In short: a content marketing strategy defines who you create content for, which goal you pursue with it, which channels you use to share it and how you measure success. Without this plan you end up with individual posts that nobody finds. With it, you gradually build up a stock of content that brings in visitors and enquiries over the long term.
How does a strategy differ from individual posts?
Many companies start content marketing by simply writing: a blog article here, a social media post there. After a few months there is no time left, the results are unclear, and the project falls asleep.
A strategy prevents exactly that. Before the first post, it answers why you are creating content at all and how you will recognise that it pays off. Every later piece can then be measured against this plan: does it fit the audience, the goal and the channel?
What goals can content marketing have?
Set one main goal. Typical goals are:
- Visibility: more people should get to know your company through search engines or social networks.
- Trust: prospects should see that you know your field.
- Enquiries: readers should get in touch, request a quote or sign up to a list.
- Customer loyalty: existing customers should make better use of what you offer and come back.
Phrase the goal as concretely as you can. "More visitors" is too vague. A goal like "More visitors from Google Search to our guide pages within six months" is something you can check.
How do I define my target audience?
Good content grows out of the questions of real people. So describe who you want to reach. These questions help:
- What problems does this person have before buying from you?
- Which terms do they use when they search for it?
- Where do they look for information: Google, YouTube, social networks, specialist forums?
- What stops them from making a decision?
Your own customers give you the best answers. Note down questions from conversations, emails and phone calls. Customer service and sales also often know exactly what people really want to know.
Which content fits which stage?
Before buying, people go through different stages. This is known as the customer journey. Each stage calls for different content:
- Awareness: the person has a problem and is looking for explanations. Guides, tutorials and answers to frequent questions fit here.
- Consideration: they compare solutions. Comparisons, checklists and first-hand reports fit here.
- Decision: they want to choose a provider. Case studies, clear service pages and answers to last doubts fit here.
Many strategies concentrate on the first stage only. Check whether you also have content for the later stages.
How do I find the right topics?
Combine two sources: your audience's questions and search data. A question that customers ask often and that many people also search for on Google makes a strong topic.
Group your topics. A proven model is the topic cluster: one detailed main page covers a broad topic. Several shorter articles go deeper into individual questions and link back to the main page. This way Google recognises that you cover the topic thoroughly, and readers quickly find further information.
This website is built the same way: each of our eleven topic pages is a main page, and the blog articles go deeper into individual questions.
Which formats are there?
- Blog articles and guides: good for search, usable for a long time and easy to update.
- Checklists and templates: people like to save and share them.
- Videos: strong for explanations and for YouTube as a search engine in its own right.
- Podcasts: build a close bond over time, though they require regularity.
- Infographics: make processes and relationships quick to understand.
- Newsletters: reach people directly, independent of algorithms.
Start with one or two formats that suit your skills and your audience. Do one format well before you add the next.
Which channels do I use to share the content?
Content only has an effect if people find it. There are three types of channel:
- Owned channels: website, blog, newsletter. Here you have full control.
- Shared channels: social networks. High reach is possible, though it depends on the platform's rules.
- Paid channels: ads that promote a piece of content to a specific audience.
A good principle: the content lives on your website. Social networks and newsletters lead people there.
How do I plan the implementation?
An editorial calendar records who creates which piece of content by when and where it appears. It turns the strategy into a routine that still works in busy weeks. How to build such a calendar is explained in our article on the social media content calendar; the same principle applies to blog articles.
Also plan time for maintenance. Updating existing content is part of the work, too.
How do I measure success?
Choose metrics that match your goal:
- Visibility: impressions and clicks in Google Search Console, page views.
- Interest: time on page, pages read per visit, returning visitors.
- Enquiries: contacts, sign-ups or requests for quotes that came in through a piece of content.
Review the figures at fixed intervals, for example once a month. Expand content that performs well. If a piece still brings nothing after a longer period, revise it or merge it with other content.
Common mistakes
- No clear goal, and therefore no measurement
- Content about your own company that ignores your customers' questions
- Too many channels at once
- No fixed rhythm, long breaks
- Publishing without distribution
Your strategy on one page
Answer these six points in writing, and you have the foundation of your strategy:
- Our main goal is …
- We write for … (audience and their most important questions)
- Our three topic clusters are …
- We use the formats …
- We distribute through …
- We measure success by … and review it every month.
You will find more basics on our topic page Content Marketing.
Sources: Google, guidance on AI features and helpful content in Google Search.