3 Elements of a Killer Content Strategy

You know why you need a content strategy – but how exactly do you go about creating a good one? Well, say no more – I’m breaking down some elements of a killer content strategy, here!

1) Do Your Homework

First things first! Before you can create a killer content strategy, you really need to do a little homework upfront. Here’s two things I’d recommend looking at to start:

Brand Idea

Your brand idea represents what you stand for, what it’s like to do business with you, and is essentially the driving principle that people feel when they interact with your brand. This will be reflected in everything from your marketing and consultations, to your sales process, customer service experience, etc. This will also trickle into your content strategy in your messaging. Things to consider here include:

● What do you do?
● Why do you do it?
● How do you do it?
● What are your core values?
● What’s your brand voice/tone?
● What’s your brand persona?
● What do you want people to think about your brand?

You want to get clear on this so you can create a consistent brand experience for your customers and clients – so don’t skip this step!

Market Research

Once you’ve gotten a good handle on your brand idea, you’ll then want to learn a bit more about your target audience and ideal customers – after all, without them – you’re not really running a business, now, are you? Here, you’ll want to go to where your audience is hanging out – whether it be a social media platform, community forum, networking events, etc. This will give you plenty of opportunities to learn a bit more about your ideal customer so you can find out what makes them tick. I recommend creating a customer avatar and filling out some basic information, like:

Remember: the better you know your audience, the better content you’ll create because you’ll know exactly what it is they need. Once you know what your audience needs, you can create content that they will not only be able to enjoy and relate to – but you’ll be in a position to offer them a solution with your products and/or services.

2) Nail Down Your Business Goals

Okay, okay – this one might sound totally obvious, but hear me out! Oftentimes, I find that that many biz owners create and share content because they feel they “have to” or because they want more followers, more views, sales, etc. BUT, it’s never that specific.

You see, when you create content with the intention to convert (I mean, why else are you doing it?), you want to get super specific with your overall end goal so you can create a content strategy to help you achieve that goal. So, really sit down and think hard about what you want to accomplish. If it’s sales, how much revenue are you trying to bring in and by what date? If it’s followers, how many are you looking to gain and what’s the game plan for nurturing those followers once you’ve attained them? If it’s to increase web traffic, to what volume are you trying to reach and how will you convert them once they’ve landed on your page?

Once you’ve nailed down your specific business goals, you can create a super-specific strategy (and content!) to help you achieve them. Make sense?

3) Determine What Your Audience Needs

And of course, you aren’t going to reach those goals without understanding your target audience. As we talked about earlier, it’s important to do your research ahead of time to get to know your ideal customer and what makes them tick. Determine their likes and dislikes, their pain points or common challenges, etc.

After you’ve done that, you should have a pretty good feel for what it is they need help with or what might be lacking on the market that you could potentially fill (aka your offer!). This is when content creation becomes easier because you can create content that speaks directly to them. When you do this, you won’t only attract the right people – but, you’ll keep them engaged long enough to hear about your fabulous products and services!

Create Your Strategy

Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with your brand idea, your business goals and your audience, it’s time to marry those concepts together to create a killer content strategy that not only meets the needs of your biz – but the needs of your audience as well.

Think you could use a little extra support with your content strategy? Then, be sure to check out The Strategy Bundle – where I’m providing worksheets that will walk you through the basics!