Every content marketing campaign needs a game plan. Here's how to get started with creating the right content strategy for your business.
A successful content marketing campaign must have a strategy. The blog posts, white papers and social media posts don't appear out of nowhere—and each of them should be part of a larger game plan, starting with why it was written, who it was written for, how it will be distributed and why it matters for your business. It takes organization and planning, not to mention a tailored approach for each business. To find out which content marketing strategy is right for your business there are a number of questions that must be answered, ranging from distribution to frequency to audience and more.
The first step in creating an effective content strategy is determining your target audience. Think about who you are trying to reach. By identifying these people, suddenly it's much easier to tailor content for a specific group of people, resulting in engagement, shares and conversations. Find out what your audience wants to learn and differentiate yourself by sharing a unique twist on their interest. Use the customer journey to identify challenges your customer may face and craft content to tackle those problems. As a marketer, you can rest easy knowing you’re distributing content to the people who are actually looking for and can identify with what you have to say.
Once you have identified your buyers persona, the strategy continues by determining what format your specific audience uses to consume content. If data reveals the majority use social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn over white papers to engage and interact with businesses, ensure your strategy includes social platforms and a distribution plan for posting. Just remember, don’t post just to post. By posting unique and identifiable information on a consistent basis, your audience will continue to grow and engage with the content you’re sharing.
As much as your strategy should be geared towards influencing your audience, it’s crucial to think about how your content aligns with your business goals. While it’s a tough question to navigate, it’s one of the most important when it comes to creating a content strategy. Additionally, you need to think about results. The beauty of having a content strategy in place is that it gives you the ability to plan ahead. By knowing what the end goals are, you’re able to measure progress along the way.
Yakkety Yak is a full service content marketing firm that works with small businesses to develop and implement the right content strategy for their business. Build on the principle of writing for a specific audience, Yakkety Yak makes sure that your message reaches the right consumer.