Be honest, are you content with your content?

Here is our 3-step approach to being content with your content

1. Content Marketing Strategy
2. Content Plan
3. Content Writing

Let's start with number 1:

Content Marketing Strategy

Without a content marketing strategy, it's like attempting to brush your teeth whilst eating oreo's.

.

You might have a cracking idea, even write a superb post, but if it's not of any interest to your audience or it doesn't help you achieve a specific goal, it's probably a waste.

Start by researching the following:

• What are you wanting your content to achieve?
• Who is it aimed at?
• What are their needs?
• What are their pain points?
• What are their interests and desires?
• How will your content help them?

The answers you come out with, will help you create very specific pieces of content.

I would also repeat this every month or so, as your audiences needs, pain points, interests and desires may change on a regular basis and therefore your content needs to change around it. Remaining relevant at all times.

Onwards, to number 2:

Content Plan

All of your brilliant ideas from the above strategy session will help you commence with your content plan. The content plan is where you cover:

• Your topics ,
• Type of content (text post, imagery, video, white paper, blog, web link), and the
• Frequency

What you need to do now is to think of your buyers journey, and ensure your content (the findings from your strategy session) is in this order. This logical progressional posting will give clarity to your content and it'll be in the steps your audience are used to acting in.

If you are using blogs as part of your content (we highly recommend you do) you need to aim for at least 2 a month, 1 absolute minimum. Grab a coffee, look at your strategy notes and jot down all the blog titles you can think of, then thinking of your buyers journey list the order they need to be written in. Try and think of 12 (3-months worth).

Being from Yorkshire, I like to get my money's worth, so when I write a blog I make sure I use it as many times as I possibly can. To give you an idea, this is what I do:

1. Pop them on the website - using all the correct keywords alt tags etc. behind the scenes
2. Share the blog on all my social media platforms
3. Copy the content and paste it into a LinkedIn article (maybe a week after I've dropped it on my LinkedIn feed)
4. Drop part of the content (using a read more link), resize the header image and drop into a newsletter to attract further website traffic from my email list
5. Print it out and highlight snippets of detail, that will make lots of valuable posts individually, and create imagery to accompany it. Save for future social media posts.

Finally, to number 3:

Content Writing

If you've smashed your way through steps 1 and 2 you'll be raring to go with step 3.

So, a few tips, because let's face it you don't want to blow it now!

Be original, your topic more than likely has already been covered and out there, so up your game and be inspiring.

What will your audience gain from reading your post, make them engage and take your desired action.

Be crystal clear, don't beat around the bush with lots of jargon.

To help your content writing flow in the right direction, it's always a good idea to do the following:

Ideas will come to you when you least expect them, like when you're having a shower, walking the dog, watching telly. If anything springs to mind I normally send myself an email from my phone, so I don't forget it and pick it up the next day.

As you travel along your content journey, don't forget to constantly monitor what's working, what's not working, which element has worked (the text, the imagery, the time of day, the platform), and wash rinse and repeat all the good stuff.

Content creation isn't a black art, it's simply...

THE RIGHT CONTENT TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME

That reflects your passion for your business.

If you struggle with your content, my on-demand masterclass, Social Media Content Made Easy, might be of interest.

To read more and/or download the link click here