If you’re an entrepreneur, chances are you know how important it is to create engaging content for your audience with a content marketing strategy.
Your content is what draws your audience to you. Having good content that sends the right message to the right people at the right time makes all the difference. An effective content strategy will help you generate leads, boost brand awareness, and create an authentic relationship with your audience—which will also boost sales!
The question is: Are you creating the right kind of content for your audience? And are you clear on your content strategy?
Here’s the thing: creating content without a specific goal might mean you spend countless hours creating without actually getting the results you want. This article will teach you how to give your content strategy a “best in the world” type feel. Your audience will be converting into leads before you know it. Let’s dive in!
Table of contents
Why Create a Content Strategy?
Your content can be anything from blogs and social media posts to videos and, of course, lead-generation quizzes. But content success all depends on how you plan to use it and who you plan to deliver it to. Having a content strategy in place means you take something that might seem vast and ambiguous and distill it down to something attainable and actionable.
In other words, you get so clear on the motivation behind the content you’re creating that it continually connects your audience back to what you’re best at. Like a magnet, your content consistently draws your audience back to the same place. You can learn more about creating a content strategy using “the magnet method” here.
For example, at Interact, we know that we are here to help small businesses and entrepreneurs convert more traffic into leads through lead-generation quizzes. Knowing this is our North Star.
But this is just the beginning! Our founder, Josh Haynam, has found that several factors lead to killer content strategies, but it all comes down to asking yourself the below essential questions about your business:
- Who?
- What?
- When?
- Where?
- Why?
Once you answer these questions, you’ll have more insight into the pillars of your business, which will give you an overflowing bank of high-quality content ideas to choose from.
Now, let’s look at the essential pillars that make this strategy successful!
Things to Consider When Creating a Content Strategy
The Who in Content Marketing
As the old saying goes, The customer is always right. This rule of thumb most definitely applies to creating and maintaining an effective content strategy. “The Who” (and no, I’m not referring to the popular band from the 60s) is what you want to tap into when considering who is actually taking in your content.
This means getting to know who your ideal audience is. What does your current customer base look like? Who are you looking to attract? When you’re clear on who you’re trying to reach, you’ll be that much clearer on how you can reach them and continue to grow alongside them.
For example, at Interact, we work primarily with entrepreneurs, creators, and marketers. So naturally, we want our content geared toward that group of people. In the video above, Josh talks about creating the podcast Creator Stories, where we interview creators and small entrepreneurs, giving them a chance to tell their unique story. This creates really inspiring and compelling content that tells a story and gives the target audience something they can draw upon and relate to. Developing that “know, like, trust” with your audience will organically keep them coming back to your content!
The What in Content Marketing
This may seem obvious, but you want to be super clear on what it is that you do and offer as a business. “The What” in your content marketing strategy is what your audience counts on you for; it’s what you want to convey to them clearly through your content.
Whether you’re an online coach who offers high-touch mentorship for small businesses, a catering company that provides weekly meal deliveries to busy moms, or anything in between—your “What” is how you educate your audience on what it is you actually do and how it can benefit them.
For example, at Interact, we specialize in helping entrepreneurs, creators, and marketers convert traffic into leads using lead-generation quizzes. That is our “What.” Knowing that opens up a world of opportunities in how we deliver content! Maybe it’s a blog educating e-commerce companies on using quizzes, or a video tutorial on using the branching logic feature to make product recommendations on your quiz. By knowing what you are here to deliver and how your products and services can benefit others, content will flow more seamlessly.
The When in Content Marketing
When getting clear on the content you’re delivering, consider when you’re helping customers along their journey. When do your products and services count in their lives? At the very beginning of their journey? When they’ve reached a certain point and are ready to level up? Knowing when you can powerfully show up with your services will help you reach the right people at the right time.
For example, Interact helps clients at a very specific part of the marketing funnel. Because we specialize in lead generation, it’s safe to assume that our clients are at the stage of their business where they’re ready to gain and convert high-quality leads. An entrepreneur working with us may already have attracted quite a bit of traffic, and now they’re ready to take it to the next level.
Another example might be an online business coach looking to help clients scale their business as a service provider. In that case, they want to reach their clients when they’ve already achieved a certain level of success.
Make sense? Let’s keep going!
The Where in Content Marketing
“The Where” in your content marketing strategy is all about educating your customers on where they can use your products or services, or where you can help them. At Interact, we educate customers on where exactly they should put their quiz once it’s complete—on different websites, social media, or separate landing pages, for example.
Another point to consider is the actual location of where you can be helpful to customers. That might mean doing live in-person demonstrations or educating over a Facebook live. Think about where you can really show up for your customers and direct your content there in a meaningful way.
The Why in Content Marketing
Arguably the most important aspect of creating a “best in the world” content strategy is “The Why.”
“The Why” is like the North Star for all things content related in your business. Think about why your solution should matter to your customers. What problem can you specifically address for them and how can you provide the best possible path forward? When you’re clear on your why, you’re sure to have an outpouring of content that will educate and elevate your potential audience.
For example, if your business is centered around selling online marketing courses, consider why your audience would need these tools. Why should they listen, and what can they be sure to walk away with having invested in you?
For Interact, we would need to consider why an online creator or entrepreneur should care about having leads. And with that information, position content in a way that addresses the importance of why they should care.
The How in Content Marketing
Last but certainly not least, it’s time to address “The How” inside your content marketing strategy. When thinking about “The How,” consider educating your audience on how they can use your product or service. Maybe you’re a nutritionist specializing in meal prep guides—your content should address how your audience can benefit from your service. In this case, you could write a blog or film a short video explaining how they can fully utilize a seven-day meal prep guide.
Make sense? In our case, “The How” would address how exactly you could use Interact to build a quiz from scratch, including help documents, step-by-step tutorials, or instructional guides.
Hot Tips:
There you have it! Consider these categories when you set off to create your 2023 content strategy and you’ll be off to a great start. And when it comes to creating that content, keep these helpful hot tips in your back pocket:
- Stay current! Not super comfy with getting on Tik Tok or feel shy when it comes to Reels? Make 2023 the year where you leave your comfort zone! Staying up on current content trends will ensure you don’t fall behind.
- Trial and error. Creating content is always going to require a little trial and error. Measure what’s working and be willing to stop doing anything that no longer is.
- Do keyword research. This is important and will help you better understand your audience. It will also ensure that your content ranks and will determine how often it gets viewed.
- Keep it real! No matter what, your best content is always what’s most authentically you. Stay in your lane and be consistent with creating from a place that is your own.
Editor’s note: This article was originally a transcript reworked by Sophia Stone, Interact Marketing Intern.