10 Tips on Creating a Content Strategy
Often a small business will neglect its marketing strategy because the benefits of it aren’t necessarily going to be seen quickly, all of the focus goes on what is going to make you money. As a result, growth can become really difficult for the company to achieve, and they stay in the place of chasing the next invoice. To break out of that, you need to start dedicating some time to your marketing strategy. A key and easy first step to this is building brand recognition and sales through an active and fruitful social media presence.
Your content strategy is the foundation of your content marketing efforts. It will help you determine what kind of content you need to create, who it’s for, and how you can distribute it effectively. When developing a content strategy, there are a few key things to keep in mind:
- Define your goals.
What are you hoping to accomplish with your content? Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate leads? Be specific about what you want to achieve.
- Know your audience.
Who are you creating content for? What are their needs and wants? What kind of language do they use? The better you understand your audience, the more effective your content will be.
- Choose the right format.
Not all content is created equal. Some types of content, like blog posts, are better suited for certain goals than others. For example, if you’re trying to generate leads, a white paper would be a more effective format than a blog post.
- Choose Your Topics Carefully
You can’t just write about anything and expect it to be successful. You need to choose topics that are relevant to your audience and that will help you achieve your goals. To come up with ideas, start by brainstorming a list of potential topics, then narrow it down to the ones that are the most relevant and interesting.
- Make a Calendar, But Be Flexible
Creating a content calendar can help you stay organized and on track, but don’t get too hung up on it. Things will inevitably come up that will cause you to deviate from your plan. The important thing is to start creating quality content regularly.
- Analyse Your Results
After you’ve been creating and promoting content for awhile, it’s important to take a step back and analyse your results. What’s working well? What could be improved?
- Add Visuals
People are more likely to remember information if it’s presented in a visual way. So make sure to add images, infographics, and other visuals to your content.
- Be Consistent, but, Don’t Post For The Sake Of It
The key to any successful content strategy is consistency. Clearly define how frequently and when you want to be posting, and stick to it. You may post more often than scheduled if something comes up that you want to share with your audience, but having a baseline is important.
If you want to create content that has an impact, you need to be adding value to your audience’s feed. Make sure that when you post, you’re posting with something you want them to know. This may seem like a contradiction to the point above, but if you find yourself posting without having anything to say, it’s time to revaluating your posting schedule.
- Put Some Effort Into SEO
If you want your content to be successful, you need to make sure it’s optimised for search engines. This means doing things like using the right keywords and linking to other relevant articles.
- Repurpose Your Content
Don’t let your old content go to waste—repurpose it into new formats, like infographics or videos. This will give it new life and help you get more mileage out of it.
If you are looking for more advice on how to grow and run your small business, check out our small business advice section.
