEO and social teams can let you know how much traffic the content is driving or how it’s being engaged with, but prompting users for a thumbs up or down, leaving a comment section open, or monitoring social media sentiment can give you valuable qualitative feedback to inform your content roadmap.

Look beyond your own industry or category. While monitoring direct competitors and industry peers has value, a myopic focus can limit your creativity and hinder innovation. Seek inspiration from diverse sources and infuse fresh perspectives and unique ideas into your thought leadership approach, setting yourself apart in a crowded landscape where your competition for attention transcends industry.

Content audits allow for what we call competitor analysis. This means evaluating what key players in your industry are doing in terms of content and what you can learn or unlearn from them.