A smart content strategy is considered a game-changer for any business. Better SEO, thoughtful leadership, more organic traffic, and increased subscriber rates are just a few of the benefits of organized content marketing. Content strategies look different for every business and always need to be aligned with the goals of the business. The following basic steps can help in setting up a content marketing strategy.
1) Before the actual work begins, a plan must be made. This is the first step. Before starting the actual writing, small individual blocks need to be planned. This includes keyword research, the consideration of which target group needs to be addressed by the company, and the creation of an editorial plan. This planning not only facilitates work within the company but also ensures, among other things, that users are offered better content for their search query, which in turn has a positive influence on the ranking on a search engine.
2) SEO above all else is the summary of our second step. Your strategy must be aligned with SEO rules. This means that content should be composed so that search engines like Google recognize the content as helpful, correct, and legitimate. Ideally, each content page has its own keyword, meta descriptions, tags for images, and follows the guidelines of Google E-A-T standards.
3) Quality over quantity. In the end, it’s not how much content is created that matters, but that high-quality, well-thought-out content is produced that is of lasting benefit to users. Content has exactly three goals: it should inform, teach, and help the target group. The focus here should therefore be on scheduling regular content that is written by the company itself or can be taken over by a paid professional SEO company, such as effektor.
4) Brand recognition for the company. The content should of course stand out from the content of the competitors. It is therefore important to find a voice, tone, and form of writing that suits the company and can be used to address users. It should not sound as if all entries were created by different writers; a uniform tone usually works better and also gives the company recognition value.
5) Take a risk (also applicable in content writing). Blog entries are always linked to blog platforms, but it can be a great venture to consider other options for publishing content. A blog also doesn’t always need to consist strictly of text blocks; case studies, guides, checklists, and other forms loosen up the content and leave readers wanting more. The advantages of other content formats are, for example, the depth that can be created. Much more understanding and expression can be given to important points through case studies. For subjects where users can really use a lot of support, additional references can be made to blog posts.
6) Draw attention to the content. After the content is created, we need to follow further steps, because the work is far from done. For example, how do you promote your content? There are a handful of ways to do this. One possibility would be to promote the new post via paid or organic social media posts. Other options include email marketing, paid advertising, collaborations, backlinks, and more.
7) Regular review of content. Sometimes older posts need updates, or they become so irrelevant over the years that they need to be discarded. Thus, regular site audits need to also be part of your plan, so websites or blogs don’t turn into a hot mess. Spreadsheets on which all content is linked are best suited for such overviews. This also makes it easy to note errors.
In summary, a content strategy is probably the best and only way to do effective content marketing. These steps mentioned can provide a safe, initial starting point for setting up an internal strategy for your company.