Content Marketing Strategy (Part 1): How Content Marketing Works

Why you need a client acquisition strategy

Content can influence your audience’s decision-making process from the other side of the globe. And it's a growing trend. Research from The Content Marketing Institute found that in 2020, 24% of respondents shifted paid dollars to content marketing. But you need a strategy to make your content effective. So, it’s a huge mistake to skip planning and start blogging. But that's what often happens. The first question a business owner might ask is... How difficult can it be to write our own content?

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Case Study: ACME Technology Consulting

ACME Technology Inc. had a great product but no marketing team. The responsibility for their marketing rested on the shoulders of the Founders. But they weren't professional marketers. And they assumed that the goal of marketing was to advertise their product.

Blogging sounded affordable, so they tried that. They figured writing a blog couldn't be more difficult than writing an email message. So, they wrote about what they knew best – their product. But it took them a lot longer than they thought it would. And their blogs attracted few readers.

The Founders tried to get some of the employees to write blogs. But no one had the marketing know-how, writing skills, or spare time. Before they knew it, months had gone by, and no blogs had been published. ACME continued to struggle for leads.

Does this sound familiar??

What content mistakes to avoid

Content marketing often gets put off because there's no plan. So, your first step should be to create a plan known as a Creative Brief. This should include where to reach your target audience, what information to provide, what types of content to create, and how each piece serves your overall strategy. Get these wrong and your content marketing won't work.

Audience:

If your content is not written from your audience’s point of view, they won’t read it. Buyers only care about what's in it for them. And there's lots of content competing for their attention.

Distribution:

Without effective distribution, your content won’t get enough reach. So, it won't be read, seen, or heard by enough prospects.

Buyer's Journey:

Buyers have unique questions at each stage in their buying journey. Without answers to the right questions, a sale is unlikely.

Results:

If you don’t have a plan for how each piece of content will get a specific result, you probably won’t get any results.

How to implement your action plan

The purpose of a content marketing strategy is to take your business from its current state to achieving your desired growth. So, the first step is setting some goals for the growth you are trying to achieve.

Next, you must create a working definition of your most likely customer – a Buyer Persona. This fictitious description lets you create content from your audience's point of view. Then you need content in formats that support each stage of your buyer's journey. Finally, you need an execution plan and a way to track results.?

Basic 7-Step Content Marketing Process

1. Clarify your goals.
2. Develop a buyer persona.
3. Align your content with the buyer’s journey.
4. Establish a content calendar.
5. Determine the expected result for each piece of content.
6. Create content and distribute it to your target audience.
7. Track your results and improve.?

COMING UP: In the next article

Now that you have a basic understanding of the Why, What, and How of content marketing, the next step is to consider your buyers. Who are they? What do they want? How do their needs align with your services?