“Content strategy” can feel like another marketing buzz-phrase but in reality, it’s pretty simple. It’s about generating the types of content that match your overall objective.

Hubspot defines content strategy as “a plan in which you use content to achieve your business goals.” 

Where brands can go wrong is sticking to just one type of content. While you may have found a medium or platform that helps you meet some of your goals or argue that you’re “focusing on a sweet spot”, you’re also likely risking stability by putting all of your content eggs in one basket. In addition to your consistency and quality, content variety should be a top priority as you build your plan.

At a minimum, a good content strategy considers two audiences: new consumers and current consumers. Hint: these two groups want to see different things, and might be found in different places. 

Connecting with new people: How audiences find content

If one of your goals is to drive new consumers to your content, you need to make sure you have plans for content that respond to two types of audience behaviors: exploration or discovery and active search. 

Discovery

While we might like to think that the age of window-shopping ended with the rise of Amazon, it’s simply not true. Humans still “discover” new products, services and businesses without intentionally seeking them out all the time. In fact, social media likely increased this behavior with the rise of influencers and algorithms designed to anticipate your spending habits and “needs.” 

When thinking about building content for consumers at this stage, there’s an opportunity to be less salesy and more educational in tone. Think things like whitepapers, how-to videos, experiential content, blogs and social media content created with the intent to raise engagement. You can also look at the ways in which you are organizing or suggesting content – things like filters, quizzes or sections on your website. 

Active Search

While active search is the more understood consumer interaction, it’s still often overlooked when it comes to building a content strategy. When someone searches for you and clicks on your SEM ad or homepage, what type of experience are you offering? What opportunities do they have to explore and learn about your business once they get there? 

Think about things like clear headlines, content that focuses on differentiators, retargeting emails and content, social content with more direct calls to action and more detailed copy. 

Ask yourself about where you are placing content, too. Is it in the spaces where people who are searching for your product might be, or tagged with the relevant search terms and keywords? (Do your keyword research!) And remember, search goes beyond Google. Search is Amazon, Youtube, TikTok, Reddit..wherever your prospective audience is starting their inquiries. 

Building loyalists: How to keep audiences engaged

Once you’ve got a consumer, you want to keep them coming back — or at least referring you to others. This is where your content strategy needs to factor in things like personalization, audience preferences and changing trends. To keep your consumers engaged, you want to interact with them in ways that they enjoy and expect. This means showing up on the platforms and mediums where they are in ways that aren’t disruptive, but are additive. Your goal isn’t to sell to this audience. Your goal is to offer valuable content. 

Does your business or service warrant a regular newsletter with tips and tricks? Do you have a loyalty or affinity program to promote via direct mail? Do you have a community group on Facebook or a blog with subscribers? Are you updating them when new products or options are added?

Creating variety through repurposing

Creating a diverse and rich content strategy and executing on it isn’t a small task, but it can be made easier with a smart approach to repurposing.

Some questions to guide your content repurposing exercise might include:

1. How many different places/mediums does this piece of content work for (as is)?
2. Could this piece of content work in another form? (ie: blog > podcast; video > social series; email > direct mail) 
3. By adding or removing additional detail, can it apply to a new audience?
4. Is this an evergreen piece of content that could be recycled each year?
5. Could this piece of content be cut into smaller, bite size pieces for another medium?
6. Is there a way to represent this content in a visual way (infographic, video, gif, carousel) 
7. Could this piece of content be updated or edited by making 1 or 2 small changes?