Content planning tips to help your marketing

For those who follow me on social media, you’ll know I post content planning tips to help you plan for your business.

If you want to dig deeper into these tips, keep reading for my essential six content planning tips to keep your content flowing.

Firstly, people often ask why you need a content plan

Quite simply, without a plan, your ideal customers might not know how to find you. Equally, your content might not be organised or you might struggle to publish consistently.

But, if you invest some time in content planning, you will:

• Know what you want to publish, when and where
• Organise your time more efficiently
• Know what’s coming up and what to create next.

So, let’s take a look at how to build a strong content plan.

 

Tip 1: Decide who you’re talking to

As with the rest of your content marketing, knowing who you’re targeting your content to is the most important first step. Don’t assume that you’re selling to everyone. This is a common mistake and can lead to your approach feeling too broad.

Consider these factors to help you work out your audience:

• Age and gender
• Location
• Their interests
• The industry they work in or the job they do
• Their income or economic status
• Their challenges or pain points
• Their goals
• What’s likely to make them buy from you?

Building up a picture of your key audience will help you focus your content planning on what you’re trying to say and how best to say it.

 

Tip 2: where does your audience hang out?

This isn’t the same as ‘location’ or where they’re based. It’s a step is helping you understand where your audience get their information.

For example, if you’re targeting young people, who currently favour TikTok and Snapchat, creating content on Facebook is not going to get you significant results.

On the other hand, if your audience is much older, are they on social media? Are they even online?

If your audience is other businesses or a specific sector, you might need to target industry press or specialist blogs instead.

Here are content platforms to consider:

• Social media – which platforms are relevant?
• Blogs – writing your own or guest blogging
• Print media – trade/industry, local or national
• Broadcast media – radio or TV
• Videos – your own or as a guest
• Podcasts – your own or as a guest
• Guest speaker opportunities / interviews
• Workshops or training courses

Do an audit of all the places your audience might consume content. And then work out the most popular platforms to target.

 

Tip 3: Focus your energies

So, now you know where your audience are consuming their content, begin by focusing your energy on 1-2 content platforms to begin with.

Pick the platforms where most of your audience hang out and also those you find easier to use. Naturally, you will gravitate towards your own preferences, so make things easy on yourself.

By focusing your attention in this way, you will:

• Become comfortable and knowledgeable on the platforms you choose
• Not spread yourself too thinly or dilute your messages
• Avoid overwhelm – especially if you’re just starting out
• Work smarter and reach your audience where they are
• Make it easy for your audience to find you – and help yourself at the same time!

 

Tip 4: Research relevant content topics

Now you have decided on the content platforms you’re going to use, it’s time to decide what to create content about!

There are lots of different things you could do, so here are just a few ideas:

• Tips to help them solve a problem
• Advice on topics you can help them with
• News or information about your sector / industry
• Useful data or trends
• Behind the scenes about your business
• About you – things they may not know
• ‘Meet the team’ if you have staff
• Client testimonials or case studies
• Business milestones – birthdays, awards etc.
• Inspirational quotes

There are lots more, of course! You may have some of your own ideas to add. Look out soon for my blog on content inspiration and ideas.

 

Tip 5: Tailor your content for each platform

Now you have decided on the platforms you’re going to use and the topics to write about, think about how to tailor your content for each platform. After all, they’re all different and have their own rules and requirements.

For example, if you’re creating content for Instagram, you need images or video, along with hashtags and a caption. For a blog, you’re not limited to number of words, but you might want to consider whether it’s easy to read and well laid out.

For each content topic you want to write about, consider:

• What information do you want to include?
• What message do you want to get across per topic?
• What research or data do you need to gather?
• Are you going to create a video or audio version or just written?
• Do you need different sized images for different platforms?
• What length of text do you need for each platform?
• Which hashtags will you use (where relevant)?
• What call to action do you want people to take?

Remember, not all of these points will apply. For now, you’re just looking at 1-2 platforms as your starting point.

Also think about repurposing your content. This simply means taking a piece of content for one platform and making it suitable for another.

For example, how might you turn a blog post into a video or vice versa? Can a series of social media posts become a blog (as it the case with this blog!) or a podcast? The possibilities are endless!

Tip 6: Put it all in a calendar

So, finally it’s time to gather all your research and ideas and put them into a calendar or planning tool. This will help you see at-a-glance what you need to create and when.

You can also add any awareness days and key dates alongside other content ideas you want to share. So, you’ll have no nasty surprises, and all your content is planned out!

Whether you prefer a paper diary or calendar, or want to use online tools, there are plenty of content planning options available to you.

So there are my 6 content planning tips! Why not buy my digital content planner and start adding your own ideas and research straight away! If you’d like help with planning your content, you can also book a content planning session with me.