Five Easy Steps to Developing a Content Strategy
Developing a content strategy is the lifeblood of Internet marketing. Consistently updating and presenting your content benefits you in two ways: your customers and prospects become engaged when you share your expertise, and search engines like Google and Yahoo love the rich, buttery taste of new, relevant content.
Many Web sites include tools for adding fresh articles and blogs on a regular basis – are you taking advantage? Here’s how to get started:
1. Understand your audience.
The key to any content strategy is to fully understand the needs of your prospects and clients. What information can you provide to solve their problems and what’s the best way to present it?
2. Develop a blog/article strategy.
First, assign an editor. This could be a marketing director, a visionary executive, or an outsourced professional journalist. The editor’s job is to determine what types of articles and blog posts should be developed and posted on the site. Next, establish an editorial calendar (what topics are we going to post, who’s going to write it, when are we going to post it). Develop some consistency so that your writers can be comfortable and your audience can rely on you for new information.
3. Collect relevant email addresses.
Include an email signup form on your Web site. Make sure your sales and marketing professionals who engage with prospects collect emails, too. Get everyone in the company engaged in this process, and you’ll see your database grow quickly.
4. Build a newsletter.
Now that you have articles and blog posts on your Web site, you don’t have to create as much new content for a newsletter. Simply incorporate headlines and lead paragraphs with links to the articles on your site. Also, you might want to include some of the latest news headlines from your industry. Don’t forget the calendar of events, especially if you are attending trade shows, speaking engagements and conferences.
5. Find additional distribution channels.
If your company has a Facebook page and Twitter accounts, these are obvious places to promote your blogs and articles. Look at your channel partners and see what they are doing–there might be an opportunity to send them article links to run in their communities. Look for associations that your company participates in and offer them your RSS feeds. These opportunities extend your reach in front of relevant audiences.