I used to think that having a business blog meant that I could write what I wanted whenever I wanted like back in the days of personal blogging on LiveJournal. I could write whatever came to mind (always knowing what I was going to write about next), and that consistency didn’t matter as long as I was publishing something now and again on my website.
Oh, how naive I was.
It wasn’t until I created a proper content strategy that I started to see tangible results from my content marketing efforts.
After creating an initial 90-day Content Marketing Roadmap, I was no longer wondering what to write about, staring at a blank screen, feeling frustrated, and suddenly feeling the need to clean my office (hello procrasti-cleaning).
With a solid content strategy in place, I now know exactly what to write and I’m no longer wasting my time when I sit down to work on my own content. I was able to better address the needs of my target audience who were now able to find me in the search engines through the content I was producing. With an increase in traffic coming from the search engines, those visitors were signing up to my mailing list, and reaching out about working together.
Hello new clients, goodbye pounding pavement for work.
Since implementing the 90-Day Content Marketing Roadmap, I’ve noticed:
- My email list is steadily growing and the quality of clients I attract has improved (bye bye tire-kickers)
- Visitors stay longer on my website, increasing the chances of conversion, referrals, and social shares
- Revenue increased — People can’t hire you if they don’t know you exist.
I bet you’re thinking: “This all sounds amazing Leanne, but how the heck do I start thinking about a content strategy?” Let’s dive in.
Define Your Content Marketing Goals
Without a clear destination, how do you know how to get there?
When you define your goals, it will guide your content creation and provide a clear roadmap for your journey toward success. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you can focus your efforts and measure progress more effectively. Through well-defined goals, you’ll have a stronger sense of direction and purpose — leading to more impactful and meaningful content for your target audience.
Common goals include:
- Increasing brand awareness
- Generating leads
- Driving website traffic
- Establishing thought leadership
- Converting leads into clients/customers
Each goal requires a different approach, so it’s important to prioritize and focus on one or two main goals at a time. As you achieve them, you can then reassess and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
When writing a post, or looking at your content strategy, ask:
- How can this post help accomplish the goal I set?
- How will this post help readers accomplish a goal or complete a task?
Know Your Target Audience
Without clarity on who you’re speaking to, how do you know what to say?
To create impactful and engaging blog posts, it’s important to have a clear picture of your target audience. When you gain insights into their specific needs, preferences, and pain points, you can tailor your content to connect with them on a deeper level. Not only will this strengthen your connection, but your ideal clients will be more engaged and eager for more.
It’s this level of attention and understanding that separates successful content creators from the rest.
To know your target audience better and tailor your blog content to their interests, conduct market research, analyze customer data, and create buyer personas.
Develop A Topic Planner
Without predefined topics, you risk flying by the seat of your pants and wasting time.
When positioning your business as a valuable resource and establishing your credibility, you need to choose blog topics that align perfectly with your business’s specific niche and expertise.
By diving deep into these subjects and providing insightful and comprehensive information, you not only show your knowledge but also solidify your authority in your industry. This approach ensures your target audience sees your content as a must-read. It also strengthens your position as a trusted and go-to source full of valuable insights and information.
Review your list of blog topics and ask yourself:
- Do the topics address industry trends or offer insights and opinions on relevant topics?
- Do the topics answer frequently asked questions and provide helpful how-to guides?
If the answers are no, delete the topics from your list or think about how you can spin that topic to better serve your audience.
Establish A Content Calendar
Without a roadmap in place, you can’t guarantee your content will drive people to your revenue-generating offers.
Your content calendar — or editorial calendar — serves as a scheduling tool that organizes and maps out your content publishing timeline in advance. It’s your blueprint that outlines what type of content will be published, when, and on which platform.
A well-defined content calendar ensures a steady flow of high-quality content while preventing any last-minute publishing gaps, allowing you to provide valuable and consistent information to your audience.
When creating your content calendar, ensure that it’s achievable for YOU! Similar to starting a fitness routine or improving your diet, you can’t go all in at the beginning. If you’re blogging inconsistently right now, aim for 1 post a month.
Tip: Have 1-2 posts ready to go for when life throws you a curveball, and remember it doesn’t have to be a brand new post! Updating existing content and republishing also counts.
Bonus: Track Measurable Results
Without data to track, you’re relying on best guesses on whether your strategy is working or not.
It’s important to regularly track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluable the success of your blog strategy. Monitor metrics such as:
- Website traffic
- Time on page
- Social shares
- Conversion rates
Tracking can be set up with analytics tools such as Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Fathom, or Matomo. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and to refine your strategy.
Not Having A Blogging Strategy Negatively Affects Your ROI
Many businesses start their blogging journey without a strategy, not realizing that the strategy is just as important as the content they’re producing.
- It’s easy to waste time and resources writing about topics that don’t align with your goals or target audience.
- When you write too many articles around the same topic, you run the risk of competing against yourself in the search engines.
- Without a collection of blog topics to pull from, you risk inconsistency in your blogging and leaving it for another day which can quickly turn into months or even years.
Yikes! Yikes! And triple yikes!
You wouldn’t set out on a road trip without a map and your route all planned out. I bet you wouldn’t ignore the navigation directions that help you avoid traffic delays either. So why would you risk doing the same thing with your content?
Having a well thought out strategy and plan makes content marketing much easier. You know where you’re going, who you’re bringing along, what to pack so they’re happy, and how to get there fast.
Having a strategy also means no longer staring at a blank screen, or being embarrassed by how outdated your blog content is. Your potential customers will see you as an expert — someone they should hire.
- By consistently creating and distributing valuable content, businesses can increase their brand visibility and attract the attention of their target audience.
- When the content marketing strategy helps nurture leads through the sales funnel, the chances of conversion and driving business growth increases.
- Focusing your strategy on creating evergreen and valuable content that continues to provide value to your audience over time results in a long-lasting impact on brand awareness, audience engagement, and lead generation.
If you’d like help with your content marketing strategy, I have several packages available. Let’s create a roadmap to business blogging success together!
