What Makes Up a Content Strategy?
While content marketing is focused on coming up with specific content to publish and promote, a content strategy is primarily concerned with identifying the best ways to reach target audiences, concentrating on how to direct and amplify content in order to optimize its effect. A content strategy provides companies with an overreaching framework for the organization; the distribution and the promotion of their marketing content. It enables them to have a firmer grasp of all the factors that come into play, serving as a system for implementing and supporting already established marketing and business objectives. As marketing author, Jonas Sickler, points out: “You wouldn’t plan a trip without knowing your destination. Content strategy ensures that your content marketing efforts are taking you in the right direction. Without a well-defined strategy, you may waste a lot of time writing content that doesn’t get the audience impact nor the business results you want.” (https://terrakeet.com). Beyond the creation of content, content strategy can involve elements such as content development and publication, calendar planning, process and system oversight, and other aspects of content management.
According to market strategist, Alina Petrova, in order for a content marketing strategy to garner optimal results, it needs to encompass four core factors: brand positioning, owned media value proposition, business case, and strategic plan. (https://www.semrush.com). When companies clearly define the positioning of their brands, establishing an appealing and relevant image across all channels, they are able to provide a consistent experience to their target audiences. Through managing and analyzing their owned media, companies can gain a clearer sense of what unique value their content provides, helping them find an editorial niche. Coming up with a documented business case allows companies to move forward with an increased understanding of what resources need to be invested in their content marketing endeavors. And, ultimately, by utilizing a well-designed strategic plan, companies can align their objectives with whatever steps are needed to achieve them, focusing on who their target audiences are, how to deliver content to them, and the best methods of monitoring outcomes.
Developing a Content Strategy Framework
The first step for a company to take when designing a content strategy is to clearly define its content marketing objectives, which could range from attempting to increase brand awareness, generating leads and attracting repeat customers to improving search-ranking results. Different goals, and different audiences, will necessitate different content. That’s why the next logical step is to conduct research in order to identify target consumers. There are times when it can prove to be more effective to create content directly for an audience, rather than for the brand itself. An example of this can be found in Red Bull’s focus on providing content appealing to young, active people. As explained by founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, “Red Bull is a media company that happens to sell energy drinks.” (https://marketinginsidergroup.com). It can also be helpful to periodically run content audits to evaluate the effectiveness of existing content, which might result in adaptations, improvements and even a readjustment of a company’s initial marketing goals. Other types of analysis can be conducted as well, including keyword research, which can lead to increases in traffic, engagement, and conversions.
There are a number of suggestions offered by content strategists that companies might consider implementing, many of which involve commonsense organizational procedures, such as establishing a content development process, defining a content distribution strategy, setting up a content calendar, publishing long-form content, repurposing content, and planning diverse types of content, to list a few. Concentrating on content strategy could cost a considerable amount of time and money; companies often benefit from the use of content management systems to provide additional support. In the words of marketing writer, Laura Kloot, “There’s a whole lot more to content marketing than just writing a terrific blog or creating a cool video. It requires a complete strategy, covering production of the content itself, how and where it will be promoted, and what results it is designed to achieve.” She advises that even though it requires a great deal of methodical planning, “The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll have an effective content strategy up and running.” (https://www.outbrain.com).
Why Strategize?
A content strategy can be instrumental in developing reliable cost-effective sources of website traffic and new leads, which often result in a company’s ability to explore a variety of marketing tactics, such as social media advertising campaigns, sponsored content, and distributed content in order to generate revenue. Consumers are exposed to such an enormous quantity of content every day that they tend to filter out much of it. Cultivating a well-honed content strategy can provide the means for a company to stand out amidst the surrounding media bombardment. This is why marketing strategist, Brie Moreau, urges companies to “Always strategize before producing any content. Don’t just simply churn out content for content’s sake. Once you start producing great content and your users engage with it and boost rankings at the same time, you’ll understand why this is the far superior approach.” (https://neilpatel.com).
A content strategy can also provide flexibility during changing times. According to Content Marketing Institute statistics, 4 out of 5 content marketers reported their pandemic pivots to be successful, and 86% of them say that they expect these changes to remain for the foreseeable future. A whopping 94% of those with a content marketing strategy in place were able to adapt it during the pandemic, changing their targeting strategies, adjusting their editorial calendars and altering their distribution and promotional strategies. As observed by strategic manager, Stephanie Stahl, “Content marketers reacted quickly and admirably to the pandemic’s impact by addressing immediate needs—messages, calendars, and distribution.” She goes on to say, “When big or even moderate changes happen that affect your customers, that’s the time to boost your audience-focused research activities…if you’re not doing the research, you can’t adapt your content to address revised priorities.” (https://contentmarketinginstitute.com).
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