Creating a content marketing strategy is important for any business that wants to be successful. But developing a great strategy is actually easier said than done. A lot of thought must be put into the process, which can take some time. Losing this valuable time could actually cause some problems for businesses who need to spend it in other places.
Luckily, there are quite a few tips that are out there that can help you build a strong content marketing strategy easily and effectively. To help get you started, we have gathered some of the top tips available so that you can create the strongest content marketing strategy possible.
Know the Difference
The first thing you must do when you are creating your content marketing strategy is to understand that there is a difference between a content strategy and a content marketing strategy. Many businesses make the mistake of only focusing on one or the other, but you actually need to create a strategy for both segments of your business.
A content strategy is the strategy you will create when you are looking to determine what type of content you will be placing on your website. On the other hand, you will also want to develop a content marketing strategy in order to determine exactly what message your company wants to share. This is the story that you want to get out there about your company.
You can look at it as your big picture and your content as the small details you plan to build your big picture. When you are developing this type of strategy, you can do so by following the steps below. They will help you complete your strategy the right way.
Step 1: Determine your Objective
Start by sitting down and deciding exactly what you are trying to do. Are you trying to get more sales? Generate leads? Improve how people view your company. Answering this question is important because it will determine how you proceed with your strategy development.
Step 2: Understand your Company
Next, you will want to spend quite a bit of time learning about your own company. Know how the company works and how the customers already view it. You should also take some time to determine what the company is doing right and what could use some work.
Also, review your products and services. Which ones bring in the most revenue and generate the most interest? Who are your customers and where do they come from? What are you currently doing to attract customers? Understanding this information will help drive you forward so that you are able to make the best decisions possible when it comes to your content marketing strategy.
Step 3: Set Marketing Goals
After you understand your company, it is time to start building your goals. One thing to keep in mind is that these goals should actually align with the overall goals of the company. This is important because you don’t want your marketing team to be striving for one thing and the company actually working against it. With goals that are not aligned, this is a definite possibility.
This is the time when you need to bring your content strategy into the discussion. When you look at everything from the standpoint of determining how it will help you achieve some goal, you could actually find that creativity suffers. However, if you develop fantastic content ideas first and then look for ways to tie them back to your content marketing strategy, this will not be an issue. Sometimes, this could mean publishing the content in a specific location to help make sure you are meeting your goals.
Step 4: Decide how to Measure Results
While you are developing your goals, you should always develop ways to measure the results at the same time. Measuring results is one of the most important steps in this process because it helps you determine your ROI. Without any way to measure what you are doing, you won’t be able to tell if something is actually working or not.
Step 5: Create a Platform Plan
There are tons of platforms out there that allow you to place content on them. However, deciding which platform is best for your company will depend on a number of factors. For example, you will need to take a look at your specific audience and determine where they will be. Putting content on platforms they frequent the most will be the most effective. You will also need to take a look at your company and determine which platform makes the most sense for the products and services you sell.
Why does it Matter?
You would be surprised just how successful a business can be with a strong content marketing strategy in place. Over the years, plenty of businesses have seen massive increases in the number of their customers simply by altering their content marketing strategy. For example, this is one of the items that Pinterest focused on and it helped them raise the number of users by 145% in just three years.
With these tips, you will be able to develop a content marketing strategy that works for your business and for your audience. Make sure you keep them in mind when you are going through the process of building a content marketing strategy.
Much success,
Looking for more great reads? Check out these related articles:
- The Ultimate 6-Step Guide to a Strong Content Marketing Plan
- Is Your Content Marketing Strategy Current or Outdated?
- Why You Should Document Your Content Marketing Strategy
- 7 Questions to Help Your Content Marketing Strategy
- How to Make Your Customers Beg for More Content
- 6 Ways to Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy
