Putting your brand on the map with an effective content strategy

Why a content strategy is indispensable

Do I really need a sophisticated content strategy? The answer is always: yes! With a solid content strategy in place, you can offer your target groups content that’s tailored to their needs, to guide them in their decision-making processes.

Before you start drafting your strategy, you should have a good idea of the market: what are your competitors doing? Where are the opportunities (content gaps)?

Naturally you should already have your existing content mapped, so that you can avoid creating duplicate content, to maximise the impact of your unique content.

Of course, you should have a plan to track your efforts, so that you can evaluate and adjust where necessary.

The right methodology

When creating your content strategy, you need a methodology that will help you get started and guide you through all the elements you need to bring your content strategy to the table.

At iO, too, we use a clearly defined methodology, that’s characterised by logical steps, divided into 4 quadrants: discovery, planning, execution and performance. Our methodology follows a logical journey that ensures that the content strategy is tailored to the intended target audience.

1. Discovery: getting a clear picture together

The objective of this first phase of the content strategy framework is to map out the current state of your content. How is your content performing today? What are your business priorities? What are your needs and objectives, and how can we match them with your target groups?

a. Brand Story

First, we need a deep understanding of your brand. We research your brand story and what your brand stands for.

Is your brand story poorly defined? Be sure to take care of that first, as it forms the foundation of your content strategy.

Need help with your brand story?

b. Business Goals

Just like with a branding process, we also look at your business goals. Because your content strategy has to be in line with the company's objectives and meet the needs of the target group.

c. Target audience

Then we take a closer look at your target group(s): what are their needs and expectations and how can we meet them as a brand? This can be investigated by, for example, by conducting in-depth interviews and by mapping the customer journey.

In addition, keyword research can also provide insights into your target group, calibrated to the SEO performance of your main competition.

d. Audit current approach

As a final step in the discovery phase, we also audit the current content on the various channels: website, newsletter, social media, etc. We analyse what can be improved, any content we can reuse – subject to optimisation. Of course, we identify content gaps in the current customer journey.

All findings are tested against the business objectives and the target group’s needs. Then we develop guidelines that can be used for the effective roll-out of the content strategy.

2. Planning: a shared compass

The purpose of the planning phase is to determine what we want to focus on in the coming period. What efforts will bring us closest to achieving our goals?

a. Brand purpose & pillars

In the planning phase, we start by establishing the brand purpose – what added value do you want to offer the target group – and the brand pillars – what are the fundamental elements that define the brand – that we want to convey to the target audience.

These are drafted using the conclusions of the discovery phase and are calibrated against the results from the previous steps. A messaging house provides a reliable framework for establishing the brand purpose and pillars.

b. Content Themes & Headings

Now that we have established the most important pillars, we can start adding content themes and sections to make the brand pillars tangible and communicate them to the target group.

These can include themes that we see recurring from keyword research and based on their seasonality, can predict in which periods these themes recur most often.

The design of these themes is laid down in sections. These are creative expressions that are frequently repeated and make your brand more recognisable to your target audience. Themes provide a reliable starting point that makes drafting quarterly plans a lot easier.

c. Annual Plan

The annual plan is a high-level plan that details the main themes, but also the number of blog posts, social posts, newsletters, etc. to be published.

This section is not very detailed but contains the outline for the detailed quarterly plans, which we will discuss in more detail below.

d. Channel mix

Finally, it is important to define the channels you want to work with and make sure that they fit your brand. This starts with research, selecting a number of channels where the intended target group is.

Once you have started periodic content creation, you can consider experimenting with additional channels, such as TikTok or Snapchat.

3. Execution: towards a concrete implementation

By creating the right framework in the previous two phases, you also have the perfect foundations to select content for impact.

a. Brainstorm content & campaigns

Good ideas don't just happen. Brainstorming is essential if you want your brand content to stand out.

It is important that the parameters for the brainstorming session are open, but that you keep a number of criteria in mind when making decisions:

Brand experience

What are the brand pillars and how will they work for the brand?

Customer experience

How do the pillars operate from the perspective of the target group?

Channel experience

Does the content match the channels I have in mind?

The previously established annual plan has an important role here, which, with its defined themes and campaigns, forms the basis of this brainstorming session.

b. Fill in categories

In the execution phase, you fill the sections with specific approaches, based on the themes established in the earlier planning phase.

In this execution phase, we look at how we can fill in the sections with a specific approach to make recurring posts on social media or in blog posts.

In addition, you also think about top topicals and ad hoc matters that are separate from the headings. These can be topics such as participation in a trade fair, events, etc.

c. Determine the editorial calendar

Every quarter, you produce a detailed content plan for the next three months, detailing your completed categories and ad hoc matters.

This is also a useful method to define a way of working, so that everyone in your content team is clear about what is expected of them throughout the process.

4. Performance: continuous optimisation

In the final phase, you analyse and continuously optimise your current efforts so that you can grow and develop with the needs of your target group and the trends in the market.

a. Draft a measurement plan

It's important to choose the right metrics and set the right objectives. It's best to do this before your first content pieces go live.

For example, reach and impressions are often not the right metrics. Engagement rate or number of page views are better metrics to measure quality.

Don't be afraid to be critical: do certain good results contribute to your business objectives? For example, how much do your content efforts impact direct sales? It is often more interesting to see how fast your website has risen in Google rankings, how many extra pages were visited by good interlinking, ...

b. Reporting

Work with a fixed reporting format, where you always compare the same metrics on a monthly or quarterly basis. You can do this by using a dashboard, for example, but it can also be done manually in Excel or in a PowerPoint presentation.

Also try to find logical explanations for possible increases or decreases. Some explanations are not obvious and cannot always be determined using data alone.

c. Optimise

Be flexible: dare to adjust your content plan regularly if you notice that certain topics or formats are not working. But don't be afraid to persevere: a new strategy doesn't always catch on right away.

Conclusion

Methodologies are created so that you have a foothold to execute and apply a strategy. Depending on your goals, resources and demand, you will not always be able to give all the steps the same attention. This isn't a bad thing. The content strategy framework aims to help you on your way and create foundations for setting up your content strategy.