Creating content is getting complicated. And expensive. In 2013, 68% of CMOs will increase their budget for content marketing. B2C companies in North America use up to 14 (yes, you read that right!) social media channels to spread the word about their brand. And let’s not forget blogs, web content, responsive design, mobile, and tablets.
That being said, here are FIVE important steps to follow to achieve your content marketing goals:
What does your brand stand for? Answer this question well, and you have an actionable plan towards content marketing success. Content needs to stem from a cohesive and well thought out strategy, which in turn starts from what your brand stands for. Make this document the base for all content creation efforts.
- Where should you go for content? Armed with the brand persona, the next step is to figure out where you need to go to get the basic material to address your content marketing needs. This is an internal process where teams from marketing, sales, operations, fulfillment, product, customer service etc., need to collaborate to generate enough information on sales, target market, offers, promotions, targets etc.
- Who will create the content? Writers of course, but will you outsource it? Or search for writing talent in-house? Do both! Use both sources wisely for maximum output. Turn inwards to create unique perspectives on your brand that only a team on the ground can create. Turn outwards to generate infographics, trends, social conversations, and research to give fillip to your content marketing plans.
- Where will you publish the content? Hate to say it, but it depends! It depends on what your brand stands for, where your target market/prospects are, the content marketing expertise you have, and finally the ability of each channel to convert.
- What next? Creating a compelling content marketing plan is an ongoing and never-ending process. Reevaluate, redefine, and rewrite.
Sounds complicated? You bet. The only way to de-complicate the whole process of creating content and managing it, is to use technology. This is where Percussion comes in. Our product is designed for marketers, designers, writers, and technologists. It provides the advanced web content management (WCM) functionality you need right out of the box. Request a demo today.
