As inbound marketing is increasingly taking centre-stage in online marketing, one of the more ubiquitous terms which is now on every marketer’s lips is “content marketing”, the use of custom content to deliver value to your audience and generate leads. But content marketing is anchored on something much more important-content strategy. As an online marketer, you will always be required to develop a good content strategy for your business. So what exactly is content strategy?
Like many of the internet terms which have emerged over the years, there is no single “working” definition for content strategy. A simpler way to describe is that it is the sum of all the strategies which will make your website content work for your online business. Here we are talking about conversions. A great content strategy will always convert and generate sales for your business and there are numerous ways in which you can make this work.
Because it cuts at the very core of your profits, developing a sound a content strategy is therefore of great importance and here you have to wake up the little visionary and planner in you and think holistically. Some businesses build their content strategy around videos while some do it based on great articles, infographics, or even microblogging. Yet there are some that combine all these techniques to deliver value which requires significant resource inlay.
Getting the constant strategy right
It all boils down to your audience. What does your audience really want? Who are they? What content are they most likely to consume? Once you have understood the kind of audience which you are dealing with, it is very easy to craft a content strategy that accurately aligns with their interests and needs. A common reason, no doubt, why most content strategies fail is the discordance which exists between the strategy and the kind of audience at which the content marketing strategy is targeted. Try to define your audience so that you don’t fall into the common but futile mistake of writing for the wrong people. You might be very knowledgeable and passionate about your product but try to write to your customers and not necessarily your peers.
As a player in any industry you are always exposed to two main kinds of audiences-your customers and your peers or competitors. These are two different people altogether with very different concerns. You must always develop content which specifically address the needs and concerns of your customers.
Creating Your Content Strategy
Once you have clearly defined your audience and objective, then crafting the right content strategy becomes a very easy affair. Start by carrying out effective keyword research on your niche and select the list of keywords around which your content marketing will revolve. Read some of the leading industry blogs and magazines to keep abreast of new trends and developments and then inform your audiences accordingly. These will also give you valuable ideas for your next articles which is key to creating content that delivers value to your readers. This is usually called newsjacking and it is a very effective content marketing strategy. Lastly, keep to the knitting. Be very consistent. Your content strategy must have very long range goals.
