Creating an efficient content strategy that actually generates results is no easy task. You have to consider many aspects such as SEO, how your content is consumed, and whether it can help your community.
This research from Zazzle Media shares some of the most important challenges content creators face regarding their content creation.
You might be feeling the same way.
With all the different aspects of content marketing you should be researching and implementing, it’s hard to lose focus on what’s important and stick to a strategy that works for you.
That’s why I’ve decided to share a recipe for your content strategy that you can adapt to any business. Because it’s essential to learn from the best, I’ll also share some fantastic Content Marketing Examples.
Are you ready? Let’s jump to it! Here are the six pillars that you should consider when creating a content strategy.
1. Create Content That People Search For
SEO is one of the most important aspects you should consider when creating a content strategy, and that’s why you should always begin by researching what people search for.
To succeed with your SEO Content Marketing efforts, you should always create valuable content targeting keywords with a high volume of searches in the search engines and low competition.
Like with any other strategy, a good SEO content strategy begins with research. You can use the Google Keywords tool, Keyword Surfer, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to search for keywords with high search volumes, high relevancy for your business, and low competition.
Keep in mind that using the keywords in your content won’t guarantee immediate results, so you should always try to improve other on-page and off-page elements to succeed.
We don’t know exactly what are the ranking factors that Google uses in its algorithm, but this study from MOZ can help us get an idea of what matters when it comes to SEO.
Even if that’s the central place people look for answers, your SEO content strategy should not be limited to Google searches.
Your audience might be looking for content on Youtube or Pinterest, so ensure you’re active wherever they might be searching for answers or inspiration.
2. Create Content That People Consume
The next aspect you should consider is creating content that people love. Choosing the keywords and subjects that have many searches will only take you so far. The next thing you should do is focus on content that people consume. This will ensure a longer time-on-page and a higher rate of people returning to your website or Social Media profiles.
Keep in mind that the volume of content available globally is now higher than ever, so the competition for people’s attention is also at a historic high.
To create content that people consume, find out how your audience consumes content, do your research, and test to see what works for you and your business.
You can get started with Video Content, Infographics, Ebooks, Podcasts, and Guides to complete your content strategy and offer your audience quality content they love to consume.
Here’s a study from HubSpot that will help you better understand how people consume content and what you should focus on.
As you can see, video content is trending when it comes to what kind of content people love to consume, so you can consider investing in video content if it fits your business. Here’s an example of video content that gets lots of views and people love to consume.
Source: 10 Pieces of Content Your Audience Really Wants to See [New Data] (hubspot.com)
3. Create Content For Your Community
If your business focuses on community, one of the most important aspects of your content strategy should be creating content for them. Listen to your community and answer their desires, questions, and concerns with your content strategy. Online communities generate 6,469% ROI, so investing in content for their needs definitely pays off.
Here’s a great example of how to do that from Airbnb. They created Airbnb Community Center, a community that focuses on their hosts, offering them essential information they might need and the possibility to meet other hosts and get inspired by them.
4. Create Content That Generates Comments
If you want to build a community, keeping the conversation alive is essential; that’s why you should always include hooks and CTAs that generate comments in your content. Ask questions in your social media posts, ask for feedback and invite people to comment on your blog posts.
Then, make sure you always answer them in real-time to give your content a human touch. For 51% of brands, creating real-time engagement is their biggest challenge, so you can step forward just by providing answers in real-time.
Polls are another great way to generate comments and engagement on your Social Media or Blog content. They can help you start the discussion by inviting people to argue their decisions. Here’s a great example from Starbucks, where they asked the community to share their answers using a poll.
5. Create Content That Generates Contributions
User-generated content is one of the most valuable types of content you can have on your channels. You can ask your community to submit items like videos, pictures, reviews, or testimonials. People will always trust other people’s opinions more than they trust the brand’s messages, and that’s a fact.
There are many ways you can encourage your community to create content with you and for you you. The most widely used are: giving discounts in exchange for product reviews, creating photo contests, creating branded hashtags, and merely asking for user-generated content via email.
Here’s a great example of user-generated-content from Adobe, the Art Maker Series, where designers were asked to share the artworks they created using Adobe’s products using the hashtag #AdobePerspective.
6. Create Content With Consistency
Yes, I know. This is the hardest one. To succeed with your content strategy, you have to be consistent with it. The content game is for the long run, and you might have to continually produce content before seeing any results. But, as soon as results start to appear, I promise you they can grow exponentially and exceed all your expectations.
Whether it’s a newsletter, a social media campaign, a podcast, or a blog content strategy, you have to be consistent with your content creation to see results.
The research from Zazzle Media that I’ve shared at the beginning of this blog post shows that this is one of the biggest challenges content marketers face. 60% of marketers find it hard to produce content consistently, and if you’re one of them, I’ve got an advice for you. Start creating an editorial calendar and stick to it. It will help you stay consistent with your content strategy.
Douglas Burdett’s “My Marketing Book Podcast” is an excellent example of consistency: since 2015, he published an interview every week with the author of a new marketing book that he read.
What’s holding you back?
Now that you’ve got an idea of how your content strategy should look like, all you have to do is get started! But I know that’s not always as easy as it seems.
Instead of a conclusion, I would like to continue the conversation in the comments section. Let me know what’s holding you back. What are your main concerns when it comes to content strategy and content creation?
Write them down in the comments section, and I’ll be happy to help.
