What Is a Content Marketing Framework? 

A content marketing framework is a planning tool to help your organization focus and optimize its content marketing efforts to achieve the greatest success. A framework helps you understand where you are, where you’re going, and how to get there. It brings order to chaos and helps organizations avoid random acts of content. As a deliverable, it typically includes findings on your current state—such as a content audit and competitive and category reviews of other brands’ content—and a path forward to meet your goals with recommended channels and content programs. 

Think of a content marketing framework as a more structured and actionable version of a content marketing strategy. It not only defines a strategy; it serves as a guide to implement that strategy. Teams can continue to reference it over time, laying the foundation for more focused content marketing programs and campaigns. 

How to Create a Content Marketing Framework 

Approaches to creating a framework can vary widely. At Tendo, findings and recommendations are developed via four separate workstreams: current state analysis, content audit, competitive review, and stakeholder interviews. 

A content marketing framework can include the following elements, depending on your needs and objectives: 

• Content audit (a qualitative and quantitative assessment of your existing content) 
• Competitive review (an assessment of your competitors’ content and its strengths and weaknesses) 
• Review of positioning, messaging, and competitive framing 
• Recommended big-picture priorities, best practices, and quick wins 
• Recommended content themes, topics, types, and channels, as well as promotional tactics and metrics 
• Recommended content programs targeted to personas or journey stages 
• Content creation process mapping and editorial calendars 

Why It Is Essential for B2B Marketing 

Organizations without a framework are much more likely to create random acts of content that lack a consistent focus on audience and goals. With a framework in place, organizations can deliver a more strategic, cohesive content experience that engages prospects and customers at every stage of their journey. In the long term, it helps marketing teams achieve their goals faster and save money by focusing budget on the most impactful content marketing programs.