A universally acknowledged truth in marketing is that well-crafted content serves as one of the most effective ways to capture and maintain the attention of your target audience. However, it is equally true, as confirmed by research, that nearly half of all content produced goes unused in today’s relentless information overload. Hence, identifying whether your brand’s content performs its intended function can be challenging. While metrics offer some insight, they don’t provide the complete picture. Enter the content scorecard, an essential tool that combines both qualitative and quantitative assessments to comprehensively evaluate your content’s effectiveness.
Establish Quantitative Content Scoring Sheets
To establish quantitative content scoring sheets, you first need to identify key performance metrics that align with the purpose of each piece of content. This requires understanding the specific job a content asset is designed to perform. For example, the objective of a landing page is often to direct users to a more comprehensive content piece or product, so a long dwell time might indicate inefficiency. Conversely, extensive time spent on an article or white paper typically signals strong user engagement. Metrics to consider include aspects like exposure (content views, impressions, backlinks), engagement (time on page, clicks, ratings, comments), conversion (purchases, registrations for gated content, return visits), and redistribution (shares, pins).
After pinpointing these metrics, the next step is to determine benchmarks. Benchmarks can be based on industry standards, internal benchmarks within your organization, or a blend of both. For general user behavior, sources like the Nielsen Norman Group provide useful starting points. Additionally, tools for social media and email marketing often include industry-specific engagement benchmarks. Reviewing your organization’s marketing history also offers a comparative basis for evaluating new content against previously published assets.
With metrics and benchmarks in hand, create a scoring chart using a 1-to-5 scale for each metric. This scale facilitates the comparison of content assets with varying goals by enabling the identification of high, average, and low performers. Develop two worksheets: one labeled “quantitative benchmarks” to serve as a reference chart for scoring, and another labeled “quantitative analysis” for the actual scoring process. In the “quantitative analysis” worksheet, list each content piece along with its URL, topic, and type, followed by its scores for each quantitative metric.
Implement Qualitative Evaluation Sheets
Quantitative data alone doesn’t always tell the full story of a content asset’s effectiveness, which is why incorporating qualitative criteria is essential. Evaluating qualitative aspects can reveal hidden value in content that might be underperforming quantitatively but holds significant potential. Qualitative criteria to consider include consistency with brand voice, clarity and accuracy, discoverability, engagement techniques, relevance to the target audience, and authenticity, especially in light of the increasing use of generative AI.
Formulate yes-no questions for each qualitative criterion to standardize the evaluation process. This method allows for simple, objective scoring: one point for each affirmative answer. Calculate the average score for each criterion by dividing the number of yes responses by the total number of questions within that category. For instance, in assessing clarity and accuracy, you might ask: “Is the content understandable to all user types?” and “Does it use appropriate language?” with each yes answer contributing to the score.
Create worksheets specifically for these qualitative evaluations. Label one as “qualitative questions” and include columns for content URL, topic, and type. Add columns for each qualitative category and its corresponding questions. Then, create another worksheet named “qualitative analysis” to consolidate average scores for each category. This allows for easy visualization of qualitative scores across different content assets.
Integrate Data into a Unified Scorecard
Once you have gathered both quantitative and qualitative scores, the next step is to integrate this data into a unified content scorecard. This consolidation offers a holistic view of each content asset, enabling more informed decision-making.
In your unified scorecard spreadsheet, list each content asset along with its corresponding quantitative and qualitative scores. By placing these scores side-by-side, you create an easy comparison system that highlights areas of strength and potential improvement. For instance, if a content asset has a high qualitative score but a low quantitative score, it suggests that the content is fundamentally strong but may need better distribution or optimization. Conversely, a high quantitative score and a low qualitative score indicate areas where the content could be enhanced to better align with user needs and expectations.
Based on the combination of scores, you can infer specific actions for each piece of content. Content with high scores in both areas should be promoted and repurposed whenever possible, making it a staple in your content strategy. Content scoring low on both scales should be retired or significantly revised to align better with your audience’s interests and industry standards. For content with mixed scores, analyze the lower-scoring dimension to identify opportunities for improvement, whether through better distribution strategies, content rewrites, or additional data-backed research.
Utilize AI to Generate Preliminary Scores
Artificial intelligence can expedite the content scoring process by providing preliminary evaluations based on learned patterns. Start by training an AI tool with a sample set of content that has already been scored manually. This involves showing the AI examples of content along with their respective quantitative and qualitative scores, allowing the machine to identify patterns and formulate an initial scoring logic.
Once the AI has been trained, you can prompt it to score additional similar content, effectively extending your evaluation capabilities. However, it’s crucial to validate these AI-generated scores with human expertise to ensure their accuracy. The AI can serve as a preliminary screening tool, highlighting content pieces that warrant further human review. This combination of AI efficiency and human expertise can significantly enhance your content auditing process, saving time and focusing human efforts where they are most needed.
Launch Content Scoring Process
It is a universally recognized fact in marketing that well-crafted content is one of the most effective ways to capture and keep the attention of your target audience. However, research shows that almost half of the content produced today remains unused, largely due to the overwhelming amount of information available. This makes determining whether your brand’s content is hitting its mark a daunting task. Metrics can offer some insights, but they often fail to paint the full picture.
This is where a content scorecard comes in. A content scorecard is an invaluable tool that provides a comprehensive evaluation of your content’s effectiveness. Unlike traditional metrics that mainly focus on quantitative data like views and clicks, a content scorecard incorporates both qualitative and quantitative assessments. This dual approach helps you understand not just how many people are engaging with your content, but also the quality of that engagement.
In addition to tracking metrics like page views, social shares, and conversion rates, a content scorecard evaluates qualitative factors such as relevance, engagement, and user feedback. By merging these two types of assessments, you can gain a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t, offering data-driven insights to refine your content strategy. In today’s cluttered digital world, having a robust method to evaluate your content’s performance is not just beneficial—it’s essential for sustained success.