Content is powerful, but there’s a lot of fluff out there. Simply churning out blog posts to hit your weekly quota won’t get you very far. Around 4.4 million blog posts are published every day across the Internet. Social media is just as crowded, with Twitter users alone creating over 500k tweets every minute of every day. How much of this content is actually valuable? Not much probably (when you don’t create a content marketing plan).
If you’re a business that wants to make an impact in the digital space, it’s important to make sure your content is helping you achieve the goals you have in mind. By creating a content marketing plan, you can carefully guide and manage all your content creation efforts. This will ensure that your content serves a purpose and doesn’t just take up Internet space
In this article, we’ll explain how to create a content marketing plan built around your business goals. We’ll also discuss the differences between a content plan and a content marketing schedule, explain how to create a social media plan that helps you make an impact on social media, and give you a few tips on content creation to help you get started.
What is a content marketing plan?
Let’s start with the basics. What is a content marketing plan? Essentially, a content marketing plan is a document that outlines your goals and strategies for creating content. It should include the topics you’re going to focus on, the channels you’re going to use to distribute your content, how you will measure the effectiveness of your content, and what tactics you’re going to use to create the content. To put it simply, a content marketing plan is like a roadmap for your content creation efforts.
Content could refer to anything from blog posts to videos, social media posts, marketing emails, and more. Anything that your brand creates and distributes online can be considered content. Your plan should define specific goals for each type of content you create and how you plan to measure success. For example, if your goal is to increase web traffic, then you might track the number of page views or website visits over a certain period of time.
Marketing teams often use specialist software or spreadsheets to create comprehensive content plans that cover every touchpoint of the customer journey. This ensures that everyone on the team is on the same page and has a clear understanding of what they should be doing and when.
Here are some of the key elements of a content plan:
- Topics. What topics will you cover in your content?
- Format. What format will your content take (e.g., text, images, videos)?
- Timing. When and how often will you post/share your content?
- Channels. Which channels will you use to share your content (e.g., blogs, social media, email)?
- Key Events. Are there any special events or opportunities that you plan to take advantage of?
- Measuring success. How will you track the performance of your content (e.g., page views, clicks, time spent on page)?
- Creators. Who will create the content (e.g., in-house team, freelance writers)?
What is the difference between a content plan and a content calendar?
There are a lot of terms out there when it comes to content marketing, so it can be difficult to keep them all straight. Let’s break things down a little more.
As discussed above, a content plan is a broad document that outlines what type of content you’re going to create, where you’ll distribute it, and how you plan to measure its performance. A content calendar is a more specific document that outlines exactly what you will publish and when. It might also assign specific tasks to each member of your content team, so everyone knows in advance who is responsible for what. It’s a great way to stay organised and ensure that you create and distribute your content on a regular basis.
But before you can create either of these things, you need a content strategy. A content strategy is the foundation of your content marketing plan, and naturally, your content calendar too. It outlines your goals, audience, and the tactics you will use to reach them.
Here’s an easy way to look at it:
Content Strategy > Content Plan > Content Calendar
Your content plan is your content strategy put into action, and your content calendar goes one step further. It breaks down exactly what content you need to create and when.
Why do you need a content plan?
Do we really need to spend all this time planning our content? Can’t we just play things by ear?
When it comes to marketing, the stakes are high. You’re investing time and money in your content, so you want to make sure it’s worth it. A carefully thought-out content plan ensures you’re not wasting your resources creating content that won’t help you reach your goals. Here are a few other reasons why a content plan is important:
- It gives you a clear direction and ensures your whole team is on the same page.
- It helps you optimise your content for maximum reach and engagement.
- It helps you keep track of successful pieces of content, so you can replicate them.
- It gives you a timeline to work with, so you don’t miss any important opportunities.
- It saves you time in the long run – no more guesswork or missed deadlines.
If you’re serious about content marketing, a content plan isn’t something that can be overlooked. It’s what will turn your content marketing efforts from guesswork into a well-oiled machine.
How to make a marketing plan, step by step
So, we’ve established that a content marketing plan is indispensable if you want to reach your targets. But how do you get started? Learning how to create a content marketing plan might seem intimidating at first, but by breaking it down into manageable steps, it becomes a lot more achievable.
Step 1: identify your content marketing goals
Every effective marketing plan starts with clear, specific goals. These could be anything from improving your brand recognition to increasing website traffic, generating leads, boosting customer engagement, and driving sales conversions. Whatever your goals, they should follow the SMART criteria. They should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. These goals will act as a compass for your content marketing plan. They’ll provide direction and purpose for every piece of content you produce.
Step 2: understand your audience
In the realm of content marketing, one size doesn’t fit all. It’s crucial to know who you are communicating with so you can tailor your messaging accordingly. One way to do this is to create detailed buyer personas to make it easier to picture your target audience as real, living people with distinct needs and goals.
What are their key characteristics, behaviours, and motivations? How can your brand impact their lives? Also consider their age, occupation, interests, the problems they’re facing and the solutions they’re looking for. The more you know about your audience, the more you can personalise your content to attract, engage, and convert them. This means some solid market research is necessary. You might need to conduct surveys, polls, interviews and other forms of data mining to gain enough insights.
SEO is also an important factor to consider when understanding your audience. What keywords are they using to find solutions? Which search terms are your target demographic using? Keyword research provides valuable insight into the inner workings of your market. It will also help inform your content and optimize the chances of appearing on SERPs (search engine result pages).
Step 3: conduct a content audit
Before embarking on any new content creation, it’s wise to assess what you already have. Conduct a content audit to evaluate your existing content’s performance. Which pieces of content have driven the most traffic, engagement, or conversions? Why did they perform so well? Conversely, identify the content that didn’t hit the mark. Why did it fail? Answering these questions can help you determine the type of content that will be most successful moving forward.
Step 4: research your competitors
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Looking at your competitors can give you an idea of what type of content works in your industry. What topics are they covering? What formats are they using? Are there any gaps that you can fill in with unique content?
It goes without saying that originality and creativity are important. You don’t want to copy your competitors’ content, or create bland, generic content that doesn’t stand out. But sometimes, observing what’s already working for other companies in your space can give you a good starting point. It can provide the inspiration or insight you need to create something truly great. You can always take existing ideas and then apply your own twist to them.
Step 5: build your content strategy
A content strategy is the backbone of your content marketing plan. It outlines your:
- Goals (what you want to achieve).
- Audience (who your content is for).
- Content (what you’re going to create).
- Distribution (where and how you’ll share it).
Hopefully, after the first four steps, you have enough information to create a winning content strategy. Here are a few steps to consider:
Identify your unique selling proposition (USP)
What makes your content different from all the others in the digital world? Pinpointing your USP will help you find a unique angle or narrative for your content that can help it stand out and attract your audience.
Define your content pillars
These are the key themes or topics that your content will revolve around. They should align with your brand, match your audience’s interests, and have enough breadth to provide a variety of content. Keyword research is essential here. You want to make sure that your every content pillar is based on a topic that people are actively searching for.
Choose your content types
Determine what format your content will take. This could be blog posts, infographics, videos, podcasts, social media updates, or a mix of these and more. Your choices should reflect your audience’s preferences and your brand’s strengths.
Decide on content distribution channels
Identify the platforms where your audience spends the most time and where your content is most likely to be seen and shared. This might include your own website, social media platforms, email newsletters, guest blogs, and more.
If you’re still feeling overwhelmed by the process, think of it as a puzzle. Start with the pieces you have and build out from there. For an in-depth understanding, check out our post on how to create a content strategy.
Step 6: create a content marketing plan
Now it’s time for the final step of creating a content marketing plan. Take all the information from the previous steps and use it to create an actionable plan with tasks, deadlines, and objectives. Here are some steps to consider when creating your plan:
Choose your content marketing plan tool or template
Select a software tool, spreadsheet, or template that suits your needs for creating a content marketing plan. This document should allow you to outline your strategy, assign tasks, track progress, and analyse results. Google Sheets, Trello, Airtable, or CoSchedule are some commonly used options.
Establish your document structure
Structure your document in a way that aligns with your workflow. You might start with your content goals at the top, followed by audience personas, content topics, content formats, and marketing channels. The following sections could detail your publication schedule, content creation responsibilities, and promotional activities.
Create your content calendar
Under a section or tab in your document, detail your content marketing schedule This should include publication dates, content topics, assigned authors, and the status of each piece (idea, draft, ready for review, approved, published). The content calendar is an integral part of your plan as it offers a timeline and roadmap for your content production and distribution. For more information on this step, check out our post on how to create a content calendar.
Assign tasks and responsibilities
This section should outline who is responsible for each aspect of content creation and promotion. Include information about content creators, editors, social media managers, and anyone else involved in the process. This will promote accountability and clarify roles within your content marketing plan.
Define your promotion and distribution strategy
List the platforms where you’ll distribute your content and note any specific strategies you’ll use for each one. For instance, you might use certain hashtags on Twitter, tag influencers in your LinkedIn posts, or coordinate email newsletters to coincide with blog post publications.
Outline your metrics tracking and analysis approach
Describe how you’ll track and measure the success of your content. Include the key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll monitor (like page views, engagement rate, or conversions), and any tools you’ll use for tracking, such as Google Analytics, HubSpot, or SEMRush.
Schedule regular review and update sessions
Finally, schedule regular check-ins to review and update your content marketing plan. These sessions are opportunities to reassess your strategy, check the relevance and effectiveness of your content, make adjustments, and brainstorm new content ideas.
By the end of this process, you’ll have a comprehensive, tangible content marketing plan that can guide your team’s efforts and help ensure you achieve your content marketing goals.
How to Create a Social Media Plan
Your social media plan might form part of your overall marketing content plan, or you might decide to create a separate plan just for social media. If you’re making a plan just for social media, here are a few clear steps you can take:
Set Your Goals
What do you want to accomplish with your social media campaigns? Your goals should be specific, measurable and time-bound.
Research
Get to know your target audience and research the platforms they use most. Use this information to create relevant content and campaigns that will appeal to your target audience.
Plan Content
Decide what type of content you want to create, how often you will post, and which platforms you’ll use. Create a detailed schedule outlining when you will post each piece of content and on which platform.
Tip: The optimal posting frequency can differ depending on the platform. For example, it’s recommended to post around 3 to 4 times per week on Instagram and TikTok. However, Twitter requires more frequent daily posting for your best chances of engagement.
Monitor Results
Use analytics tools to track your progress and measure the success of your campaigns. This will help you identify which content is performing well, and which needs improvement.
Hiring a Content Marketing Agency
Juggling your business responsibilities while also trying to lead a content strategy can feel like trying to spin plates – all at the same time. So, if you’re feeling the pressure, it might be worth hiring an agency that provides content strategy services. Not only could this lighten your load, but it could also bring a host of benefits to your company as we highlight below.
Fresh Eyes and New Ideas
A content marketing agency can offer an outside perspective that can be game-changing. Your in-house team is immersed in your brand daily, which is great, but sometimes it can lead to a sort of ‘blindness’ to new possibilities. An agency will bring a fresh set of eyes to your brand and its challenges. They can help identify solutions that might be hidden in plain sight.
Access to Expertise
Hiring an agency means you’re gaining a team of seasoned professionals with diverse skill sets. This includes copywriters, SEO experts, social media gurus, and more. These are people who live and breathe content, stay on top of trends, and know what works and what doesn’t. Their proficiency can transform your brand’s content strategy.
Time and Cost Efficiency
It might seem counterintuitive, but hiring a content marketing agency can be a cost-effective move. Consider the expenses of hiring a full-time, in-house team – salaries, benefits, training, software. An agency is often a more economical choice. Plus, time is money. An agency can help get your content out quicker and more efficiently. This frees you up to focus on running your business.
Consistent and High-Quality Content
Consistency is key in content marketing. Regular, high-quality content keeps your audience engaged and helps improve your SEO. An agency can ensure a steady flow of quality content, whether it’s blog posts, social content, or SEO-optimised website copy.
Result-oriented Approach
A content marketing agency won’t just create content for the sake of it; they’re focused on delivering tangible results. They can help you set strategic content marketing goals and KPIs, then work tirelessly to meet them.
So, if you’re finding yourself stretched thin trying to manage your business and your content marketing, outsourcing to a content marketing agency could be a winning move.
Create a Winning Content Plan with VAMS
If you’re in search of quality content strategy services, look into partnering with VAMS. We have a rich history of helping businesses create content strategies that not only engage audiences, but also drive real growth. Get in touch with us today to find out more.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about creating content plans.
Should a content creation plan for content marketing include SEO elements?
Absolutely! SEO should be a key element of any content strategy, as it helps boost visibility and drive organic traffic. An experienced content marketing agency will ensure all strategies and plans include SEO elements to maximise the reach of your content.
Should your content plan include social content?
Social media and content marketing go hand in hand. You can choose to either create a separate content plan for social media or include it in your overall content plan. Whatever you decide, make sure your social content reflects your overall content strategy.
Should my content strategy plan include a budget?
Yes, the best way to ensure your content marketing plan is successful is by having an allocated budget. This will help you stay on track with your goals and measure if any changes you make to the content strategy are having a positive effect.
How much do content strategy services cost?
It depends on the individual project. Here at VAMS, we like to take a tailored approach to every project, so we can provide you with an accurate quote based on what you need. Get in touch with us today and we’d be happy to provide you with a quote.