Let’s go back to basics. Before you can begin to start generating content, you must first develop a content marketing plan. Creating a content marketing plan allows you to think through your content strategy and generate content more efficiently. So what exactly needs to go into a great content marketing plan? Read below to find out!
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Start creating your content marketing plan by outlining the goals you hope to achieve with this strategy. Is your goal brand awareness? Or maybe your goal is customer acquisition? Whatever it may be, make sure that your goals are S.M.A.R.T. That is, that they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, and Time-bound. Without these characteristics, your goals will be much harder to attain.
Know What You Have
In order to think about what content you should produce in the future, you have to evaluate what content you already have. Analyze your existing content and determine what factors contributed to your most successful pieces. With this information, you now know how you should generate content in the future and what your audience reacts to. You should also take advantage of those successful content pieces and repurpose them for future use.
Look At Competitors
Beyond looking at your own existing content, take a glance at everyone else’s. How much engagement are your competitors getting from content? Which pieces have seen the least amount of success for your competitors? Begin to think through how you can set yourself apart from your competitors. Set performance standards for yourself as you analyze competitors’ content.
Segment Your Audience
Your audience can be your biggest friend or your biggest enemy, it just depends on how you target them. By segmenting your audience, you can strategically target different groups with various pieces of content. Dividing your audience into groups based on values and lifestyle will give you direction when creating future content.
Brainstorm Ideas
Here comes the fun part! Now that you have an idea of the content market you’re in, you need to think of ideas for what type of content you want to create. What topics will your content focus on? What form will you create your content in – blog, video, podcast? Don’t be afraid to experiment in the beginning of the process and narrow down your choices as you determine what is most successful.
Create an Editorial Calendar
Now that you have ideas, plan out your content for the next few months (2-3) to get a sense of where your it is headed. Make sure you designate who is going to produce what content along with who is in charge of posting of the content. Designate tasks and times for what is to occur in regards to your content marketing strategy so there is no confusion going forward.
If you think you can start content marketing by just creating content and seeing where it goes, you are mistaken. Having a solid content marketing plan will ensure the success of your content in the future because it will be targeted to your audience and well-thought-out.