Developing an effective content strategy

Welcome to the second part of ‘Developing an effective content strategy’. In the first part, I set the scene – addressing why you need a content strategy, defining what you’ll commit to and the importance of doing research. 

No doubt you’ve remembered everything I said in the last one, either that, or you found it so inspiring that you decided to read it to your infant child, hoping the words of wisdom will filter through and assist in crafting the next Simon Sinek. 

And as I’m sure you know – I left you hanging on a metaphorical cliff-edge at the end of part 1 – a synopsis equal to the ending of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’. However, unlike that savvy filmmaker, I’m back to push you gently away from the edge of your seats, and into the sweet embrace of your sofa, chair, or whatever else you’re sitting on while reading this – a horse? I don’t know. 

Anyway, without further ado, let’s push the metaphors to one side (they’ll be back) and jump right back into the subject at hand. 

Have multiple formats

Now you have an idea of the subject matter, how are you going to portray this? Varied is good, but also, don’t commit to various forms of media for the sake of it. What I mean is some topics are better suited as an article, or a news piece, than they are a 30-second TikTok video. And vice-versa. If you know anything about the buyer’s journey, which I’m sure you do, then take this into account. 

Blogs, for example, are great for raising awareness, but you wouldn’t use them to influence a purchase decision. So, define how you will show your content, which formats are most appropriate and what for, taking into account the associated KPIs too. This is because you’ll want to know how it’s doing, so you’ll know whether to stay on course or change tact. This brings me to my next point. Change. 

Embrace change

Plans will change. It’s going to happen. Why? Because everything changes. The nature of the universe is change. Nothing stays the same. You could place a large rock outside, and if you had a) immortality b) an insurmountable amount of willpower and c) nothing better to do, you would witness it, over thousands and thousands of years, erode away and turn to dust.

And now back on track – you could develop the perfect content strategy for your business, but eventually, you will have to change it. This is because markets can be stable, but there’s always some volatility. Industries are influenced by elections, fads, social media trends and so on. Even the most niche industries are subject to change. So when something happens in the market you didn’t expect, accept it. Embrace it. Face it head-on and say to your strategy, “I’ve got you, soldier”, and then adapt accordingly. What will this look like? Who knows. But when it does happen, don’t call Door4 marketing agency asking for help and their services. Definitely don’t do that (please do). 

Cross the t’s, dot the i’s

The final points to consider are crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s. If this were a piece about copywriting, I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to put “literally!” or “pun absolutely intended!”, but it’s not (damn it). So, when finessing your content strategy, don’t forget to schedule your content to correspond most to events, seasons, holidays, or even key dates relevant to your industry. 

We have a longstanding client, PaintNuts, who we would consider a seasonal brand, as they sell more in certain times of the year (spring and summer) than others. So, if this was you, you would consider two things:

1. The subject matter of your content that relates to these times of the year. For example, writing a piece to raise awareness about a vital subject that’s only relevant to winter… in winter – why would you do that? By the time it’s written, proofed, amended, made live and gained traction, winter’s over. And you’ve wasted your window of opportunity. So well done. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail”. 
2. Ramping up certain forms of, or all, content that again corresponds with the seasons. You know your website experiences more sales on X dates or in X months, so wouldn’t it be a wise idea to ramp up your content output during these times too? This is when more customers experience your product than at other times. It’s a time when, therefore, there will be increased awareness by default. By churning out content during these periods, the legwork’s already done for you. It’s like the ball is already rolling, and all you have to do is give it a little nudge every now and again so it stays on course to the sweet destination of even-more-sales-and-positive-testimonials-ville (it’s a real place. Nice, too. I went there last summer). So capitalise on this, take advantage of it, and use the opportunity to tell people how good you really are. 

Develop a process

With that out the way, now you need to develop a process. Who’s going to do what and when? Draw out a framework of responsibilities and assign them accordingly. You might choose to do it all yourself, but I would strongly recommend that you either source additional help for your business or recruit help from an excellent SEO and content team, such as… Why, the one I work at, of course!!

And on that note…

Get in touch with me us

Please don’t call expecting me to answer. Instead, call us and ask for “the extremely witty and knowledgeable guy who wrote that article”, at which point they’ll pass you on to our MD, Sean. After he’s worked his natural-bloody-charm, you’ll think, “My god! I now want some professional marketing services, by an agency whose expertise is, quite simply, astoundingly amazing”. And so, time for the professional sign-off – the only part that is written like I am not talking to you.

If you want to learn more about how different marketing strategies can help your business, why not contact us? We’re happy to help and walk you through how our services can benefit your website and grow your business. We also develop websites to help your brand achieve its commercial potential. Whatever you’re curious about, get in touch, and let’s discuss how we can help you.