Thinking about ... Content

Thinking about... the thousands of similar blog posts, articles, and social media "thought leadership" I've been reading since January. From people praising ChatGPT's likeliness for changing business to prophets who claimed writing jobs would disappear, everyone had something to say about artificial intelligence.

Were all those people qualified to talk about it? Not really.

But the urge to jump on this trend had the best of many business owners. Personal accounts, company LinkedIn pages, and business blogs had to include something about AI.

And it's easy to find an excuse for it:

"Everyone's talking about it."
"It helps with SEO."
"It builds authority."
"It shows we keep up with the times."

But do businesses need to produce content with little or nothing to do with their vision, mission, and goals? No. Here's the thing. No company will benefit from content that doesn't effectively address its audience's needs. Such content doesn't help with brand awareness, drive conversions, or increase brand loyalty. It's just noise.

Content marketing is about something other than publishing whatever's available so people keep seeing and hearing you online. To be effective and help you meet your business goals, content must follow a path, or as marketers call it, a strategy.

Thinking about... intention and content planning. Without them, content creation is like embarking on a journey without a travel itinerary or route map. You may get lost, waste time, and miss your destination.

Your navigator can only take you somewhere if you know where you're going.

And it's about more than just getting from A to B. You can identify the best routes, attractions, and accommodations with a well-crafted travel plan. Similarly, a content plan acts as a roadmap, guiding you through the creation and distribution process. With a cohesive strategy, you can see the details and cover the gaps so your content marketing efforts stay on brand and help you reach your business goals.

A content strategy helps you save money and leverage growth opportunities. Instead of paying for random blog posts that might or might not support your overall marketing efforts, you only focus on what's helpful for your audience.

It doesn't mean you'll never join a trend or focus on hot topics. It only helps you pick the proper subjects to associate with your brand — in line with your core values and your audience's expectations.

A strategy will dictate:

• what you talk about 
• who's the right audience to target
• what formats work best for sending your message out there
• what marketing channels are more likely to connect you with prospects 
• the narrative that resonates with your audience and puts your clients at the centre of the brand story

The message is more effective when you're intentional about what you want to communicate. You have clarity on who gets the memo and provide the correct instructions to trigger a reaction.

Thinking about... efficiency. It's no secret that a well-crafted plan helps you prioritise tasks, set deadlines, and allocate resources effectively.
Planning and building a framework for your content creation and distribution pays off. I know it doesn't come with deliverables from day one. But it doesn't mean you're wasting resources.

A content strategy ensures that everyone involved in content creation understands their roles and responsibilities, minimising confusion and fostering collaboration. With a plan in place, you can assign tasks, track progress, and make adjustments as necessary to keep the project on track.

You take the time to plan, so you only spend what is needed in the long run. A slow start that eliminates bottlenecks and faux pas to set you up for success and ensure you keep producing content consistently.

Thinking about... content calendars and how they're unfairly sold as "strategy". A list of titles is just one of the many components of an effective content marketing strategy.

What else do you need?

• Goals. Increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or generating leads require different content creation and distribution efforts. So, consider the content's role in your business. What do you want to achieve?
• Target audience. Go beyond demographics to learn about people's interests, pain points, and preferences. This information will help you tailor your content to provide them with value.
• Your existing content. Use the content assets you already have, identify gaps, and look for opportunities for improvement.
• Buyer personas. Three-four detailed profiles of your ideal customers will help you personalise your content to address specific needs, challenges, and aspirations.
• Content types and formats. Video, for example, is the most popular format today, but it's only helpful if it resonates with your audience and aligns with your goals. Choose wisely from blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, case studies, whitepapers, or social media posts, considering the preferences of your target audience and the platforms they're using.
• SEO. Optimising your content to improve its visibility and organic search rankings enhances the return on your marketing efforts — SEO has the fourth largest ROI. (No, it’s not dead.)
• Distribution plan. When you list the titles in your content calendar, add a column for promotion. It can include your website, social media platforms, newsletters, guest blogging, influencer collaborations, and paid advertising. The secret is to tailor your distribution strategy to reach your target audience effectively.
• KPIs. You must define the best ways to keep an eye on your content's performance from day one so you always track the same metrics and easily understand whether your efforts pay off.

Thinking about... AI and its role in the content creation process. Is it here to do the work for you? I've seen businesses of all sizes firing writers or downsizing marketing budgets while mentally spending the money ChatGPT would save them. The promise of producing more content faster and without hassles reminded me of MLM companies.

Yes, this move might provide some acceptable results for a short period, but in the long run, it dilutes your brand and only adds more noise to an already cluttered space. You risk losing everything you’ve built until now.

Why ask ChatGPT (or another AI tool) a couple of questions and stick the answers into a blog post? Does your audience really need such content?

Content marketing is a marathon. Consistency and resilience, not speed, will help you win.

Can artificial intelligence streamline content creation? Yes. Can it substitute market and audience research, positioning, and strategy? No. Or not yet. So, use your common sense to decide when and how to integrate it into your content strategy.

HAVE I GOT YOU THINKING ABOUT YOUR CONTENT AND THE RESULTS YOU CAN ACHIEVE WHEN YOU PLAN YOUR NEXT MOVES?

Great! It means you're already thinking about the first element of your content marketing strategy — your goals. If you need help with the remaining pieces of the puzzle, we're here to help. Message me: info@dxdmedia.co.uk.

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