Future-Proof Your Brand: How to Build a Sustainable Content Marketing Strategy
Have you heard this one before? You're the mastermind behind your brand's content marketing, juggling everything from tweets to in-depth blog posts. It's all on you (and maybe a couple of teammates).
No matter how hard you try, it always seems like your team is just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks when it comes to hitting those marketing targets. And your content? It kind of feels like it's never quite hitting the mark, like it could be so much more.
Maybe your team keeps tossing content out there, crossing their fingers something clicks. It's like everything your content marketing team does is on the fly.
Posting blog posts at the last minute, throwing up social media videos without much thought, and running email campaigns that just don't hit the mark? That's what you get with a content marketing strategy that's always playing catch-up.
And, as you've probably figured, that won't cut it if you're looking for real growth.
If you're all about growing your brand and getting it out there, you've got to develop a content strategy that can go the distance. No more making decisions on the fly or scrambling to create content at the last minute.
Let me show you how to start things off. But first, let's discuss why using reactive content plans isn't the smartest move.
The Pitfalls of a Reactive Content Strategy
Let's talk about the problems brands run into when they just react with their content strategy:
1. You're Not Setting The Pace
If your content strategy isn't clear or well-documented, you'll struggle to keep up with creating, sharing, and measuring your content. This means you'll react to whatever comes up instead of being ready for it.
This results in quick, unsustainable spurts of content creation or last-minute social media posts that jump on a trending topic instead of actually creating and sharing content that matters and brings in results over the long haul.
Content planning requires a content calendar that supports your marketing efforts, not one that chases fads or hashtags.
2. You'll Lack Any Clear Direction
If you don't have a clear direction and react to things, your team might feel overwhelmed by all the options and not know what to focus on. They might be unsure about what content to create or metrics to look at. This could slow down content creation or even grind it to a halt.
What happens when you don't have direction? You're not creating content for your target audience, leaving your own content marketing strategy in a panic. Search engines can tell when you're creating content out of desperation instead of doing your homework and having a solid plan.
3. You Hurt More Teams Than Just Yours
Lastly, having a reactive content strategy isn't just a short-term thing. It impacts the whole company over the long haul.
Every single piece of content you whip up and put out there can touch different parts of the company, like:
Finance/Accounting:Â They manage budgets for ad campaigns and content promotion.
Sales:Â They handle leads from social media content, blog posts, and other marketing channels.
Internal Communications:Â Did they know about the content? Should it have been shared with everyone in the company?
Business Development:Â Could this content have helped in forming partnerships?
A lot of content marketing strategies and departments are stuck in silos throughout the entire content creation process. It's like content marketers are working in their own little worlds, keeping their content efforts just within their department.
When you think about a sustainable content strategy, it's all about looking at what the whole organization needs. We're talking everything from the memos flying around to what HR puts out.
4. You Won't Have Many Positive Outcomes from Reactive Content
If you just react with your content production, don't expect steady growth or great numbers in your KPIs. You'll probably see a few wins coming in quick spurts of creating and sharing content, but only when you feel the need to react.
How To Craft a Sustainable Content Marketing Strategy for Your Brand
Your brand might have difficulty growing or hitting its targets if you don't have a sustainable content strategy. Let's kick off building a solid foundation for your content planning process with these tips:
1. Treat Content as a Powerhouse Resource
Switching to a sustainable content strategy means changing the way you think.
Stop seeing content as just words on a page, a social media post on Facebook, or another thing to tick off your to-do list. Think of it as a valuable asset that's good for your whole team and your audience too.
Once you change how you look at things, you can start getting into the nitty-gritty and produce content that leads to valuable content and blog post ideas.
2. Craft a Team-Driven Content Strategy
Keep in mind that just reacting tends to box in your content and tasks. For a strategy that lasts, you'll want to include:
Content Types:Â Blog posts, podcasts, videos, and more.
Content Sources:Â From third parties, created in-house, or from partners.
How to Distribute:Â Using internal resources, external help, and various platforms.
Measuring Content:Â Decide the critical performance indicators (KPIs) to track and where to keep this information.
Reactive strategies often fail to plan every detail of the content process, which can result in the desired results not being achieved.
3. Craft a Killer Content Schedule That Makes Sense
When creating a content plan that matches your business goals, be careful not to get too carried away.
Resist the temptation to hit the ground running and churn out tons of content right away. Going down that road will land you back in a place where you're reacting instead of thinking things through, ending up with an editorial calendar that's not up to par.
Instead, try setting a few weekly goals and deadlines, but keep the focus on creating and sharing really good content.
And when you're not creating your own content, why not curate some?
4. Tap into Third-Party Content
You don't have to come up with all your content by yourself. Using third-party content can be just as effective, handy, and valuable as making your own. Plus, if you play your cards right with this kind of content, your audience will still look up to you as the go-to expert on the topic.
Sure, hunting down third-party content that clicks with your audience and fits your strategy can be a real pain. That's why some marketing teams turn to content curation tools like Vestorly, Curata, and Scoop.it.
Spice up your content strategy with a dynamic blend of original and curated content to fuel growth, ensure stability, and guarantee success.
Don't React, Plan Ahead!
You're probably tired of just reacting with your content efforts. Why not take a moment to plan out a content strategy that lasts?
Fill it with relevant, high-quality, curated content by:
Grasping the problems with a reactive approach to content.
Seeing content as a critical asset for your organization.
Creating a lasting content schedule.
Combining third-party and original content to enhance and expand your content strategy.
By doing this, you're going to nail content marketing and skyrocket your brand's success in no time at all.
Want to Turn Content Marketing Into Your Brand-Building Superpower?
Catalystory is leading the charge in turning content marketing strategies into major wins for brands. We create killer content marketing plans for blogs that boost organic traffic and spark growth.
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Our expert team really gets into the nitty-gritty of what your brand is all about, where you stand in the market, and what you're aiming for. We then whip up content that grabs attention and gets your message across in a way that doesn't just create visibility but drives conversions with potential customers ready to buy now.
With Catalystory's unlimited copywriting services, businesses can look forward to more engagement, a big boost in organic traffic, and faster growth. How? Through awesome storytelling and standout content that pops in the crowded digital world.
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