If you read the last article I published – The Importance of Content Marketing – there’s a good chance you’re wondering, so how do I go about creating content for my business?
That’s a good question, because while pretty much anyone can create and publish content for their business, there’s definitely some strategy that goes into creating quality content that’s going to (A) provide value to and satisfy your target market; and (B) get indexed (and therefore found) by search engines.
Your business needs a content strategy. In this article, we’ll dive into the process for creating that strategy so that you have a clear understanding of how to plan and develop quality content for your business.
First, let’s start by answering the question…
What is a Content Strategy?
A content strategy clearly outlines the goals that you hope to achieve by creating content for your business. It then dives into the details of how you will go about trying to reach those goals. The content strategy is your WHY and your HOW for developing and delivering quality content to your target market.
From the topics you will write about to the key performance indicators (KPIs) you will use to measure your success – your strategy will inform every decision you make in planning and creating content for your business.
Outlining your content strategy helps you create better content faster. You’ll know what you need to create, when and why.
Key Elements of a Content Strategy
When you’re ready to create your content strategy, there are some key elements you need to ensure you have a solid framework in place.
In order to create a content strategy, you’ll need to do the following…
Create Clear Goals
What are the achievable outcomes that you want? What are you trying to accomplish by creating content for your audience(s)?
Examples of content strategy goals:
- To increase brand awareness
- To generate high-quality leads
Outline Your Objectives
What are the things that need to be done in order to achieve the above desired outcomes? (These are NOT tasks/tactics, but high-level initiatives that require thought and planning.)
Examples of content strategy objectives:
- Create and publish weekly thought leadership content that is valuable to our target audience and that will differentiate us from our competitors
- Repurpose content into emails 2X/week to nurture our email list and convert prospects into new customers
Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
What does success look like to you? How are you going to measure your success?
Examples of KPIs to measure the success of your content strategy:
- Increase branded (direct) website traffic by 15% year over year
- Close an average of 2 new deals per month by end of Q2
Choose Your Content Channels
Based on your goals, objectives, buyer persona and available resources, what channels can you leverage?
Examples of channels to utilize in your content strategy:
- Your Website/Blog
- LinkedIn Articles
Determine Your Content Types (a.k.a. Format)
In what format(s) are you capable of producing consistent, valuable content? This should be based on your internal strengths (if relevant), the resources you have available to you and your budget.
Examples of content types for your strategy:
- Long-form articles/blogs
- Short videos
Pick Your Primary Content Topics
These are topics that showcase your unique point of view and will help you establish a strong message in the market that resonates with your ideal client. (Think: What do you want your brand to be known for? Which topics do you need to rank well for in search engine results in order to succeed? Are there specific high-value keywords that you need (or want) to own?)
Examples of content topics [for an independent bookstore]:
- New book releases
- Indie authors
Research Keywords
What keywords do you want your business to rank for? What words/phrases are your ideal clients searching the internet for in hopes of finding the information and solutions they need for the problem they have/you solve?
Start by analyzing the keywords relevant to your business. You will need to use tools (like Google’s Keyword Planner) to help you determine the best keywords to target. Keep in mind that people now search using questions – not just words and short phrases – so be sure to consider that in your keyword research and targeting strategy.
You need to know the search volume for each keyword and prioritize accordingly. Keywords/phrases with a high search volume are going to be much harder to rank for, so make sure you include keywords that are relevant but less searched in your content strategy as well. And if there’s no search volume, then don’t waste your time creating content around that word.
Next Steps…
Once you have clearly outlined your strategy, it’s time to create your content plan. This should include who is going to execute the plan, how often and when. Based on your budget, this may be done by you, by your internal team or by an outside vendor/specialist.
Creating a content calendar is extremely useful in keeping your content creation consistent and holding you (or your team) accountable.
Without a content plan and calendar, your efforts can be easily thrown off, pushed aside or down the priority list – potentially leaving you in the same place in your business three months down the road.
If you’d like to learn more about creating a content strategy and/or plan, schedule a quick call with me and we can go into more detail together.
If you read the last article I published – The Importance of Content Marketing – there’s a good chance you’re wondering, so how do I go about creating content for my business?
That’s a good question, because while pretty much anyone can create and publish content for their business, there’s definitely some strategy that goes into creating quality content that’s going to (A) provide value to and satisfy your target market; and (B) get indexed (and therefore found) by search engines.
Your business needs a content strategy. In this article, we’ll dive into the process for creating that strategy so that you have a clear understanding of how to plan and develop quality content for your business.
First, let’s start by answering the question…
What is a Content Strategy?
A content strategy clearly outlines the goals that you hope to achieve by creating content for your business. It then dives into the details of how you will go about trying to reach those goals. The content strategy is your WHY and your HOW for developing and delivering quality content to your target market.
From the topics you will write about to the key performance indicators (KPIs) you will use to measure your success – your strategy will inform every decision you make in planning and creating content for your business.
Outlining your content strategy helps you create better content faster. You’ll know what you need to create, when and why.
Key Elements of a Content Strategy
When you’re ready to create your content strategy, there are some key elements you need to ensure you have a solid framework in place.
In order to create a content strategy, you’ll need to do the following…
Create Clear Goals
What are the achievable outcomes that you want? What are you trying to accomplish by creating content for your audience(s)?
Examples of content strategy goals:
- To increase brand awareness
- To generate high-quality leads
Outline Your Objectives
What are the things that need to be done in order to achieve the above desired outcomes? (These are NOT tasks/tactics, but high-level initiatives that require thought and planning.)
Examples of content strategy objectives:
- Create and publish weekly thought leadership content that is valuable to our target audience and that will differentiate us from our competitors
- Repurpose content into emails 2X/week to nurture our email list and convert prospects into new customers
Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
What does success look like to you? How are you going to measure your success?
Examples of KPIs to measure the success of your content strategy:
- Increase branded (direct) website traffic by 15% year over year
- Close an average of 2 new deals per month by end of Q2
Choose Your Content Channels
Based on your goals, objectives, buyer persona and available resources, what channels can you leverage?
Examples of channels to utilize in your content strategy:
- Your Website/Blog
- LinkedIn Articles
Determine Your Content Types (a.k.a. Format)
In what format(s) are you capable of producing consistent, valuable content? This should be based on your internal strengths (if relevant), the resources you have available to you and your budget.
Examples of content types for your strategy:
- Long-form articles/blogs
- Short videos
Pick Your Primary Content Topics
These are topics that showcase your unique point of view and will help you establish a strong message in the market that resonates with your ideal client. (Think: What do you want your brand to be known for? Which topics do you need to rank well for in search engine results in order to succeed? Are there specific high-value keywords that you need (or want) to own?)
Examples of content topics [for an independent bookstore]:
- New book releases
- Indie authors
Research Keywords
What keywords do you want your business to rank for? What words/phrases are your ideal clients searching the internet for in hopes of finding the information and solutions they need for the problem they have/you solve?
Start by analyzing the keywords relevant to your business. You will need to use tools (like Google’s Keyword Planner) to help you determine the best keywords to target. Keep in mind that people now search using questions – not just words and short phrases – so be sure to consider that in your keyword research and targeting strategy.
You need to know the search volume for each keyword and prioritize accordingly. Keywords/phrases with a high search volume are going to be much harder to rank for, so make sure you include keywords that are relevant but less searched in your content strategy as well. And if there’s no search volume, then don’t waste your time creating content around that word.
Next Steps…
Once you have clearly outlined your strategy, it’s time to create your content plan. This should include who is going to execute the plan, how often and when. Based on your budget, this may be done by you, by your internal team or by an outside vendor/specialist.
Creating a content calendar is extremely useful in keeping your content creation consistent and holding you (or your team) accountable.
Without a content plan and calendar, your efforts can be easily thrown off, pushed aside or down the priority list – potentially leaving you in the same place in your business three months down the road.
If you’d like to learn more about creating a content strategy and/or plan, schedule a quick call with me and we can go into more detail together.