Content marketing is an essential tool in the modern marketer’s toolkit. Quality content helps companies generate awareness and demand, build trust and authority, showcase thought leadership – and increase and convert quality leads.
A strategy that supports your company goals is the first and most important step to guarantee you get the biggest bang for your content marketing buck. An effective content marketing program includes many components; here are five steps that should be part of your overall strategy.
- Align your content mission with your business goals
The first step in developing your content marketing strategy is to identify what you want your content to do for your business. Do you want to increase sales or awareness? Do you want to educate or persuade? Each goal requires a targeted approach and specific type of content.
- Identify and understand your target audiences
The second step is to understand your audiences and their needs, desires, questions, and problems. An effective content strategy takes into consideration not only your ultimate buyer but also those that can influence during the sales cycle. One of the best ways to create quality content for your audiences is to develop personas. Interviewing sales, product development, customer service, current customers, and other knowledgeable stakeholders is essential to gather valuable insight, keywords, themes, and ideas that resonate with your customers and prospects.
- Build an editorial calendar for engagement
Once you have a good understanding of your target audiences, you can begin to brainstorm relevant topics, build an editorial calendar with timelines and appropriate channels, and write content that is timely and relevant. An editorial calendar keeps you focused and consistent and your content organized in the channels your audiences prefer.
- Distribute content effectively
Great content is important, but so is getting it to the right person at the right time. Your buyer persona developed in step three should uncover how best to reach your target audiences. Is Facebook or LinkedIn the best digital channel for your audiences? Are they interested in an email newsletter? Content distribution is often a step that isn’t explored and researched thoroughly, leaving your message unheard.
- Measure and track your results
Finally, you won’t know if your strategy is successful unless you track and measure results. Was your white paper downloaded and shared? Did your prospect fill out a form for more information or request a salesperson to provide more details? Measuring your content against the established goals you set up at the beginning of your strategy development will reveal what is and isn’t effective. The more you focus on what works, the better your results.