A content strategy is an essential part of any company’s marketing plan. If you are not utilizing a content strategy for your business, then someone else will be. This post aims to help you develop a content strategy from start to finish so that you do not have to worry about the details later on in the process.
Clearly define your content goals
What do you want to achieve with the content that you put out? Those goals need to be measurable so that you will know when your strategy is working or not. The content needs to help users with the problems they are looking for answers for and increase awareness of who you are as a business.
Researching your audience
The next step is to find a suitable audience for your content. You can do this through a simple Google search or by using the Facebook Audience Insights tool. Once you have found your audience, it is time to create buyer personas for them. A persona will help you understand where your content needs improvement and what topics need to be covered within that content to meet their demands better.
Writing compelling blog posts
Once all this research has been done, it is time to write some beneficial posts for your users/audience members! There are several great tools out there, such as Hootsuite’s Blog Topic Generator, which helps to brainstorm ideas on improving current website copy. The goal here is not just creating any old piece of writing but quality articles that solve real problems for the audience members.
Scheduling blog posts in advance
When you have all of your content written, it is time to promote that content! Social media platforms are a great way to ensure others see your content and share it with their friends/networks. You can also schedule any future blogging or social media marketing posts through Hootsuite’s Content Marketing application which will help keep up with all current projects even when you are not at your computer. Content put out regularly will drive more traffic back to the website over time by keeping visitors on-site longer due to informative articles they may read while there.
Understanding where to share
What channels do I want to use? Different channels suit different businesses, depending on their size and target audience. Are you going to use Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? Try using them all! Be sure that whatever platform(s) you decide upon provide an easy way to share new blog posts across multiple platforms.
Focusing only on your niche
One of the worst things webmasters can do during their early days of content creation is focus on different niches. The primary purpose of content should be to either give information or solve a problem within your niche. In the longer term, this will establish your business website as an authority within your niche. Diverging your content during its early days can be detrimental as users might not grasp things about your business that you desperately want them to.
Focus on creating unique content
While basic and straightforward topics are crucial for new websites, you need to present them uniquely. Simply copying content from a different website won’t give users enough reason to visit your website. Try to focus on your product or service and present them uniquely to help users solve their problems.
Measure your results
How do I measure the success of my content? There are several ways to go about this, but they all depend on your audience. Some people want likes and comments, while others just need views or even website clicks. Remember that you can’t please everyone, so focus on what is essential for your business in particular! Clearly define your metrics, whether they be shares on social media or conversion rates.
Listen to your customers to improve your content strategy
Listening to your customers is a must. You will need to listen and integrate feedback from the people who matter most, usually, those who have purchased products/services from you before or engaged with content previously on your website. Look through the comments of blog posts, for example! This allows you to create more of what they want rather than throwing out random bits of content all over the place so that you can say that it exists.
Be consistent
While content creation is essential, it should be done consistently. Never stop creating new posts for the sake of doing so, as this can cause an audience drop-off rate that you do not want. Keep up with posting regularly, and never let anyone tell you otherwise! A good idea would be planning out future blog posts far before they are put into action, so there aren’t any hiccups during the process if possible.
The content strategy is an essential but often overlooked piece of any marketing plan. It’s the blueprint for how your company will develop and present its messaging to customers so that you can build customer loyalty to drive sales. A comprehensive content strategy should include all aspects of your business, including pricing, packaging, distribution channels, promotions, product development plans, and more. And while novelty and innovation should be at the heart of your content creation process, everything you do should be for the longer term.
