What is Content Strategy? Framework for Consistent Digital Impact

If you want to get the most reach for your marketing campaigns, digital marketing is a great way to do so.

However, paid ads aren't always the answer. Today's consumers don't want to be marketed to - they want to be educated on the things they care about so they can make informed decisions. This is where content marketing comes in.

When compared with paid search, content marketing generates 3x the leads per dollar spent. It also outperforms outbound marketing by the same amount, while also costing 62% less. Despite this, only 39% of marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. Having a strategy in place is critical for driving conversions. Especially since you will be able to easily identify low-performing content and improve them.

Blogging is a powerful form of content marketing. Roughly 77% of internet users read blogs, and small businesses with blogs are generating 126% more leads than those that don't. In fact, 61% of US online consumers have made purchases based on the recommendations found in blogs. This shows how effective content marketing can be at building consumer trust for brands.

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If you want to generate more traffic and conversions for your business, then a top-notch content marketing strategy is vital.

Let’s take a look at what a content strategy is and how you can create one.

An overview of a content strategy

A content strategy is a plan for all of the media you create for your business. This includes blogs, ebooks, videos, infographics, images, and any other written, visual, downloadable, or usable content. The purpose of this content is to position your brand as an expert in your industry and build trust with your target audience.

Having a content strategy is crucial for ensuring that your content is effective throughout your content lifecycle. Without a plan, your content may not reach its intended audience or achieve the desired results.

A sound content strategy helps you to research your target audience and create content that resonates with them. It also outlines how to distribute and promote your content to reach the right people at the right time.

In short, a content strategy framework helps you to design, rather than just create, your content.

By taking the time to develop a content strategy, you can ensure that your content is both useful and engaging to your audience.

This, in turn, can help to build visibility, trust, and ultimately, earn the business of your target audience.

Creating content specifically for your audience

In order to create content that resonates with your audience, you need to have a detailed understanding of who they are.

A well-thought-out content strategy can help you to identify your target audience and create profiles for each group. This will allow you to tailor your content to their specific interests, concerns, and questions.

Your web content strategy should outline who your target audience is, what problems they have that your product or service can solve, and which platforms to use to reach them.

You may find that you have more than one audience, in which case your strategy should include content for each group on the platforms they use most.

By creating content specifically for your audience, you can ensure that it is engaging and useful to them. This will help to build trust and position your brand as an expert in your industry.

Resolving the problems of your target audience

Once you have identified your target audience, it's important to learn more about them and their needs.

Your content strategy should include data that will help you create content that is more effective. This means looking at your product or service and understanding how it helps your customers to solve a problem.

One part of the content funnel is educating your audience on their issues and concerns. By answering their questions and teaching them how to overcome challenges, you can help them move from the awareness phase to the consideration phase.

At this point, they are considering your product or service and are more likely to make a purchase.

It's not just new customers who benefit from this type of content.

Your educational pieces can also help to reinforce the solutions you offer to your current customers, making them more qualified to use your product.

This type of content can help to build trust and position your brand as an expert in your industry.

Setting yourself apart from competitors

Having a content strategy can help your business to stand out from the competition. In the same industry, all businesses can look similar without unique content to differentiate them. Your branded content, including your logo and the copy you create for ads and blogs, plays a role in creating a unique identity for your business.

A content strategy can ensure that your branded content aligns with the voice, theme, and goals of your company. It should showcase what makes your business and its products or services unique. When done well, this can help to attract customers and encourage them to choose your business over your competitors.

Selecting the formats used for content

When creating a content strategy, it's important to consider the formats you will use for your content. There are many options to choose from, including traditional written text in the form of blog posts or articles, as well as more visual formats such as infographics and videos.

Combining different formats can help to keep your content fresh and engage a wider audience.

To determine the best formats to use, it's important to research your audience and understand their preferences. This will help you to create content that resonates with them and meets their needs.

By choosing the right formats, you can ensure that your content is effective and achieves the desired results.

Deciding which channels to publish to

To maximize the reach of your content, it's important to consider the channels you will use to publish it. While publishing content on your own blog can be effective, there are many other channels that can help to increase the visibility of your content.

Social media, for example, is a popular channel that allows businesses to communicate with their audience and engage with them in real-time.

When deciding which channels to use, it's important to consider which platforms are the best fit for your brand and its audience.

For example, a highly visual industry may benefit from using Pinterest, while a B2B company may find LinkedIn to be a more effective channel. It's also essential to research which channels your audience is using, as this will help you to ensure that your content is seen by the right people.

Planning content management

In order to create and publish high-quality content consistently, it's important to have a plan in place for content management. Your content strategy should outline who is responsible for each aspect of content development, including keyword research, topic creation, content writing, publishing, and promotion. It should also detail how often content will be published and on which channels.

Having a content strategy is crucial for ensuring that your content is effective. Without a plan, your content may not reach its intended audience or achieve the desired results. A content strategy helps you to research your target audience and create content that resonates with them. It also outlines how to distribute and promote your content to reach the right people at the right time.

In short, a content strategy helps you to design, rather than just create, your content. By taking the time to develop a content strategy, you can ensure that your content is both useful and engaging to your audience. This, in turn, can help to build visibility, trust, and ultimately, earn the business of your target audience.

Having clear guidelines for content management is essential for ensuring that your content is consistent and engaging for your audience. By publishing content regularly that provides value to your audience, you can establish your brand as a thought leader and authority in your industry. This can help to build trust and encourage your audience to engage with your content and, ultimately, make a purchase.

Creating your brand story

Having a consistent brand story, mission, and voice is essential for effective communication with your target audience. Without these elements, your brand may come across as unauthentic and may not resonate with your audience.

A content strategy can help to ensure that your brand messaging and voice are consistent across all channels and formats.

For example, if your blog posts have a serious tone and your ads have a silly tone, it may appear off brand and misaligned with your brand's personality. This can be confusing for your audience and may turn them off.

A content strategy can help to ensure that all of your content is aligned with your brand's story, mission, and voice, creating a cohesive brand experience for your audience.

Understanding your company vision

Your brand vision is an important part of your content strategy. It outlines where your business is trying to go, how it will be perceived in the future, and what direction it will take. This vision will guide the content you create and help to ensure that it aligns with your brand's goals and values.

For example, if your brand vision is to become an influencer and thought leader in your industry, your content strategy should focus on creating authoritative content that positions you as an expert. This could include creating in-depth articles, appearing on podcasts, conducting interviews with industry leaders, and hosting live Q&A events online.

To ensure that your content strategy is effective, it's important to set milestones and goals for your brand. This will help to keep you on track and ensure that you are making progress towards achieving your vision. By setting these milestones, you can create a road map for your brand and ensure that your content is aligned with your long-term goals.

How to create your content strategy

It’s a lot easier to come up with a content strategy with the help of digital marketing experts. However, it’s still good to know what the process consists of.

Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect during the creation of your content plan:

• Defining your goals as a brand. It’s essential to know why you’re creating content in the first place. Is it to attract more subscribers, website traffic, or customers? Your goal will be the aim of your overall strategy.
• Identifying your customer personas. You’ll have to conduct research to learn all you can about your prospects. The more you know, the easier it’ll be to attract, engage, and convert them.
• Conducting an audit of your content. If you already own content on your blog, social media, and other channels, then you’ll need to go through it. See which ones performed well and what hasn’t. Use this as a guide to see what you need to do to upgrade your content efforts.
• Deciding on a CMS (content management system). This will allow you to quickly upload content to your blog and social media accounts. This is good to have to streamline your content publishing.
• Coming up with content ideas. It’s important to have a calendar in place with the topics, dates, and channels for your content.

Developing your content strategy

It’s time to put together a strategy for your business – but where do you begin? Not to worry, this is where many businesses struggle.

Thankfully, there are experts out there who can help you organize it all. At gardenpatch, we have a team of dedicated professionals who can both develop and execute your content strategy.

If you’d like to learn more, then reach out to us today!

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