Content can have a tangible impact on your business’ bottom-line results, so it’s important that your content strategy hits the mark.
Anyone who has seen the delivery driver walking up the driveway with a big parcel knows that feeling of delight and anticipation – but they also know that opening that package can be hit or miss.
You might discover that the parcel contains an excellent product, which was exactly what you wanted and is perfect for its intended use. Or you might discover something that turns out to be a bit dodgy, is padded with a huge amount of packaging material that goes straight into the bin, and is actually a lot smaller than you imagined. It happens.
It’s the same with content marketing. New and existing customers consume your content with the expectation that you understand them and their needs and that what they’re reading or watching will help them in their lives.
Delivering the right content at the right time is essential for brand building and customer conversion. It can have a tangible impact on your business’ growth and bottom-line results, so it’s important that your content strategy hits the mark.
What is a content marketing strategy?
Content is a term that includes all the marketing material used by businesses to tell potential clients who they are, what they offer, and why theirs is the best solution to whatever issue the customer has.
It includes articles and blog posts, videos, podcasts and print collateral. Content is also used to keep existing customers engaged and buying.
A content marketing strategy is a detailed plan on how to use these materials to achieve a company’s marketing goal.
A content strategy not only informs what kind of content will comprise the marketing mix, but the messages they convey, what platform they run on, and what time and day they’ll be distributed.
A content marketing strategy considers how each piece of content will work as stand-alone pieces, and also how they work together, forming building blocks to convey the marketing message.
Why do I need a content strategy?
Almost everything your clients and potential clients know about you and your offering comes from your content that they consume – so yeah, it’s pretty important.
Content marketing strategies are essential for brand building. Ad hoc marketing can weaken your brand by delivering weak or inconsistent messaging, whereas a solid content strategy will actively build, brick by brick, what potential customers know about you and what you stand for.
Content is an excellent relationship building tool, because the right content offers customers a ‘gift’. It could be a video explainer on how to build a cubby house, a cheat sheet for setting up an accounting system, or it could be as simple as offering a laugh on a Friday afternoon with a funny story or animation.
Strong, targeted content saves you time and money because it’s all invested in what will achieve the best outcomes.
A content marketing strategy also takes into account the customer buying cycle, making sure that potential and existing clients are moved towards purchasing regardless of whether they’re at the early consideration stage or they’ve pretty much decided to buy and just need a little help across the line.
How do I create a content strategy?
Content marketing strategies operate on many levels, across several platforms, and take in complex messaging. But essentially, developing a content marketing strategy is a six-step process:
- Define your goal. What is it you want to achieve? It could be to sell tickets to an event, sell more of a particular product, or highlight your business’ sustainability efforts.
- Pinpoint your audience. Who is it you want to talk to? Is it new mothers, or men who love cars, or maybe it’s office procurement managers.
- Run a content audit. What existing content do you have that can help you achieve your marketing goals?
- Determine the type of content you want to create. Now you know who you want to reach and what content you have, it’s time to decide what kind of content needs to be created.
- Develop content ideas. Will you publish videos? Perhaps an infographic will work well? Or maybe first-person customer stories will do the trick?
- Publish and manage your content. Get to work producing that content!
Speak to the content marketing strategy specialists
Developing a content strategy that achieves your marketing goals requires a deep understanding about how every type of content works and how it is consumed by particular audiences, as well as expertise in how content works together to achieve maximum results.
Assemblo is a full-service marketing agency based in Melbourne who are experts in all aspects of developing content marketing strategies and creating and rolling out most effective suites of content.
To find out how we can help your business, give us a call on (03) 9079 2555 or send us a note via the contact form below.