Did you know that content creation is the task that most B2B content marketers outsource? A whopping 45% of marketing professionals report that they struggle to create content that strikes a chord with their target audience.
That’s why you need a robust content creation strategy to help you both strategize and implement. From finding target keywords to outlining a content calendar – a content creation strategy involves a series of crucial steps.
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Table of contents
1: Performing content research
2: Developing a content creation strategy
3: Creating the content
4: Distributing the content
Why you need a content creation strategy
In the absence of a well-defined strategy, you’ll end up publishing random pieces of content now and then. Worse still, you might post your content at a time when your audience is least likely to be active.
The only way to avoid such a situation is to outline a tenacious content strategy. It offers a plethora of benefits, such as:
Establishes a clear roadmap
Enhances consistency
Targets the right audience
Maximizes resources
Drives engagement and conversions
Establishes brand authority
Enables data-driven decision-making
Keeps you ahead of the competition
Targeting audiences needs, prioritizing SEO, and bringing content collaboration under one roof should all be a key part of your strategy. SEO agency New York
StoryChief lets you brief, assign, write, review, publish, and promote content in one place.
It’s time for us to outline a few useful tactics to help you build a strong content creation strategy that works for your content managers and your writers.
Part I: Performing Content Research
From identifying your target audience to selecting relevant high-volume keywords – adequate research is at the heart of every successful content strategy. Here are a few tips to help you get started: https://ng.ocubedigital.com/
https://sites.google.com/view/digitalmarketing-nigeria/
1. Use Online Surveys
If you already have an extensive mailing list, you can conduct an online survey to understand your audience better.
2. Leverage Audience Polls on Social Media
Social media polls are particularly useful for understanding your audience’s pain points and aspirations.
content marketing most important business resource poll
Poll reveals Social Media/Marketing as the most critical resource for business development in 2016 | Image via Colonial Life
3. Monitor Blog Comments
Doing this will give you an idea of your readers’ expectations, problems, and needs. It can be very beneficial when developing or tweaking your content creation strategy.
4. Focus on Social Listening https://sites.google.com/view/best-chicago-seo-company/
Monitor branded hashtags, and brand name mentions on various social media platforms. Also, keep an eye on the comments section of your social media posts.
5. Use Analytics Tools
Explore Google Analytics and social media analytics for a more in-depth insight into your existing audience’s demographic parameters.
Tip: How to Build Impressive Analytics Reports for Your Clients in StoryChief
6. Don’t Ignore Keyword Research
From blog posts and social media captions to YouTube video descriptions and Instagram hashtags – keywords will come in handy at every stage of your content creation strategy. Make sure you identify meaningful and trending keywords in your niche using keyword research tools such as:
SEMrush
Google Keyword Planner
Keywords Explorer by Ahrefs
Google Trends
Google Search Console
Moz’s Keyword Explorer
Moz Keyword Explorer – content creation strategy
7. Define Clear Goals
Use the SMART methodology of goal-setting to define goals that are:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound
Part 2: Developing your Content Creation Strategy
You can’t jump right into the process of creating and distributing top-notch content. You need to outline a robust content creation strategy first. Here are a few tips that’ll come in handy at this stage:
8. Brainstorm Content Ideas
Gather your team and start jotting down all ideas, themes, and subjects you think will resonate with your audience. You can also use a tool like AnswerThePublic to find the questions your audience is most likely to about a particular topic. When you’ve got many ideas, list them in an Excel spreadsheet and start researching each topic.
9. Audit Your Existing Content
Find your best-performing and worst-performing content assets across various channels. Doing this will help you identify the topics, formats, and distribution channels that are driving maximum traction.
Inside of StoryChief, you can use various filters and searches to find content that needs to be updated. One easy way to find opportunities is to look for posts with low SEO and readability scores. Our SEO and readability optimizer gives you a score for each and tips on how to improve it.
content updates and optimization
10. Outline a Content Calendar
A content calendar outlines your content creation strategy and distribution schedule, so you’ll stay on task and consistent. You’ll find a plethora of content calendar templates online to help with your content creation strategy.
With StoryChief, you can manage your content calendar, create content, publish it, and promote it all in one place.
Content Calendar StoryChief
Tip: The Perfect Content Marketing Calendar Template
11. Create a Content Marketing Playbook
A content marketing playbook (CMP) acts as a quick-reference guide that outlines your organization’s content marketing best practices. It facilitates collaboration and coordination within your team and makes it easier to train new employees.
12. Leverage a Content Marketing Platform
If you have an adequate budget, getting an easy-to-use and reliable content marketing platform like StoryChief is a great idea. It’ll provide you with an all-in-one platform to develop, publish, monitor, and manage various content assets. Make sure you evaluate the available options and select a CMP that best suits your needs.