As more and more companies turn to content marketing to reach new clients, the time has come for existing marketing plans to get reworked in order to stay ahead of the competition. Creating an action plan for your marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it could be as short as one page. A simple action plan lays out the goals for your company, your target audience, and where you plan to focus your efforts.
Here is a simple guide to get you started on your action plan:
- Goals—First up are the goals for your company. What do you hope to achieve by increasing your content marketing efforts? What kind of content do you hope to create? Companies often create content because they think they ought to, without putting some thought behind it. This content is often unsuccessful. Separate yourself from the pack by making sure your mission and goals are the reason behind any content you create.
- Target Audience—If you have been creating content for awhile, you probably are well-versed in your target audience. However, it might be worthwhile to go back and investigate your insights and analytics to see who has responded to what content. The results may surprise you and from them you can narrow or expand your focus as necessary.
- Different Types of Content—When you think content marketing, most of the time blogging is the first thing to come to mind. However, there are a ton of different types of content worth researching. You might also consider podcasts, live broadcasts, webinars, eBooks, infographics—the list is nearly endless. As you write your action plan, consider incorporating one or two new types of content that would appeal to your audience.
- Content Marketing Management—Once you have your thoughts down about your goals, target audience, and types of content, the next step will be to look into tools that can help you manage your content marketing. The most important of any content marketing plan is to be consistent, whether you use a service like Hootsuite or have a dedicated staff person who handles all of it. Create a calendar of what to post and when. You don’t necessarily have to follow it to the letter, especially if something comes up to share immediately. Don’t ignore those timely topics, often they are the ones most likely to go viral.
The best way to create a sensible marketing action plan is to brainstorm with others. Find out what works and what doesn’t in your company and incorporate new ideas. If you are the only one at your company, use online tools to help you brainstorm for content marketing. There are even blog topic generators out there to get you started.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of the Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/beginners-guide-writing-powerful-press-releases/