Everyone knows by now: content is king. But if you also want to achieve conversion results with that content, you will have to come up with a good content strategy. Why do you have to invest in it? And how do you set up such a content strategy? Learn all about it with this checklist.
Why invest in content strategy?
Consumers are looking for companies that add value. Not only through products or services but also by offering relevant information. A good content marketing strategy actually has only advantages.
So preferably you also have a plan of action. With our 10 tips, you will soon be able to set up a content strategy yourself.
How do you set up a content strategy?
1. Create buyer personas
The most important thing is to put your customer first and not your products or services. So develop good content from the customer needs. Therefore, get to know your target audience. Who is your customer? Who are you going to create content for?
The only way to create relevant content is to find out what your target audience finds relevant. So you’ll have to go out and do some research. Do you really want to understand your target audience? Then you create a persona for each of your ideal customers, a buyer persona. Give each persona a name, a life, background info, demographics, interests, etc.
2. Make a keyword list
Go deeper into the online behavior of your target audience and compile a list of keywords that your buyer personas use as search terms. Then process this list of keywords in an SEO-friendly way in your content. Go into great detail and do not limit yourself to stand-alone keywords, but also focus on long-tail keywords. An example for this article is:
– Keyword: content strategy
– Longtail keyword: start a content strategy yourself
3. Create content for each stage of the buyer journey
A very specific target audience does not mean that everyone lands on your website for the same reason – read: in an identical phase of the customer’s journey. A first visit is by no means the same as someone who comes back and is about to decide whether you are going to be their supplier. You will have to provide customised content .
Start with an inventory of your existing content. Which buyer persona is it intended for in which phase of the buyer journey? This will give you a quick overview of the weak spots in your existing content. If necessary, adjust the content here and there and create new content according to your needs.
Important here is also that you optimize the content for the readers and not for search engines! If you produce good content for your clients on a regular basis, Google will positively evaluate this for your SEO anyway.
4. Add the characteristics of your brand
Your brand has an identity and a story. A story that is based on the values you stand for. Those values are the glue that connects you to your target audience .
5. Make a planning per channel
Each channel – like your content and your brand – has an identity, a purpose and an audience. The important thing is to determine in a balanced and efficient way on which channels you will be present and with which updates. Create more engagement through inbound marketing: the right content in the right place at the right time.
6. Put together a balanced content offering
Think about how you want your audience to interact with the content. Diversify your content not only in terms of content, but also in terms of form. This coincides with the choice of a channel. Think of the difference between a Tweet and a post on Instagram or Facebook. In addition, you should preferably also provide a varied selection of blog posts, newsletters, infographics, webinars, white papers or e-books and perhaps even physical books.
7. Determine a publication frequency you know you can maintain
Yes, of course, people everywhere are saying that you should post as much as possible. Sounds good, a new blog every day, a biweekly infographic, a monthly white paper and so on. In between, you then have to post to social media several times a day. Something like this may be feasible at the launch of your content plan, but the question is will you be able to sustain it in the long run?
Why is it necessary to think about this? Because you’re creating a pattern of expectation among your followers. If you don’t keep up the pace, people are going to question it. Is there something going on? Did I miss something? Is my supplier not doing so well? Choose for feasibility from the start and your followers will be permanently served on their content- and information hunger.
8. Create a content calendar
Time flies and you need a handhold. A content calendar ensures that you plan ahead sufficiently. You think about seasonal subjects in good time, for example. Or make sure that any translations of your content are included in the planning if you have a multilingual website.
9. Measure, analyse and adjust
A schedule is a framework. The coat rack you hang your content on. Starting a content strategy means that you have certain goals in mind. Permanently analyze whether you are achieving them. See what works and what does not work and adjust your content both formally and content-wise.
Does your target audience respond better to videos than infographics? Then you might consider increasing the frequency for your videos. Is there more engagement on Pinterest than on LinkedIn? Analyze why. Are you selecting the right content for that particular channel? Maybe your target audience is less represented there?
Be flexible and give your followers what they ask for. You will get a lot of engagement in return.
10. Level up with marketing automation
Marketing automation tools take your content strategy to another level. You serve your audience personalized content. Thanks to intelligent software, you build a profile of your prospects. You know which content was viewed by whom. So you always offer content tailored to the right moment.
Content strategy: no superfluous luxury
In summary, content strategy is not a luxury. Starting a content strategy yourself is first and foremost a matter of good preparation. Do your homework thoroughly, then you have more effective content. And yes, that takes time, resources and knowledge. If you want to do it properly, it is advisable to free up specific staff for this. You won’t get very far with the better guesswork.
