Content Marketing Strategy

What is behind a content marketing strategy?

Nearly half of the German companies plan or already have a content marketing strategy. This is not surprising since approximately 70 percent of all consumers obtain their product information online. When searching, the majority does not want to come across annoying advertisement or vacuous information. Users want to obtain convincing results and relevant content. If they find helpful and high quality facts online, Internet users will have more trust in the relevant company.

This is where content marketing strategy plays a part: It is about longterm goals that affect the entire company and not just individual departments. The key goal of a content marketing strategy is to build a brand, create permanent customer relationships and develop corporate communication channels. In contrast to a content marketing campaign, which is part of the strategy and intended as a short-term measure, the goals are comprehensive and must be carefully planned from the very start.

Implementing the content marketing strategy

The first step is finding appropriate content: What preoccupies my target audience, and what are its problems and needs? The answers can generally be found based on the most frequent search queries, terms and questions. It is therefore important to consult employees who are in direct contact with customers; the customer can also be directly addressed, for example with a short survey on the homepage or via email or newsletter.

When the keywords of the target audience have been established, the critical phase begins: the planning phase. A team and the persons responsible within the team must be decided on; a calendar or editorial schedule with an exact overview must be made; the most important search terms and topics must be defined and prioritized and a performance measurement must be drawn up.

The next step is the creation of the content. When creating content such as service or product information, FAQs, instructions or checklists, it is important to keep in mind that they are customized and adapted to the previously specified keywords. Users also appreciate videos, graphics or case studies as well as whitepapers, in addition to text content.

The content has been created and accepted – it can now be published. On the one hand the content is distributed through one’s own channels, for instance the regular newsletter, Twitter and Facebook. On the other hand, distribution can be achieved with paid and earned media. Ideally, all three channels are simultaneously used.

Finally, the content must be analyzed. The regular evaluation reveals which content on which medium has yielded relevant visitors and especially new customers.