Content has become a part of our daily lives. We are constantly being bombarded by content whether it be a photo on social media or a new show on Netflix. As companies create content to post on their Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms there is much to consider in order to create effective content.
Creating quality content can increase engagement. Consumers may be more willing to click on a link in the company’s bio if the content is well made, thus driving traffic to their website. As the customer enters the website, they are more likely to purchase something from the company than someone who had not gone to the website. According to Hubspot, “content marketing brings in 3x as many leads as traditional marketing and costs 62% less.”
To get started creating content, marketers must create a content strategy. Content strategies start with a plan. What is the goal with the content? What is going to most successfully achieve this goal? How is the content going to be prioritized? How is the content going to be maintained over time? What policies do we need to be aware of when creating and distributing the content? These are some of the questions that marketers should ask themselves when beginning content creation.
Usability.gov examines the content lifecycle:
- Audit and Analysis
- Strategy
- Plan
- Create
- Maintain
The content lifecycle starts with audit and analysis. In this step, marketers should interview stakeholders. Getting stakeholder involvement this early in the content creation process can help prevent backlash later. It also helps stakeholders feel like they have a voice in the company. It is essential that stakeholders are considered since they are, most likely, going to be paying the most attention to the content. Furthermore, marketers should scan to better understand what the content should contain. This could be done by looking at what other accounts are doing and looking at current trends. Monitoring can also be beneficial in order to act proactively and avoid potential conflict.
In terms of strategy, companies should consider what their intentions are with their content. Similarly, understanding what tone the company wants their content to convey is important prior to creating content.
At the planning stage, marketers need to develop a content management system. They can create a communications plan to better organize their future posts.
When creating content, search engine optimization may be something to consider. Using keywords may help companies appear in relevant search results more often. This can further help drive traffic to company websites.
Lastly, companies and marketers will have to be able to maintain the content. This includes auditing the content and checking in on goals.
Now that we have gone over the content lifecycle, it is important to understand how to create content. The type of content posted depends on the platform, but these recommendations from “Entrepreneur” can be useful for most content creation. First, you must “establish your audience.” Understand your audience, who they are, what they value, and what types of content they may prefer. Second, find keywords that may help advance your goals. Third, test out which platforms garner social media growth based on the content posted. Then, post the types of content that thrive on each individual platform. Now you can create a content calendar that can help you better organize your future posts. These should consider holidays and events to promote your campaign. Once your content has been posted, marketers should continue monitoring its progress.
Using the above tactics can help companies manage their content in a more efficient way. Content calendars are great ways to organize what you are going to post and when. Similarly, they make it easier to monitor goal accomplishments. Understanding your goals can help marketers post content that will further them.
