Strategy is Key to Successful Content Marketing

Nicole Provonchee, VP, Parthenon Publishing

Content marketing consumes about a quarter of all marketing budgets today and 60 percent of marketers expect to maintain or increase their content marketing budgets in the coming year, according to the Content Marketing Institute. That has led many to proclaim, “content is king”. It is true that engaging content based on a strategy tied to business goals is the king of marketing tools. However, content with no strategy is, at best, a distant royal relative.

Whether they call it “content marketing” or not, almost every company practices some form of content marketing. To engage with current and potential customers, companies may create a print newsletter, send an email update, share items on Facebook or write a blog. It is all content marketing.

With audiences splintering across more and more media platforms, marketers need to create more content than ever before. And, in content marketing, one size does not fit all. Content should be tailored to each unique platform. How do you create content marketing that’s strategic and hits your audiences?

A plan is just the first step. Whether the plan will succeed depends not only on the volume of content a company creates, but on the quality.

While content strategies are specific to individual companies, there are three simple questions marketers should ask when developing or evaluating content:

1. Does it engage our target audience? To succeed, content needs to be noticed, inviting and relevant.
2. Does it deliver value? Successful content must deliver value through inspiration, entertainment or information. If you can achieve all three – all the better.
3. Does it make sense coming from our company? Content marketing efforts need to be consistent with an organization’s overall brand position and offer.

These questions create a strong base for a company’s content marketing strategy.

Parthenon Publishing helps clients grow their business through engaging communications through a variety of print and web-based platforms. Parthenon has been working with clients on content marketing needs for almost a decade.