How to Create An Effective Content Marketing Strategy
You have blogged, tweeted, and spent hours on Facebook, Linkedin, and Instagram. We won't even mention that little dance on TikTok. But still, your website traffic is not improving. The website needs to do its primary job of attracting potential customers or generating good leads for your business. Why?
Have you been using a scattershot approach to creating and posting content?
Do you have a clearly defined focus on who your ideal customer is and what they want?
Are you creating engaging content that helps your customers solve a problem or answer a question?
Do you have a documented editorial calendar for at least the next three months that outlines your content marketing plans, including blog posts, email newsletters, social media posts, and other online marketing?
Are you struggling to create an effective content marketing strategy? Look no further! Let's explore what it takes to develop content that resonates with your audience and drives results."
What is a Content Marketing strategy?
A good content strategy is simply a plan for your online marketing that focuses on connecting with your customers and helping them solve their problems. t can be as simple as an editorial calendar for your upcoming blog posts.
The goal of creating an effective content strategy is to gain the attention of your potential customers with helpful content and get them to take action. That will not happen after just one blog post or email newsletter. It takes time. That is where the strategy part comes in.
Why do You Need a Content Marketing Strategy?
Find and connect with your ideal customer by creating blog posts they want to read and social media they want to share. Doing this consistently will be rewarding in several ways.
First, you will gain a reputation as an authority in your field. This is not to say that you know everything there is to know about the entire universe.
No. It simply means that you provide the right information, making them know and trust you. There will be a link to you and share your content on social media, and before you know it, you're popular!
What type of content should you include in your content marketing strategy?
When you think about content, think of online communication. Your content could include a combination of these ways to communicate with your customer:
Blog posts
Email newsletters
Ebooks
Social media posts
White papers
Podcasts
YouTube videos & Instagram Reels
Case Studies
Where to Start
The easiest and best way to create your content marketing strategy is to focus on your business goal, your customers, and what type of content will help you reach them.
Research your industry: What problems and concerns affect your current and potential new customers? Most marketing experts recommend creating buyer personas or customer avatars that go beyond basic demographics. The persona might include their values (Do they care about the environment?), lifestyle, family, economic status, and problems they might be facing. Depending on your business, you might want to know if they use a PC or Mac, work from home, or have a long commute to work.
Identify your real customer: Now you know who 'your people' are- the people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. Not everyone who reads your content will be part of your loyal and authentic customer base. But your content will resonate with people who are seeking the solutions or information that you offer. By keeping your real customer in mind, you can create content that speaks directly to their needs and interests, leading to greater engagement and a stronger connection with your brand.
Create evergreen content. Write blog posts that remain relevant to your audience. Develop a quarterly or yearly content calendar to plan and organize your content creation and distribution. Include upcoming promotions and product or service offerings.
How to Plan the Perfect Corporate Event or 6 Fantastic Options for Hosting an Off-Site Business Meeting would be good topics for a restaurant's blog.
A series of blog posts or email newsletters entitled Beyond Square Footage could elaborate on the amenities and benefits of leasing office space in a downtown office building.
A SaaS company like Notion or Honeybook could write a blog post titled This New Productivity Hack Will Change the Future of Hybrid Work that emphasizes a particle benefit of their service.
This kind of information is always helpful and evergreen. It is also the kind of information that gets shared on social media. People will share and like it on Twitter (X) on Linkedin and repost it on Instagram and Pinterest. You should include the promotion of your content through various channels, including social media and email marketing, as part of your content strategy.
Finally, analyze and measure the success of your content marketing efforts to identify areas for improvement and adjust your strategy as needed.
So, what should you do now?
