Scorecard
| How to Use this Scorecard |
|---|
| Read each statement and consider whether it applies to your product/company. |
If the statement applies, select "Yes".
If the statement does not apply, select "No".
After answering all statements, look at the Results tab. Your responses will be summed in the Your Score column. Look at the adjacent SEO/virality/UGC table to find out which strategy best aligns with your answers.
Note: Many companies can find success with more than one content marketing strategy, not just exclusively one. Our scorecard is designed to help you identify which strategy may have the most potential. |
| Content Marketing Scorecard | |
|---|---|
| Search Interest | Yes/No |
| People frequently look up product reviews in your industry and/or spend a long time researching their options before making a purchase. |
Example: Project management platforms, nutritional supplements, personal electronics | | | Your niche/the problem you solve is relatively complex. Users often have many questions.
Example: Many people new to digital marketing search for SEO guides and tutorials. | | | There is a high search volume (>1,000) for your main target keywords. | | | Product Shareability | | | Your product can be easily photographed or recorded in action.
Example: GoPro, Airbnb | | | Your product has a unique design or appearance.
Example: PillowCube's square-shaped pillows | | | Your product is very innovative—there aren't many competitors doing the same thing.
Example: Pair Eyewear, Squatty Potty, Acorns | | | User Content | | | Your product can be used to create content.
Example: People make GIFs and games with Giphy. People create playlists on Spotify. People record videos on Loom. | | | Users actively post images, reviews, or testimonials about your product online.
Example: People share photos of their Warby Parker frames on Instagram. Students and teachers share finished Skillshare projects on personal blogs. | | | A community exists for your users. This may be one you've created or users have organically created.
Example: Hosts on Airbnb have regional Facebook groups to connect with other hosts. There are also Instant Pot groups on Facebook for users to share recipes. | | | Data and Research | | | Your company conducts industry research.
Example: Salesforce researches both B2B and B2C companies in a variety of industries. | | | Your company has in-house data scientists or researchers. | | | Your company has exclusive proprietary data.
Example: Zillow has real estate data about every property listing created on its platform. Uber has data about all of the trips taken using its rideshare service. | | | Emotional Appeal | | | Your brand has a compelling or socially conscious mission.
Example: Who Gives a Crap donates 50% of profits to health initiatives. | | | Customers have a strong sense of brand loyalty to your company or product.
Example: Apple, Nike, Lululemon, Starbucks | | | Your product can have a big emotional impact on users.
Example: Headspace eases user's stress and anxiety. 23andMe reveals details about people's health, background, and genealogy. | | | Thought Leadership | | | There are well-known or established experts in your industry.
Example: Brian Dean is known as an SEO expert. | | | You have a company figurehead—someone knowledgeable about your industry and who publicly represents your brand. Alternatively, someone on your team is willing to be a company figurehead.
Example: Tim Soulo is the figurehead for Ahrefs. | | | Your team has in-house experts that can educate others about your industry. | |
Results
| We've added up your Scorecard answers for each category under Your Score (column D). Look at the reference table on the right to see which content marketing strategy best aligns with your business. | Results – Reference Table | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | High | Your Score | SEO | Virality | UGC | |||
| Search Interest | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0 | Search Interest | High | Low | Low | |
| Product Shareability | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0 | Product Shareability | Low | High | High | |
| User Content | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0 | User Content | Low | High | High | |
| Data and Research | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0 | Data and Research | High | High | Low | |
| Emotional Appeal | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0 | Emotional Appeal | Low | High | High | |
| Thought Leadership | 0-1 | 2-3 | 0 | Thought Leadership | High | High | Low |