Content Marketing-5 steps to creating a content marketing strategy

Content Marketing-5 steps to creating a content marketing strategy

As tempting as it might be to start creating that series of infographics you dream about, that’s not going to lead you to long-term content success.

To create quality content that connects with your audience — and helps you reach your business goals — start with these steps for creating a content marketing strategy.

Define your marketing goals. What should your content achieve for your company? Choose specific goals that reflect the realities of your business.
Research your target audience. What are your audience demographics? What are their values and pain points? 50% of content marketers say connecting with their audience on these issues was a key factor in their strategy’s success.
Choose content formats and distribution channels. Will you use written or visual content, or both? Will your audience find your content through organic search or social media? Focus on the content types that will truly resonate with your audience.
Conduct a content audit. Compile a list of every content asset you have and whether it’s helping you reach your marketing goals. Find ways to refresh or repurpose the ones that don’t.
Create an editorial calendar and action plan. Use the information you’ve gathered to schedule content 3 to 6 months in advance. Start listing tasks and assigning work to your team.
These are pretty basic steps, so you’ll need a little more planning to hit the ground running.

To help with the details, let’s take a look at how to create effective content marketing strategies for 3 major types of content.