If you’re running a business, it’s important to have a content plan in place. Can we say it again for those in the back of the room? If you’ve got a business, a content plan is crucial! Without one, you’ll find yourself struggling to develop new content ideas, and your website and socials will probably start to look stale. Let’s have a bit of a chat about how to strategise and succeed with a content plan and cover some of the basics like creating goals, coming up with topics, and measuring success. Ready?
What is a content plan, and 5 reasons why you need one
If you’re not entirely sure what a content plan is, it’s basically a strategy for what kind of content you’ll create and when you’ll share it. This can include blog posts, social media updates, email newsletters, and more. Having a content plan in place helps to keep your marketing efforts organised and focused, which leads nicely to the 5 main reasons you need to get one sorted
You need a content plan because:
(1) It keeps your marketing efforts organised and focused
(2) Your website and socials will probably start to look stale and bare without regular updates
(3) It can help increase traffic to your website
(4) You can take prospects through a learning and trust-building journey setting yourself up as an authority in your field
(5) It can also lead to improved conversions (i.e. people taking the actions you want them to on your website)
(*) Bonus: If you blog regularly, this can also help with SEO, as Google loves fresh content!
Creating goals for your content plan
The first step in creating a content plan is to set some goals. What do you want to achieve with your content? For example, are you looking to generate leads or sales? Drive traffic to your website? Increase brand awareness and develop customer relationships? Once you’ve got an idea of what kind of results you’re after, it’ll be easier to come up with topics and ideas that will resonate with your target audience.
To get started, ask yourself these questions:
– Who is my target audience?
– What kind of content will they find useful/interesting?
– What kind of content will help me achieve my goals?
– Where will I share my content (e.g. website, blog, social media)?
– When will I publish new content (e.g. weekly, fortnightly)?
Generating topics for your content plan
Now that you’ve got some goals in mind, it’s time to start brainstorming ideas for your content plan. If you’re finding this part tricky, try thinking about the problems or questions your target audience might have that you could provide answers to. For example, if you sell eco-friendly cleaning products, a blog post titled “How to Make Your Home More Sustainable” would be a great way to show off your industry expertise and give people some useful tips at the same time.
Another way to come up with topics is to look at what’s already popular in your industry and put your own spin on it. For example, if you’ve noticed a lot of people are talking about self-care lately, you could write a blog post titled “The Importance of Self-Care for Entrepreneurs” or “How to Prioritise Self-Care When You’re Running a Business”.
Once you’ve got a solid list of ideas, it’s time to start developing your content plan and distribution strategy! This is where you’ll decide on things like how often you’ll publish new content, which platforms you’ll share it on, and what kinds of call-to-action you’ll include.
Measuring the success of your content
Don’t forget the importance of having a system in place for measuring the success of your content plan. This could involve setting up Google Analytics tracking on your website, keeping an eye on social media metrics, or simply asking customers how they found out about your business. By regularly reviewing your analytics and making adjustments to your content plan where necessary, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are as effective as possible.
Think you need to outsource this?
If all of this sounds a bit daunting, or you simply don’t have the time to create and implement a content plan yourself, consider outsourcing it. Get in touch, and I’ll gladly be able to help you develop an effective strategy and produce high-quality content that aligns with your brand identity.
