What you say is just as important as when and how you say it. Getting the right message seen by the right audience members on the right medium is the formula for success that all marketers aim for, but an improper content strategy can make that goal a tall order.
The development, planning, creation, delivery, and management of content is known as content strategy. The goal is to develop relevant, consistent, engaging, and long-lasting material that appeals to the company’s target customers and satisfies its marketing objectives – think of it as a beacon that guides the production of all elements that compose your marketing efforts. James Weiss, Big Drop’s Senior Director, says:
If sound user experience is the foundation for ‘good’ web design, then content strategy is the essence of sound user experience. In the context of website design, content strategy really has the power to inform and validate information architecture decisions that go on to facilitate the visual elements that comprise the user interface. Understanding when specific attributes need to be served within a user’s journey is a major contributing factor in driving conversion – hence why content strategy will always be a fixture within our project process.”
When it comes to content creation, that beacon should define all a marketer needs to know about their goals. Consider the following if you aren’t convinced that content strategy needs to be a necessary part of your marketing plan:
1. Sets And Reaches Goals
All marketing efforts should help reach goals. A strategy for content enables better work planning to ensure all marketing efforts are directed towards the same objectives. A well-documented roadmap for your content increases the likelihood of being rewarded with actual results. can better be rewarded
2. Identifies New Opportunities
Successful marketers are always on the lookout for innovative ways to create new, and relevant content to attract a larger portion of their target audience. A solid strategy should detail all of the outlets, including emerging ones, that make sense to leverage for maximum audience engagement and the types of trending content consumed on those outlets. A content strategy is necessary for consistently producing content that converts. That is if the strategy includes the right guidelines, such as:
- Who your target audience is
- The tone of content
- Style and formatting
- Distribution and promotional channels to leverage
3. Tracks Progress
No strategy is complete, or effective, without a way to measure results. That’s why defining what you want to achieve before starting a content campaign needs to be top-of-mind. In other words, your short and long-term objectives serve as a gauge for measuring the quality of your efforts. A solid content strategy should lay out the metrics you should track and analyze on a regular basis to see if your marketing efforts are paying off.
4. Cuts Costs
Content creation and distribution can be pricey. When marketers work without a strategy for content, they are more likely to lose sight of the larger picture and overspend on projects, leaving only a limited amount of money for later in the year. Content strategies assist marketers to determine how much money should be spent on each project and how they can decrease expenses if necessary.
If your guidelines are clear for your content strategy, your marketing team will have the foundations they need to tackle any new project.
Get in touch with Big Drop today to talk about the right strategy for your business.