Content is the atomic unit of digital marketing – It is the currency of getting attention when done well. But “creatively creating content” without overthinking is the same as writing different book pages for readers hoping for a story. So what do you really need to prepare to create content in a planned way?
Whether you’re an experienced content marketer or are looking to write your first blog post for your new company, come up with content that is effective and leads to conversions and sales. If you want to bring more eyeballs to your website and more sales through effective content marketing, keep reading.
You can use different types of content to build brand awareness, improve customer experience, or generate inquiries and leads. Companies also use their content marketing channels to get feedback. But regardless of your goal, your ultimate “content mix” – be it your blog, your Facebook page, your Twitter account, or all of the above – should consistently and effectively promote your brand message.
Here are ten essential elements that will help you create a great strategy to get there:
1. Who Will be Reading Your Content?
Find out who the target audience is for your content? How many audiences are you creating content for? Just as your business may have more than one type of customer, your content strategy can cater to more than one segment of audience.
Using different content and channels will help you distribute different content in your mind to each type of audience and engage all the people doing business with your company.
2. Have a Plan
It may sound like a no-brainer, but having a plan before you do anything else in your content marketing will make your content more targeted and produce more consistency.
Know what is the purpose of your company’s overall content marketing strategy, the purpose of each type of content, and what it will cost to readers. After researching your target audience, you will have a clear picture of what content to write, its tone, and where and when it should be posted.
3. Identify Your Audience
Usually, this is the next thing you need to work on – who are you talking to? Which target population are you expanding your content towards? This, of course, will depend to a large extent on your product or service. For example, if your company makes toy cars, you need to talk to the parents (decision-makers). But if your product is designed for solo professionals, you have to switch your voice and content to appeal to this segment. Basically, you have to talk to the right people in the right language.
Spend time identifying your target audience. Surveys, interviews, focus groups, and marketing databases are all great sources of information.
4. Sharpen Your Editing Skills
Every piece of your content writing needs to be polished through editing before it can come out great. Even for great writers, it is rare to have a perfect copy on the first try.
This is why content marketers need to know how to edit their content before it is published. During the editing process, marketers can check grammatical mistakes in their pieces of content.
Furthermore, editing ensures that a piece of content is successful in conveying its message to the audience. Make sure that it must be clear enough to the reader and should connect with their situation. Make it readable.
If you have a massive budget, you can hire a professional content editor from Zytal.
5. Establish a Current Situation
Once you have chosen your plan, you need to create or align your various social media accounts.
If there are accounts already in place, do a social media audit where your business currently stands – this will help create a baseline that you can later look at to see what has improved.
6. Establish Your KPIs
The best way to achieve goals is to make them specific and measurable. It means setting key performance indicators (KPIs) for your content marketing strategy.
KPI will help you know whether you have achieved your goals by providing milestones. They will include what you plan to achieve in terms of revenue, sales, traffic, SEO, traffic, and various aspects of digital marketing such as email marketing and social media metrics.
7. Create a Content Strategy Template
During the audience research phase, based on your goals and the information you gained, try to identify:
- Type of material;
- Subject to content;
- Resources you need to produce;
- A platform for publishing;
- Quantity and frequency of new content posts;
- Channels of distribution;
- Expected Results.
Imagine that you are about to release a new product soon. In this case, your goal should be to increase product and brand recognition, generate demand, and move your audience through the sales funnel.
8. Define Your Uniqueness
When you are planning your content marketing strategy, it is essential to define how specific you are. Remember, your ideal customer need a reason to choose you instead of another company as they offer similar products.
9. Identify What Problem will you be Solving for Your Audience
Your product or service must solve a problem that you know your audience has. Your content also must educate your audience in solving some major issues. You have to identify that problem.
10. Focus on Unique Content Ideas
Establishing unique ideas for your content is the most important aspects of a content marketing strategy. The Internet is packed with similar content, and so you must stand out from the crowd. To help you do this, try the following ideas.
- Research your competitor’s content and focus on presenting something new.
- Try to generate niche blog post ideas.
- Use your customer persona to appeal to the values of your target audience.
- From the tone of your voice to your writing style and your visuals, focus on what makes you unique.
If you want to create a perfect content marketing strategy for any kind of your business, you can always contact us. Our content marketing experts are always committed to giving you a free consultation about your doubts and queries regarding any significant aspect of your business. Call now!