CENTERLINE DIGITALSTRATEGY, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY FOR CONTENT MARKETING

THE 40 MOST IMPORTANT CONTENT MARKETING QUESTIONSA competency scoresheet

How to determine Content Marketing competenceOver the years, we have collected strong questions that our clients have asked us about what they need content marketing to do for them. They were rightfully curious about what it was, why their leadership was asking them to do it and how we, as a Content Marketing agency could help them accomplish their goals in a manageable, predictable manner.

From that list, we have compiled this scoring sheet that anyone can use to gauge your Content Marketing partner’s capabilities and competence. Our goal was simply to give you a starting-point to begin thinking about what you want content marketing to do for your organization. At the very least, you’ll have a good basis for starting the discussion. You can use this list to broach topics with your current partner, use it to interview new potential partners or simply use it to understand what Content Marketing agencies are up to.

Scoring is simple and is based on scale of your confidence.1= “There’s no way.”2= “I’m not feeling very confident.”3= “Maybe passable”4= “Sounds like they get it.”5= “I want them on my team.”

Once you’ve added up your scores you’ll have a much clearer idea of how you or the agency scored in your eyes. Of course, keep in mind, this is not exact and is entirely subjective. Again, the key is to develop a basis for discussion so that you can learn more about the agency’s offering and learn a lot in the process.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Centerline Digital is a Content Marketing agency and while we developed this list with our clients, we had ourselves graded and out of a perfect possible score of 200, we scored a 164. We all have something to strive for, right?!

Area of Concern Score 1-5

Notes

1. Understands what content marketing is and is able to articulate

its fundamental properties. Understands how it differs from

conventional marketing.

2. Understands what content marketing can do for your

company/brand and they’ve invested in learning about how it

can benefit you specifically—not generically.

3. Understands, envisions and can articulate how your company’s

content marketing lifecycle should function.

4. Can help you learn how to capture all of the benefits of content

marketing.

5. Can help you learn why the most important key best practices

are relevant to you.

6. Has shown you how to forecast its costs across the organization

and best approaches to get it funded initially and how to budget

for it over a long horizon.

7. Can help you parse through the bullshit and seize on the things

that matter to you—specifically.

8. Can show you smart ideas how to make it fit into your

company’s culture. (When Content Marketing is new to your

organization, it’s like transplanting an organ!) Not easy.

Area of Concern Score 1-5

Notes

9. Can show you how to make it fit into your existing marketing

operations framework.

10. Can show you how their role as your Content Marketing

partner can play nicely—collaboratively, with your other INTERNAL

marketing functions.

11. Can show you how their role as your Content Marketing

partner can play nicely—collaboratively with other EXTERNAL

agencies.

12. Has demonstrated the importance of project management

(Client and agency-side) in a successful content marketing

lifecycle.

13. Understands and has articulated what it will mean to your

company specifically to create and sustain a culture of publishing

and journalism.

14. Can speak comfortably about the process of creating your

“best-fit” content marketing strategy. (Extra points if they can

show you what they have created for other organizations.

15. Can articulate why and demonstrate how to create a detailed

editorial calendar that works—well.

16. Can help you learn the different types of content to create

under specific circumstances before they create it. (Extra points if

they have strategy and design execution under one roof.)

Area of Concern Score 1-5

Notes

17. Knows why and how to create iterative, ongoing operational

and process standards that make content marketing work inside

your organization.

18. Knows why and how you need to align your Content

Marketing strategy with other digital and enterprise strategies.

(Extra points if they can demonstrate relevant past experience.

19. Is knowledgeable about how to achieve ongoing cost-savings

and content production gains.

20. Understands the role of search (including local) on content

marketing and visa versa.

21. Understands and can articulate the role of marketing

automation (i.e., Marketo) on content marketing.

22. Is knowledgeable about and capable of integrating your

content marketing into your content management system.

23. Is knowledgeable about and capable of integrating your

content marketing into your CRM system.

24. Is knowledgeable about and capable of integrating your

content marketing into your digital asset management system.

Area of Concern Score 1-5

Notes

25. Is knowledgeable about and capable of integrating your

content marketing into your organization’s mobile content

platforms.

26. Is capable of designing and creating content for the mobile

facets of your overall content marketing mix.

27. Knows the importance of mobile content delivery/ asset

activation or proliferation (i.e., getting your content in front of the

right people of influence at the right time and in the right place.)

28. Is knowledgeable about and capable of integrating your

social media and other social marketing initiatives into a larger

content marketing program.

29. Is able to articulate how content marketing fits in with your

organization’s digital commerce.

30. Is able to articulate how content marketing interleaves with

analytics and conversion strategies. (Extra points if they can

demonstrate similar past experience.)

31. Agency is knowledgeable about and capable of extending

your content marketing for global consumption.

32. Understands the power of video and animation in content

marketing and is able to make it happen. (Extra points if they have

this capability in house.)

Area of Concern Score 1-5

Notes

33. Is passionate and articulate about the importance of multi-

channel content marketing integration.

34. Understands the principles of and methods to cycle your

organization’s content marketing through a continuous

improvement process. (plan>create>activate>measure>repeat)

35. Understands why and how to mature and accelerate your

content marketing efforts with your executive suite by helping you

build the consensus that gets this (and keeps it) under way.

36. Is knowledgeable about how to achieve measurable gains in

the content marketing team’s performance and agility.

37. Is able to demonstrate how to make content marketing

achieve customer relevance at scale.

38. Is able to demonstrate how to mature your company’s

content marketing governance model over the long term without

alienating anyone.

39. Is capable of helping you benchmark your organization’s

content marketing performance. They need to show you how it

gets measured and thus continuously funded.

40. Is prepared to show you how to set a customized plan to scale

or grow content marketing based on its success within your

organization.

Scoring the Content Marketing partnership

< 40 – They are not for you. Wish them the best and show them the door.

41-80 – You’re not very confident in this partnership. They have some ideas and are probably pretty likable but their lack of experience and operational effectiveness will likely leave you frustrated and in the dark.

81-120 – This is where a bulk of Content Marketing agencies will land. You may score an agency you love in this range. Keep in mind level of experience for the issues and concerns you feel are most critical to your organization and weight them disproportionately if you end up with three agencies in this range.

121-160 – In this range, the partnership is probably a good bet. They’ll have more experience and will likely be able to help you with ease.

161-200 – They’re masters. They’re probably expensive as a result. While you have a very competent partnership here, your greatest challenge may be in negotiating their contract.

centerline.netQuestionnaire written by Steven Keith, Sr. Business Strategist at Centerline Digital in Raleigh NC.

If you have any questions or want to chat, please contact Steven directly.

steven@centerline.net

(919) 771-5219

@stevenkeith