Create content that has a lasting effect on your company’s success
Every company has a website to present itself on the Internet. On this site, interested parties can find all information about the products, services offered or even an online shop for direct purchase. However, a website alone is not enough. The content must be relevant. If you not only want to reach out to your audience, but also conquer it successfully, you need a plan. Or, to be precise, a content strategy.
A content strategy, also referred to as a content marketing strategy, is the core of content marketing. It includes the planning, creation as well as a possible optimization of the published content. The aim is to support a company’s content marketing efficiently and to exploit all potentials effectively. A result can be an increased brand awareness and customer loyalty. There are various aspects that need to be considered in this context. This has to be done individually for each company, because every product, every service, and every target group is different and has its own requirements. Therefore, there is no universal patent solution that prescribes processes and measures for successful content.
A sustainable and tailor-made content marketing strategy defines exactly, in which framework the targeted content creation and the consequent publishing are useful for the respective company.
The necessary steps to develop a content strategy
As with any strategic planning, the content marketing strategy begins with a meticulous analysis.
First, you need to define your goals. What does your company want to achieve with its content? Possible answers to this question could be that the website should achieve better visibility and ranking in Google search results, generate more traffic or even improve the brand image. If the company is active in a specific industry, it can present itself as an expert in its field with targeted content. Once these goals are defined, they are prioritized to align the content strategy accordingly.
Next, it is time for a detailed content audit. This involves creating a status quo of the existing content: What content do you have in general, is it relevant for the company, on which channels is it presented and is it target group-specific? Such a list also shows whether topics are missing, how the content was received by the audience, and what didn’t work at all.
For the content strategy, there are various starting points here. For example, how content can be optimized, where new content can be produced, and how the target group must be addressed. To find out about this, analyzing the target group is also part of the strategic planning process. After all, if you know your users, consumers or customers, you know where, when and how you can reach out to them in the best possible way.
Planning and coordination: A content strategy takes shape
Got your targets prioritized? Do you know your target group? Do you have an overview of the available contents? Then start with the next step: planning and coordinating the content creation. In this process step, it is primarily recorded how the content should look like, which message it should convey, and which format should be created. This is where the findings of the target group analysis come into play: On which channels and when do I meet the target group online? How often can I play out content to them without making them feel annoyed? Such questions play an important role in content strategy development, as well as the keyword research, on which the SEO strategy or concept is based.
What needs to be done in the blog, on the website, in the online shop or on Facebook, Instagram and Co. is recorded in an editorial plan. This has the advantage that you have a clear overview over all steps, and, at the same time, you can plan resources accordingly. Thus, every party involved in the content creation process knows what has to be done when and how. And if a company does not have the necessary resources available, a content agency like dietz.digital can provide support.
Pleasant to read and in various forms: This is what good content looks like
The content strategy also defines the specifications of how the content is supposed to look like. With these guidelines in mind, content creation is ready to start. Which formats should be used preferably? Does your audience expect classic articles with a text-image combination or is it advisable to use a picture gallery for certain topics, e.g. step-by-step instructions? Videos, infographics and other formats that transport information in a clear and vivid way should also be considered. And again: What is suitable for the respective company must be decided individually.
Now, what makes good content? The following requirements have proven successful again and again:
- The content is unique. This means that it was created especially for the blog, website, etc. and cannot be found on other sites.
- The content is target group-specific.
- The content is prepared in an entertaining and informative.
- The texts do not contain spelling and grammar errors and are formatted legibly for online use, i.e. with subheadings, paragraphs, and a font that is easy to read on all devices.
- The contents are SEO-optimized so that they can be found easily and quickly by search engines.
- The content can be shared easily via social media.
Do your contents meet these criteria? Then they are ready to be published. In order to increase the reach of the contents, a so-called seeding is performed – it helps to distribute the contents or creates attention for them in the social media channels available. Then it’s time for the next step.
Content strategy and KPIs: Ready for Controlling?
Whether a content marketing strategy pays off, shows clearly in controlling and monitoring. Once the goals have been clearly defined, you can control them by using various KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Examples of KPIs include the determination of the articles with the highest traffic, visitors, and access figures or the SEO ranking itself. Such metrics have their place in online marketing and enable constant adjustment of content planning. Thus, data can be used to prove whether content fulfills its purpose or whether it needs to be optimized. Especially the last step of the content strategy should be carried out consistently and over a longer period of time. This is the only way to show whether the developed content strategy has a lasting effect and will prove successful in the end.