You’re in a marketing meeting and someone makes a suggestion.
The idea (and your immediate reaction) sounds something like this.
“Let’s make an industry report.”
Waitaminute… Research reports are an effective format, but that’s not a plan.
“Let’s write blog posts about our services.”
Waitaminute… That’s just a topic. That’s not a plan.
“Let’s connect with that influencer.”
Waitaminute… That influencer has a great audience. But this isn’t a plan.
This is a common problem in content marketing. Ideas are everywhere, but strategic plans are in short supply. Most ideas are just a topic (“let’s write about x”) or a format (“let’s make videos”) or a channel (“let’s do Instagram”).
Really a great plan would combine all of these elements (topics, formats, promotion channels) and mix in a few more. There are at least six key aspects in the best content marketing plans. They fit nicely in a chart under three columns: creation, promotion and measurement.
A content program that includes all six of these aspects is very likely to succeed. It’s comprehensive. It’s strategic.
Let’s look at each one more closely.
Just because an idea includes all six doesn’t mean it has to be super detailed. In fact, a quick content strategy can be summarized in a single sentence …maybe two.
So here are three very brief but comprehensive content strategies which go way deeper into those three shallow ideas listed above. Each is an example of how content marketing is about creative, collaborative ideas with few out-of-pocket expenses and many long-term benefits.
We’ll start each with a business and a few marketing goals. Sound fun? Ready? Here we go!
As a B2B service provider in a high-consideration category, trust is important. Our services aren’t cheap, so leads are potentially valuable. Some of our prospects need help urgently (we’ve been breeched!) so staying top of mind is critical.
So we have a few simple goals.
Goals:
Research reports can build trust, right? Someone read that in a blog post, so they suggested it in a meeting.
Not a plan:
“Let’s make an industry report”
A report is just a FORMAT for content, just like video or podcasts or case studies. It may be a very effective format for content and part of a great content strategy, but a format is not a plan.
Content marketing plan:
“Let’s survey 200+ experts about top trends in cybersecurity and…
interview the five most famous experts, then…
publish a detailed, visual industry report…
in collaboration with a cybersecurity association’s trade publication.
We’ll encourage partners/contributors to share and link to it…
Repackage as a video and presentation for live events and…
repeat the research annually.”
That’s a detailed content strategy (or at least a high-level description of a comprehensive content program) in just a few sentences. Let’s unpack it a bit more.
It started as just a format. But when we add the other five aspects, it suddenly becomes much more strategic. It now has promotion plans and influencer collaborations. More formats are included and a publishing partner has been added to the mix. Suddenly, it’s very likely to succeed.
Let’s highlight a few of the strengths of this plan:
What if we support this with paid advertising?
A program like this could easily be supported with paid. This would add gas to the promotion engine. Imagine:
Our buyer wants to take good care of an inflatable boat. They like to do some things themselves, so publishing DIY tips for boat repair is an obvious fit. But if we can rank for the commercial-intent phrase we’ll drive a steady stream of qualified leads.
Goals:
Not a plan:
“Let’s write blog posts about boat storage”
It’s an idea but definitely not a plan. “Boat storage tips” is a TOPIC for a content program. It may have a great audience/topic fit. Our readers might really need this information. But a topic isn’t a plan. Let’s mix in the other five aspects and see what it looks like.
Content marketing plan:
“Let’s write a big inflatable boat storage guide on our site…
Then partner with a blog for fishing tour operators to write a 5-part series about boat maintenance…
Linking back to our own blog and our boat maintenance page and…
The final article will launch at the end of the boating season…
We’ll gather pics of boat storage problems from Facebook…
Then do light-hearted video interviews with a fishing/boating influencer about do’s and don’t’s of boat storage…
And then invite viewers to subscribe to get the boat maintenance guide.”
Now that’s much more of a plan. It includes the various formats for publishing, the promotion channels, the influencers and the timing.
Clearly, when we build in the other key aspects of a good content marketing strategy, success is easy to imagine. Success seems inevitable!
Let’s highlight a few of the strengths of this plan:
As a cultural and conservation institution, our audience cares deeply about the environment, but it’s tricky to keep their attention and get them interested in our seasonal programs. Social is great, but email is our best tool for keeping in touch with members and prospective members and donors.
Goals:
Not a plan:
“Let’s connect with that influencer”
Influencer marketing may be effective and the right COLLABORATOR may win attention for the museum and your programs, but it’s just the sprout of an idea. It’s not a developed plan.
Content marketing plan:
“We are going to reach out to that well-known photographer…
and ask them to be the judge in a nature photo contest…
We’ll promote the contest on Instagram using a hashtag and…
gather submissions (and email addresses) on our website…
Visitors will vote for winners among the finalists selected by the judge, then…
We’ll announce the winner live on Facebook…
using a local news anchor as the host…
then ask if they’ll cover the story on their local TV news show.”
That feels much more strategic.
It’s visual and collaborative. It empowers our audience with user-generated content. And it’s focused on the local market, which fits our audience. And there could be multiple winners for various age groups or types of photos.
Let’s highlight a few of the strengths of this plan:
And in the end, it will trigger awareness for the museum and for conservation, which is the ultimate mission.
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Michael Brenner, Marketing Insider Group“Your potential customers are searching for solutions to their biggest problems every single day. But the best strategies go beyond the keyphrase. Work with influencers and subject matter experts and you’ll improve both your reach and your credibility.” |
Each of these examples was overly simplistic. But that was the idea. An actual plan would include several more aspects of content strategy that we skipped completely, including:
In the end, a strategy is just a plan to reach a goal. And a plan is an idea with more specifics. So once you add in those specifics and align everything with a goal, you basically have a content strategy.
Idea + Specifics + Goals = Content Strategy
Put it all together and you’re ready to turn on the machine.
What if I met you at a conference? Could you give me a concise elevator pitch that covered those six aspects in a single description? If not your entire content strategy, what about one part of it?
Marketers need to sell their ideas in meetings with bosses and pitches to clients. Sometimes we need to sell the idea of content marketing or defend a marketing strategy when someone asks “Why should we blog?” Of course, the answer is “We aren’t just blogging. We are…”
That’s where you come in with an easily summarized content strategy.
That concise, strategic summary is a fantastic sales tool.
Bonus! While we’re celebrating brevity…
…here’s a summary of content strategy in 180 seconds. Enjoy!
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