Anyone with a talent for words can write good content. A great wordsmith can produce content that really connects with an audience.
Knowing what to write about, who to connect with and where to publish and distribute that content is a very different skill. Without a content strategy, you’re flying blind.
Content strategy starts with research. You need to know:
- Who your audience is
- What they’re saying about your brand and your products
- How they feel about your brand
- How they feel about your competitors
- What they say about your competitors
- Whether your key messages are part of the conversation
- Your share of voice in the conversation
- What information your stakeholders are looking for
- Gaps and opportunities you can fill with content
- Your stakeholders journey map
- Where people are on that journey
- What kind of content resonates best at each point along the funnel
This means you have to collect and analyze data. There are many tools you can use to collect the data from all channels of communication. You’ll need to use more than one tool to get all the data you need.
And that old saying, “Garbage in, garbage out” applies. You have to know what queries to put into the tool, so you collect the right information. You also have to know how to analyze the data to glean the insights that will lead to an effective content strategy.