A content marketing strategy may seem simple on the surface. And there is some truth to that. Creating a social post or writing up an answer to a question in a blog format may be a straightforward process.
However, to be effective, there are a lot of nuances and elements of content marketing that you want to consider, starting with the why behind content creation in the first place.
The content gurus at DemandJump point out that the primary importance of content creation in business is that it allows companies to “reach more customers and gives them the potential to sell more products.”
Simple, right? But why does content do this? For several reasons, actually. Content has a positive impact on business promotion by:
There are many reasons content can impact your brand. However, these don’t manifest by simply embracing an “if you create it, they will come” mentality.
You need to infuse your approach to creating content with an effective content marketing strategy. This starts with establishing a clear roadmap that identifies content KPIs and the tactics required to execute them.
Equally important is a comprehensive framework to help execute this strategy.
A content strategy framework helps you align your digital marketing activities with your larger marketing strategy. It considers your entire content strategy and links larger goals and objectives with specific tactics and resources.
A content marketing strategy framework provides the comprehensive infrastructure necessary to execute your content strategy and, critically, achieve the results you’re hoping to reach. It helps you make the leap from theoretical strategy to bonafide content marketing results.
If you want your content framework and strategy to be effective, it’s important to remember the five C’s of content marketing. These are a quick and easy collective of “C-related” concepts that can help keep your content on the straight and narrow as you go along:
Before you create a single piece of content, you need to set the stage. Concocting content marketing strategies and formulating the frameworks to execute them is ground zero for content success.
At this stage, you want to consider everything. Start with the big stuff, like your content marketing objectives and target audience segments for each strategy.
From there, add in the nitty-gritty details. What resources do you have available? What content strategy templates will you need to repeatedly create strategy-infused content for social media, emails, blogs, and so on?
Once you’ve built your strategies, assembled your team, considered your resources, and developed templates, it’s time to start creating. This is the fun part, but you want to keep your eye on the prize every step of the way.
Creating content — specifically marketing content — can be tricky. It doesn’t matter if you’re fleshing out a 5,000-word whitepaper or reducing a complex concept into a 280-character Tweet. You always want to provide quality information in a format that engages readers.
From there, you also want to keep your larger content strategy and objectives in mind. From SEO optimization to calls to action to strategy-specific messaging, make sure every piece of content is pushing you toward your KPIs.
High-quality content informs readers and satisfies search engines. Above all, though, good content converts.
Conversions are a major part of how you create value with content. A conversion can be anything of value, from signing up for a newsletter to requesting a demo, downloading a whitepaper, or even buying something.
It’s important to craft your content with appropriate CTAs embedded in them. This should match the level of the sales funnel that the content is made for and be clear, helpful, and not too salesy.
Just because you incorporate a CTA into your content doesn’t mean it’s going to work. That’s where checking comes into play.
Once you’ve created and published your content, you want to take the time to review it. What content is converting well? What content isn’t?
If you want your content to contribute to your larger marketing strategy, this step is just as important as creating the content in the first place.
Knowledge may be power, but only if you know how to act on it. That’s why the final “C” of content marketing is to make corrections when necessary.
As you analyze your content’s performance, you’ll see what is working and what isn’t. When something isn’t working, the next step is to make tweaks to improve it.
Even if something is working, if it’s underperforming, you may want to do something to boost its effectiveness. If you’re unsure what steps to take, this is where working with a quality content marketing agency can help.
Content is fun. It’s fascinating. But it won’t be effective until you infuse it with purpose.
Use the “Five C’s” listed above as a way to align each piece of content that you create with your larger marketing strategy and objectives. That way, you can enjoy not only the content creation process itself but the results that it generates, too.
