We’ve discussed SEO and talked about the importance of content; we’ve even said how content is king but then showed you some ways to optimise a site without a blog. But what about creating a content marketing plan? Well today we’re going to look at exactly that with these seven steps to building out your perfect content strategy.
1. Define your target audience
The first step in creating a content marketing plan is to define your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your content? What are their interests, needs, and behaviours? By understanding your audience, you can create content that speaks to them and resonates with them.
2. Set your content marketing goals
Once you’ve defined your target audience, it’s time to set your content marketing goals. What do you want to achieve with your content? Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate leads? By setting clear goals, you can measure the success of your content marketing efforts and make adjustments as needed.
3. Determine your content marketing budget
Next, it’s important to determine your content marketing budget. How much are you willing to invest in your content marketing efforts? Your budget will likely depend on a variety of factors, including your goals, target audience, and the resources you have available. By setting a budget, you can ensure that you’re allocating your resources effectively and maximising the return on your investment.
4. Develop a content marketing strategy
Once you’ve defined your target audience, set your goals, and determined your budget, it’s time to develop a content marketing strategy. This will involve identifying the types of content you’ll create, the channels you’ll use to distribute your content, and the frequency of your content publishing.
Example content marketing strategy
For example, let’s say you run a fashion retail website and your target audience is young women aged 18-30. Your goal is to drive traffic to your website and increase online sales. Your budget is $500 per month. Your content marketing strategy might include:
- Publishing 2 blog posts per week on your website, focused on fashion trends and styling tips
- Using social media to promote your blog posts and interact with your audience
- Creating Instagram posts featuring your products and offering exclusive discounts to your followers
- Partnering with influencers in the fashion industry to promote your products
- Send regular email newsletters that educate your audience about your product or service
By following this strategy, you can reach your target audience and achieve your content marketing goals while staying within your budget.
5. Create a content calendar
Once you have your content marketing strategy in place, it’s helpful to create a content calendar to plan out your content in advance. This will allow you to organise your content, schedule your publishing, and ensure that you’re consistently creating and distributing new content.
