Over the past few years, marketers have weathered many changes – but one thing remains the same: Content is king.
Brands and organizations are constantly working to maintain the churn to keep their website at the top of Google search, to share their insights on topics relevant and timely to their audience, and to be heard above the noise of the competition.
But simply pushing out content without a strategy is kind of like screaming into the void. Yes, you’re making a lot of noise – but are you being heard?
Sound relatable? If so, a content strategy can help!
What is content strategy?
Content strategy is a road map for all of the content you produce, and should define important elements such as your content’s:
- Timing
- Topic
- Audience
- Medium
First, let’s quickly break down what each of these elements means in relation to your content strategy.
Timing
Every content strategy should have a calendar of some sort included. This can be executed in whatever way makes the most sense to you and your team – from an excel spreadsheet, to a Gantt chart, to a Trello board or other workflow solution-powered deliverable.
Your calendar should plan out every piece of content associated with your campaign – whether that’s a month view or a year-long snapshot. Defining the timing of each piece of content not only ensures you’re regularly sharing relevant and resonant content with your audiences, but it also helps align all the various touchpoints coming from your organization.
For example, I’m sure we can all agree that it’s not ideal to send three different emails to one customer in one day – even if they come from different people, and address different topics. Hammering out the specific timing of each piece within your content delivery helps prevent consumer communication fatigue – and gives you a 20,000-ft. view of how all that content all works together in the big picture.
Topic
Odds are, your organization has a lot to talk about. Make sure you’re hitting all your bases on a regular basis! (See what we did there?)
To create a good content mix, your strategy should define 3-7 specific content “buckets.” These buckets could include:
- Thought leadership content
- Sales content that spotlights the features or advantages of your product or service
- Informational content
- News from your organization, or other trusted voices in your space
- Promotional content that builds awareness for your brand
- Content designed to engage your target audience – such as polls, giveaways, etc.
A successful content strategy will include elements from all your identified buckets, weighed in a way that makes sense for your brand. If you have a new product line launching soon, for example, your content strategy should include more posts sharing sales or informational content. If you’re trying to build name recognition for a new CEO and spotlight his or her expertise, more thought leadership content should be scheduled. No matter what your communications priority is from month to month, a defined content strategy will ensure that you’re not leaning too far into one content bucket, or neglecting an area completely.
Audience
Not every piece of content is designed for all your consumers. Defining the audience of each communications piece in your content strategy is a good way to make sure all your targets get an adequate touch – and that every message is being directed at the right target. It’s also a means to ensure that the medium or channel you’ve selected is right for the intended audience. (For example, if you’re trying to reach seniors, a TikTok campaign might not be the best approach!)
This facet of content strategy is also a great way to make sure all audiences are receiving regular and intentional communications, and that no one group is getting a little TOO much love!
Medium
No one wants to see the same thing all the time! That’s why your content strategy should include a variety of media all working together to communicate your desired message. Elements could include:
- Videos
- Social media posts
- Infographics
- Blog posts
- Emails
- Direct mail pieces
- Press releases
- Contributed editorial content from your thought leaders
- White papers
- Customer testimonials
A successful content strategy will contain a mix of all these elements – and a thoughtful and intentional plan of when each element will be deployed, who it’s designed to reach, and how it will be supported by other content touch points.
For example, if you have a social media post planned on the first of the month promoting a sale with a fixed start and end date, your content strategy should map out what other communications will be deployed to reinforce that message – like an email that drops the same day as that social post, for example.
So, how could your organization use a content strategy?
There are so many ways to put a content strategy to work for your organization!
First, it can be used to chart a specific campaign. In this instance, your content strategy would be focused around a specific message or event, and would share a defined message over multiple communications channels and touchpoints over a set period of time.
For example, let’s say your association is planning its annual conference. Your communications strategy would map out when communications will start (backing out months before the actual event itself), all of the various ways you will promote the conference, the frequency and timing of each and every email, social post and direct mail piece, all of the various messages you want to promote about the conference (registration, the speakers, the location amenities, add-on experiences, travel recommendations, etc.) and how all those pieces align.
But a content strategy doesn’t have to be campaign specific. It can also be a recurring annual tactic that maps out the comprehensive, converged communications you intend to tackle over a year, or a quarter, or even a month.
The most important thing to remember is that content strategy is a guide. You might have urgent needs that must be communicated that won’t fall into your plan, or some big event (like a global pandemic, for example) could come up and take you back to square one. Prepare to be nimble when needed, and revisit your content strategy on a regular basis to make sure it’s still achieving its intended purpose.
Want to learn more about how content strategy can help your brand – and how Willow can help you create and execute a strategy that will move the needle? Let’s talk!
