We do talk about digital marketing and many even confirm that their strategies do work. However, even after so many years of shifting to the online space, there is only 69 per cent of marketers with documented content marketing strategies. If you are still new to the game, here are a few tips for content marketing for beginners.

As mentioned, there are very few marketing experts that document their strategies. The above figure is very disappointing. Without a proper plan, it is not possible to assess the growth and success of content marketing efforts. 

In short, those with no content marketing strategy completely depend on luck for the success or failure of their efforts. This can significantly be improved with just a few simple tips to increase customers’ engagement through content that pays back.

And, if you are thinking about how to create unique strategies for your business too, you have come to the right place. 

I will be sharing the tips that I have learned while helping my clients reach their marketing goals with proper content marketing plans. So, without any further ado, let’s get started already.

Content Marketing for Beginners – Plan Proper Strategies on Paper?

Before you start, it is imperative to understand that why do you need content marketing for your business. Well, a lot of people just do it because others are. That is not the reason you should tag along to. On the contrary, figure out what you wish to achieve as a business. 

On that note, let’s start with the tips for creating a content marketing plan.

Think About the Content Strategy Goals

To start assessing the business goals, make three things clear:

• Your target audience
• What content will be most suitable to get their attention
• What benefit your readers will get from your content

Once done, you can figure out the marketing milestones you wish to achieve through content marketing. Here are some of the examples of why businesses plan their content strategy in the first place.

• To improve business revenue
• Booking more sales and gaining desired high-quality leads
• Increasing website traffic
• Showcasing yourself as an influential leader. Thus, making your brand seem more reliable and trustworthy
• Strengthening the SEO for more traffic
• Reducing the cost of marketing with time as the content becomes more popular and effective
• Increasing engagement across various social media platforms

Give Numbers to Your Goals – Establish KPIs

Now that you have set the goals, make those measurable by setting key performance indicators (KPIs). With specific KPIs, you can easily check off the milestones after achieving them. 

For instance, if you have been able to achieve a set revenue planned in the desired quarter, you have very well reached the target with your content marketing plan.

Here are some examples where you can set KPIs to measure the success of the content marketing strategies periodically.

• Set revenue targets for each month, quarter, as well as year
• Create a target for the number of new email subscribers each month or quarter
• Target the ranking on search engines related to certain keywords

In addition, you must ensure to have an eye on the expenses you make on marketing strategies.

Analyse the Audience Demographics

We, as businesses, try to find out who will be interested in our services and products. However, only after starting to put up content, we can find out the exact demographic of the audience looking at what we publish.

This will further allow you to enhance your content strategies to suit the target audience. 

Check Where Have you Reached Consistently

Now that you have started posting content, it’s time to find out if they are working as expected. Check for how many new views you are getting on your post, are the comments positive or are there any suggestions from the users?

With the help of this analysis, you can find out where your target customers or consumers often hang out. Is it Facebook, Instagram or any other network? The content analysis also provides the countries from where you get the clicks. 

In short, you can check what time, which place etc is what you must target with your content.

Plan Your Content Posting Workflow

Once you have all the inputs you need to plan content, it’s time to get into some action. Create a proper team responsible for content marketing. If your company is small, you can manage with one or two people. However, for big businesses, the proper team with professionals mastering specific skills is essential. 

Also, before posting content, you must follow proper steps:

• Start by creating the content outline 
• Get approval from your manager
• Prepare the post
• Design or buy the accompanying images
• Share the entire post including images with the editor
• Update the post with changes, if required
• Upload the content and publish

Measure the Results

You have already set your KPIs. So, once you start posting content, keep measuring your targets from time to time. If the plan isn’t working, change it and follow the same steps from top to bottom. 

The Takeaway

Seriously, you haven’t thought about preparing a content strategy by now? If not, it’s time you do. With every traditional shop getting into the digital market space, it has become more than essential to establish your brand online.

And, the best way to do this is through content marketing. Document your plans and get going.