When it comes to SEO, the saying goes, “Content is King”. And it makes sense.
Engaging and effective content can convert leads into sales, sign up users into customers, help you rank higher on Google, and make your site a provider of high-quality information. But you can’t just spit out and write content. It takes time, patience and a detailed process.
It’s why businesses create an in-depth and effective content strategy. And you can do it too with our simple guide.
We’ll dive into what content strategy is, why your business needs it, and what steps you need to take to create your own.
What is a Content Strategy?
As the name suggests, a content strategy is how your business will approach creating and distributing content for your target audience while ensuring you meet the objectives of your marketing campaign.
An example would be if your business goal were to “increase brand awareness”. You will need to create a strategy that focuses on SEO-related content to increase your online visibility in major distribution channels.
Another example would be to “improve sales,” you would focus on creating content that showcases the benefits of your products and services and using channels that appear to your customers.
Ultimately, it comes down to what you want to achieve.
Why Does Your Business Need It?
There are plenty of reasons why your business should develop and create a content strategy. Let’s look at the primary reasons below:
- Builds a foundation in which your business can maximize and effectively use content to achieve your marketing goals
- Make sure the business attracts the right audience and converts them into customers
- Reflects the mission and vision of the business through a distinct style, which leads to better brand awareness and connection with customers
- Educate customers about the benefits of the products and services and build up credibility on the topic and industry
- Rank higher on Google as informative content means a lower bounce rate and better engagement
- Helps businesses prepare and plan for reliable and cost-effective content marketing while reducing wasted resources, time and money
- Streamlines processes to ensure content is created consistently
- Assesses what’s working, what’s not and what needs improvement, thereby ensuring better results (leads and traffic) in the future
8 Steps to Creating a Content Strategy
1. Conduct a Content Audit
An audit will provide insight into your content marketing efforts and results, giving you the scope of what you can improve. You can figure out what to do differently for the upcoming year and set new goals to reach. Then, you can reassess your marketing strategy to see what’s working and what’s not.
2. Define the Goals of Your Strategy
What is the main aim of your content? To inform, to convert or to enlighten? Knowing what you want your content to do is crucial to the success of your entire plan.
3. Conduct Audience Research
Who is the target audience you are trying to reach? If you know what they like to read, you can carve out a style that works for them. You’ll also know what they want and don’t, helping out create a solid content strategy.
4. Analyze the Competition
If you’re ranking first on Google, you wouldn’t be reading this blog right now. So it makes sense that you need to know what your competitors are doing better than you. Research their content and distribution channels so you have a solid understanding of what they’re doing well and how you can overtake them.
5. Determine the Distribution Channels
You don’t have to flood every digital marketing channel to spread your brand. It’s best to focus on a handful of channels to reach your target audience (another reason you need to research your audience – where do they get their content from?). Choose from the likes of social media, guest blogging, or your own personal blog.
6. Determine Your Content Style
Your messaging and brand voice needs to be consistent across all platforms. While there is nothing with being spontaneous, having a style guide can prove beneficial when creating content while ensuring you enhance your brand and attract your target audience. Think of all the big brand names, such as Apple, Nike or Adidas; they all have a writing style that reflects their mission and vision. You can do the same.
7. Create a Content Calendar
Planning out what you’re going to write and post can make it easy for you to create content while meeting the needs of your audience. Consider special times of the year for blogs and posts (such as public holidays or special events) and build your content calendar around them. This will help you keep track of your content and ensure you’re publishing consistently.
8. Manage & Respond to Content
Once you’ve published your content – be it on your website or Facebook profile – make sure you get interactive with it. If a customer responds to it, reply. This ensures that you maintain a consistent line of communication with your audience while boosting the credibility of your content.
We hope that this guide can help you create a thorough and powerful content strategy. Feel free to leave us your feedback. Happy Creating!