A clear, defined and manageable content strategy is vital to reaching your content marketing goals. Creating an effective strategy not only allows you to devise a detailed plan of action, but it also ensures all your efforts translate into tangible results.
In the book “Content Strategy Toolkit: The Methods, Guidelines, and Templates for Getting Content Right (Voices That Matter),” author Meghan Casey dives into this very idea while emphasizing the importance of budget, buy-in and preparing for success while developing a content strategy.
Among the points she outlines, she states that a budget should be included when creating a content strategy because it helps the team understand the relative size of the project. When establishing the budget, your next step is persuading stakeholders that the strategy is credible and the time, effort and resources you’re requesting will help you reach each goal.
If there’s any hesitation on their part, keep in mind that it’s most likely because company resources (which includes budget) are on the line. But having a detailed plan, experience and a supportive content marketing team can go a long way in getting enough brownie points to secure that buy-in from stakeholders.
In the book, Casey makes a great analogy between car insurance companies and content strategy projects.
“For car insurance companies, the No. 1 indicator of a safe driver is how often they have to slam on the brakes. That’s what those little thingies they put in your car measure. For content strategy projects—well, most projects—I’ve learned that the No. 1 indicator of success is getting the right stakeholders involved.”
She then states that the content strategist’s next step should be aligning the stakeholder with what the project should achieve, why you need their help and setting further expectations.
Among the expectations and questions that should be answered in that initial presentation include:
- What’s the overall budget?
- How long will the campaign last?
- Are any additional tools or equipment needed?
- What managers/staff members need to be involved? How often?
- How will project outputs or deliverables be communicated?
It sounds like a lot of detail, but providing answers to these questions will allow stakeholders to bring up any concerns they may have about the project and help you figure out what else you need to get their buy-in. This initial and open line of communication between the team and any supervisors, directors, executives, managers, department heads or any other leader in your company can help the project start on the right (and trusting) foot— regardless if they’re short-term or long-term campaigns.
After all this is cleared, the key is managing the project efficiently from day one to when the final item is checked off the to-do list, while continuing to ensure everyone involved remains informed and engaged from start to finish.
Content Strategy Then & Now
As stated above, content strategies require a lot of work, planning, resources and data. But has this always been the case in this field? Have there been a lot of changes to the concepts and practices involved in this sphere, even in the last 15 years? In theory, no, in measures taken, yes.
In an article published in 2013 titled “How Content Strategy and Content Marketing Are Separate But Connected,” author Robert Rose details how a content marketer focuses on the “whys,” the content strategist tackles the “hows,” and together they work out the “whats” and “wheres.”
He elaborates that a content marketer draws the story and plans the channels that will be used to develop the customer relationship with the brand and the “content strategist ensures that story, language, and management processes work consistently and efficiently across multiple teams, languages, and every publication the brand leverages.”
The above still holds true today. What’s different now, however, is where the media is shared. While most social media platforms were well-established 10 years ago, brands and companies were still trying to find their footing when it came to marketing on those channels without sounding like they were outright trying to sell something. Presently, when content marketers and content strategists are able to work together, the actions they take online feel more cohesive and their joint effort makes the overall content strategy one step closer to success.
According to an article titled “Why content strategy is the smart career move for journalists,” author Brigid Auchettl states there were 763 people using the title content strategist on LinkedIn in 2010. In 2017, that number jumped to 34,950 and as of the final weekend of October 2021, that same search garnered 134,541 results. More content strategists means more companies are recognizing the importance of the work they do, which allows more brands to hire them and utilize their experience and expertise. Content strategies have changed in the last 15 years and a lot of it could have something to do with the increase in content strategists working in the field.
Conclusion
Developing well-thought-out content strategies could be the difference between missing and surpassing your Return On Investment. It is the foundation and blueprint of your team’s content marketing efforts and can help you reach incredible success. They do make a difference and can help elevate your brand’s story and message.
References:
Casey, M. (2015). Chapter 1-5. In Content Strategy Toolkit, The: Methods, Guidelines, and Templates for Getting Content Right (Voices That Matter) (pp. 5–63). essay, New Riders.
Dorland, B. (2021, July 27). 5 essential tools a content strategist can’t do without. DivvyHQ. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://divvyhq.com/content-strategy/5-essential-tools-a-content-strategist-cant-do-without/.
Fridrich, O. (2018). 6 reasons why you need a content strategy. Kontent by Kentico. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://kontent.ai/blog/6-reasons-why-you-need-a-content-strategy.
McCoy, J. (2021, March 13). The difference between Content Marketing & Content Strategy. Search Engine Journal. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/content-marketing-vs-content-strategy/349392/#close.
Rose, R. (2015, April 2). How content strategy and content marketing are separate but connected. Content Marketing Institute. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/10/content-strategy-content-marketing-separate-connected/.