This is the million-dollar question. Do you currently have a content strategy? Or are you like thousands of other online businesses out there and just post when you feel like it or when you remember to do it?
The thing is, we know that creating content is the main job we have. Whether it be creating free content for social media or for paid content for your high-end signature programme, it’s all content.
Content creation is a big deal and is vital to your business’s success. Without content, you wouldn’t have an online business at all.
Yet so many business owners have literally no strategy or plan when it comes to their content – they just wing it and then wonder why nothing much is happening.
You must have a clear strategy. FACT!
Your marketing content should do ALL the following things:
- Grow your audience/following
- Show your expertise
- Sell/Promote/Market your business and offers
- Help your audience
- Implant the know/like/trust factor
- Be easy to monitor
- MAKE YOU MONEY!
If your content is not doing any or in fact all those things, you need a strategy!
So what is a content strategy?
A content strategy is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a plan to create, organise, market, and maximise your content.
You can plan a week in advance, a month, a quarter or even a year in advance if you wish.
When you have a content strategy in place the process of creating content for your blog, website, social media accounts, programmes, offers etc., becomes a lot easier.
Here are 6 ways to help you create your own perfect content strategy.
1. Where will you publish your content?
This seems like an obvious one. You need to be posting on your website, and your social media accounts. Do not forget your Blog!
You’d be surprised how many people do not even have a blog or news section. It’s a great way to help others with a solution to a problem or share snippets of your knowledge.
It also (don’t tell everyone) helps with SEO – Search Engine Optimisation. Which helps your Google ranking. Google loves value-added information.
It doesn’t stop there. You may also want to be a guest on a podcast or have a featured article in an online publication or blog.
2. Choose a format for your content
This can be dictated by your audience and how much they engage with you on different platforms. For example, you may find that your audience prefers to read your blogs, or they may like receiving your weekly emails.
It is best practice, however, to mix it up a little so that you appeal to everyone. Here are some examples;
- Video
- Live Stream
- Audio
- Blogs
- Visual Images
- Free downloads
3. Your content needs a purpose
Your content must have a reason why it’s being created. A purpose, a reason or a goal so that your content will be created in the right way, posted in the right places and have the correct call to action.
For example, do you want to drive traffic to a freebie opt-in page, do you want them to buy a course or is it simply to engage?
If you do not have a reason then your audience could become confused, have mixed messages, or get disengaged.
4. Get it created
So now you know what you are posting and have a purpose, it’s time to get it created.
Some people like to get organised in advance and do their creation in batches, a week or two in advance, while others do it a little at a time.
In essence, it doesn’t really matter just so long as you do it.
Make sure you set the time aside, and create a content schedule. Consistency is key – for traction and of course, expectation. If your audience expects a post each day and then you miss a couple of days, then you could potentially lose a great potential client.
5. Repurposing Your Content
If you are creating content and only posting once, then you are missing out!
Being clever, tweaking a piece of content and redesigning it can be added to your strategy, especially when you have creativity lulls.
You could also, use longer blogs and create shorter social media posts. Even extend the content and turn them into longer Youtube videos.
How about breaking down your weekly emails and creating short snippets for your
Instagram Stories. You could even transcribe your Facebook Lives into articles.
6. Monitor Your Performance
It is very important to monitor your stats in order to see which of your content is working/not working.
Check figures such as how many likes, shares and comments, views, how many sales and sign-ups and so on.
The numbers you choose to monitor will depend on your content’s purpose. For instance, if you are promoting a freebie product and it requires an opt-in form, then the obvious number to monitor is how many email addresses are received.
Once you get to know what your audience responds to and you keep producing similar type posts then you will have a clear ongoing strategy.
Social Media platforms do provide account overviews so that you can see at a glance your performance and when you are at the stage of paid advertising then you can identify certain KPIs such as Cost Per Click or the cost per purchase etc.
Conclusion:
Having a planned, consistent, relevant and repurposable content marketing plan is crucial to the visibility of your business. Out of sight, out of mind, springs to mind – make sure you are the first person/business that springs to mind when your ideal client is looking for what you offer.