6 Steps to a Simple and Effective Content Strategy

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In an increasingly crowded digital landscape, there’s more content than ever vying for audiences’ attention.   That’s a lot of marketers creating a lot of content, and for good reason. According to Aspiration Marketing, content marketing can increase customer lifetime value by up to 70%. When it seems like everyone is playing the game, how can you get your content to stand out?

The key is to be ultra-selective. And, as always, it starts with your audience. You want to develop a deep understanding of who you’re serving and then tailor your output to their distinct needs. Some basic — but essential — pointers on crafting content that builds trust and affinity with your market are:

The risks of producing content without strategy.  Have you ever come across branded content that feels out of step with its brand voice, like a fashion company blogging about the best food in Manhattan or a literature publisher weighing in on pet grooming?  This can happen when your brand lacks a content strategy that outlines topics and formats that best serve your audience. Without a plan to keep content focused on customers, you risk wasting your business’s resources (and audience’s time) on low-quality material that doesn’t resonate.  Furthermore, without a long-term plan, you also risk crafting generalized content that doesn’t address your audience’s specific questions or pain points, leaving readers disinterested and confused. A strong content strategy is a lens through which you can quickly and consistently assess whether a content idea is worth pursuing. Over time, these strategic content decisions create a cohesive brand narrative.

Simple steps to developing an effective content strategy.  Strategy can be intimidating, but the steps to developing strategic content are fairly straightforward. It’s all about getting clear on the outcome you’re driving toward — and working backwards from there: define your goals, research target audiences, audit existing content, select the right content formats, create a content calendar, and adopt a new web address. 

Key questions to guide content production.  To help determine whether your current content output and ideas align with your content strategy, consider answering these questions before starting a piece of content:  Who is your target audience(s)?  How far along are they in the buying journey?  What is your topic and goal?  Where will you publish your content?  Which formats will you use?  It’s not rocket science — but it’s amazing how frequently brands publish materials without considering these basic questions. Don’t be one of them!

Good strategy makes content effective.  The best strategies are built on a knowledge framework, starting with understanding your customers and their needs. You also must define your goals to know where your marketing strategy needs to take you.