In this final post in our Content Marketing Series, we’re going to take a look at how to develop your own content marketing strategy. In order to do this, we’ll need to address a few other basic questions, which will give you the preparation you need to get started.
Who?
This is actually a two-fold question. First, who are you as an organization? How would you describe your brand and your mission? With this information in mind, you’ll need to be sure your posts emulate your identity. While each of your posts is not necessarily going to outline your mission statement, the topics you cover should be related to that mission. The second part of this question is who is your audience? In order to connect with your readers, you need to know a little about them. Make sure you can identify your target audience, and then cater your posts to match their interests.
What?
What kind of content are you going to produce? Put yourself in the shoes of one of your website personas. What kind of information would be helpful to you? What would keep you coming back for more? This may take some time to think through, and the answer could be different for each of your personas. That’s ok. Focus on those personas and come up with a list of topics you’d like to cover for them over the next six months.
Why?
Consider the “why” of content marketing. We’ve addressed several good reasons in this post. But in order to make this mission your own, you need to identify specific reasons and measurable goals for your organization’s content marketing strategy. Be specific. Why will your organization benefit from this, and how can you measure the results to be sure? Will you measure the time users spend on your site? Hits on your blog? Comments and shares?
When?
Create an editorial calendar. Now that you’ve determined why you’re producing content, what you’re writing about, and who you’re writing to, schedule your posts and set specific deadlines so that you’re regularly producing valuable content. Make sure you stick to your deadlines so your followers can begin to anticipate your next post. With a schedule in place, you won’t have to worry about figuring out what to write at the last minute.
Where?
Finally, what channels are you going to use to disseminate your content? A blog? Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Email campaigns? Guest blogging? Other social channels? There are a multitude of possibilities, but in order to figure out which channels will be most effective for you, you need to go back to your key personas and determine where they exist. Does your audience generally use Facebook more than Twitter? Maybe your personas are not generally on Instagram. When developing your content marketing strategy, don’t feel like you need to invest resources in a medium that will not produce the traffic you want. Be selective and focus your attention where you will produce the best results. If you’re unsure, start testing the waters to see what works, and continue with the channels that provide results.