Last Updated on March 22, 2021 by Filip Poutintsev
Did you know that, according to research done by the Content Marketing Institute, 63% of businesses don’t have a documented content marketing strategy?
A content strategy is essential for businesses’ success. It doesn’t matter if you are content marketing for nonprofits. Without a strategy set in place, all the efforts you put into your content marketing has a higher risk of failure.
Creating a content marketing strategy is simple and straightforward. With this article, we have compiled seven essential tips to use when writing your strategy.
Tips for writing an effective content marketing strategy
1) Do a detailed research
If you are content marketing for nonprofits or any other organization, research is indispensable for success. Before you even start creating your content marketing plan;
- Do detailed research on who your target audience is. Their likes, dislikes, motivation to buy, etc.
- Write down what you hope to achieve with your content marketing strategy
By doing this, you have a clear direction of the kind of content you will like to include in your strategy, and you won’t be sidelined by content that doesn’t fit into the two categories above.
Once you have an idea of who your target audience is, create a persona for then. Then, ensure you are only creating content tailored to the customer persona created.
Carrying out detailed research on the reason for your content and the market you hope to attract with said content will help you measure your content marketing strategy.
2) Use software to generate content ideas
One challenge most content marketers face is the need to generate content ideas for their strategy regularly.
When adding content to your strategy, you have to make sure that;
- There is no duplicated or redundant content
- The content fits into the interests of your target audience
- The content is in line with your business goals and needs.
All these points are essential because if your content is repetitive, it can affect your SEO ranking. If it doesn’t fit into the interest of your target audience and your goals, it could cause a decline in your audience engagement.
But, constant content idea generation can be tasking and time-consuming. But, if you use content ideas generating softwares, you get access to relevant content ideas that your audience would be interested i’m—therefore saving time while working smart.
3) Focus on your best performing channel
You might be into nonprofit content marketing and thinking on creating content for all the possible content outlets out there, don’t do it. While being on multiple channels may have worked in the past, it’s not the same anymore.
Don’t spend your time and effort creating content for channels where your audience doesn’t frequent. Focus on content platforms where you see the most impact.
Try not to choose a channel just because your competitors use it, and you feel you could be missing out. That channel may be a good option for them, but not for you.
4) Distribution tactics is key
One of the secrets to a great content marketing strategy is picking the right content distribution tactics. It’s not enough to have good content. You have to secure a great way to distribute them to your target audience.
Here are some tips on creating an excellent distribution tactic:
- Select your primary content distribution channel. This is where the majority of your content will go on.
- Select the right hosting platform. One thing that could rank you low on search engines is if your load time was high. The right hosting platform will be reliable and would not have service disruption.
- Choose the right content distribution network.
- Guest post as frequently as you can.
- Pay for distribution. This includes paying for Google and social media ads to distribute your content.
5) Make use of marketing technologies
Using marketing technologies in your content marketing strategy is a great way to access your content strategies’ success/failure.
Some marketing technologies are CRM, email marketing, marketing analytics, automation, etc. They can give you relevant statistics needed to measure your content marketing strategy’s impact.
Also, with these technologies, you can study how your audience interacts with your content, measure your engagement, and improve your content with the data derived from these techs.
6) Make use of professional writing and proofreading services
Another essential tip for your content marketing strategy is to make use of professional writing services. Let’s face it, not everyone is a writer, but if you are trying to attract the right audience, your content should be top-notch.
Allowing someone who has poor content creation skills to create your content can lead to your whole strategy’s downfall.
Creating engaging content for your content marketing is a full-time job. So, most times, you will need to outsource this job to professional organizations who do it full time.
7) Repurpose your content
Finally, repurposing your content is something that every business should include in their content marketing plan. Creating quality and engaging content is time-consuming but well worth it. However, you can create different content for your other platforms. That is not only an ineffective way of content marketing, but in the long run, you waste valuable content you can reuse in different ways.
When you repurpose your content, you:
- Maximize your content’s value.
- Extend the reach of your content.
- Reduce your content production cost.
If you are into nonprofit content marketing, you have an advantage of a vital mission. This can help you repurpose your inspiring and motivational content in different ways.
In conclusion
Content is an ever-evolving way of connecting with your target market. So, if you are into nonprofit content marketing or any other kind, creating a content marketing strategy will help you evolve as a brand. Use the seven tips mentioned in this article to create a strong content strategy that could secure your business’s success.
