The Consulting Firm's End-of-Year Thought Leadership Audit

I’m willing to bet your content strategy in 2020 was “Figure it out as we go,” and that’s perfectly okay. Content leaders at management consulting firms have been scrambling to publish articles, white papers, e-books, and other thought leadership to help guide their clients through a bumpy year.

We don’t know what to expect in the coming year, but you can still look back on your efforts, learn from the results, and decide what you want to bring into 2021—and what you want to leave behind.

Here are some questions to ask in your thought leadership audit:

• What risks did you take with content in 2020?

Companies had to pivot quickly, publishing content in response to the pandemic, social issues, and more. What did you try that was off-script, and how did it go? Would you do it again?

• What performed well, and why?

Pull your best-performing thought leadership and look into what worked. Did it have a really clear CTA? A great headline? Was it a digestible length? Or maybe it was relevant advice that hit your audience at exactly the right time.

• What didn’t perform well, and why?

Pull your lowest-performing pieces and break down what didn’t work. Maybe you didn’t optimize it for SEO, or didn’t promote it widely enough. Maybe it got lost during a week with an especially active news cycle. Maybe it had too many calls-to-action and the audience got overwhelmed. Be humble and honest in your investigation.

• What questions are your clients asking you?

Poll your SMEs and put together a list of what clients have asked them this year. Do you have thought leadership that answers those questions? Use the relevant but unanswered questions to start building out your 2021 content calendar.

• Is SEO a priority?

Many consulting firms still aren’t doing keyword research and optimizing thought leadership content. Google search is still one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website, and if you’re not ranking for keywords related to your top offerings, you’re missing out. The new year is a great time to sell the importance of SEO to your stakeholders.

• Is your content calendar flexible?

Next year is sure to have more surprises in store. Make a plan, but not further out than the first quarter. Make sure to communicate to your team, including contractors, that it’s subject to change—and empower them to speak up with last-minute ideas.

• Are you using content for sales?

Thought leadership is a powerful tool for consulting sales teams, especially now that all their work gets done virtually. What’s your process for getting published content into the hands of the people responsible for new business, as well as growing business with existing clients?

• Are you doing videos or podcasts?

There are many creative ways to share thought leadership beyond just writing. And the bar for production value is relatively low, now that many people are making video and audio content at home. SMEs and leaders can record themselves talking about an industry trend, a problem they recently solved for a client… The opportunities are endless.

• Are you using your contractors as a resource beyond writing?

Contractors who specialize in your industry will likely have access to a wider conversation than what’s happening internally at your company. Ask them about trends they’re seeing and recommendations they have for you.

• Are you equipped for growth?

As a freelancer, I’ve seen the demand for content in the consulting industry skyrocket this year, and it shows no signs of slowing down. If your internal team reaches capacity, do you have a plan in place? This is a good time to start networking with some contractors.

Are you looking for a thought leadership writer who specializes in management consulting? Get in touch.