One of the favorite buzz phrases among online marketers and key managers is Content Strategy. Some of these strategists refer to content strategy as the practice of planning the creation, delivery and governance of content. Others see it as a repeatable system that defines the entire editorial content development process for a website project.
Still, some other groups, as The Content Strategy Alliance, the first international content strategy organization, defines content strategy as providing “the right content to the right user at the right time.”
It’s Not About Editing!
Many people and organizations though, tend to confuse content strategists with editors. They fail to understand that for the strategist, the whole thing is more than just about the written word. It’s about developing content as to make it suitable for re-distribution and/or repurposed for other channels of delivery. Further, it is the content strategist’s job to make content readable, easy to understand, actionable, easy to find and is such that it can be shared by internet users in all of its varied forms. The purpose of content strategy, after all, is to achieve certain business goals by having content deliver a powerful, positive impact for one’s brand or business.
Why Is Content Strategy Important?
Creating content without any strategy generally leads to an inconsistent, disparate content with neither a clear, specific purpose nor core theme. This then becomes confusing to your target market and affects your brand’s credibility and image in a negative way.
When there is no strategy involved in the development of content, chances are, it will turn out to be generic. Generic is boring. Generic doesn’t cut it anymore. It doesn’t get shared and most of the time, generic does not engage people. Consequently, content with no strategic direction will very likely not deliver the objective you have set for your brand or business.
How Do You Work Out The Strategy For The Creation Of Content?
As in any other kind of serious endeavor, you will need to do some homework. You will need to dig into some information sources as in research studies to find the answers to the following questions:
What do your customers say about their wants and needs? What do they really want? What are the wants that are really most important to them? Assessed against these wants and needs, is your content delivering?
Is your competition satisfying their needs already?
If not, do you view this as an opportunity for your brand to take the lead and shine?
Will doing so help in the achievement of your business objective?
Content strategy is a vision that should guide the creation of content towards the realization of a specific business objective. At the end of the day, its aims should be to make sure that:
the content runs parallel to your brand message and values;
it enhances your brand’s or your business’ credibility;
it helps you to stand out from among your competitors; and finally
your content delivers against a business objective you’ve set for yourself.
