Stop Scrolling ✋ Use This Checklist to Build Your Content Plan
I have a huge passion for working with brands on their content marketing strategy. I love jumping in and setting up the content plan and the different ways we can distribute the content to an audience. Still, I often see that brands are putting out filler content with no real strategy behind the content or a way to make sure they are tracking the content each month. The content you put out MATTERS.
Keeping that in mind, let's jump into what it looks like to build a content marketing strategy. Whenever I work 1:1 with a brand to come in and take over digital marketing efforts, the first thing I do is called phase 1.
Step 1 Complete Phase 1:
Reviewing content, they have put out thus far
Reviewing Analytics on active social channels and content insights
Reviewing and building out buyer personas
Doing competitor research to see what is working in their industry
I thrive on letting the data tell me what is working and what isn't while researching the industry before setting up and implementing the digital marketing strategy. Once phase 1 is complete, we move to the digital marketing strategy and start diving into the content plan.
Step 2: Research for Content Plan
I first map out any important dates that are coming up, whether that is in the community or whether that is a significant launch in the future. Dates are essential, and planning is vital in digital marketing. I then move on to the goals of the client. What plans do they have for their social media? Are we mainly focused on brand awareness? Excellent; what topics will provide the most value?
Are we focused on a product launch? Great, what pain points can we showcase for the audience, and do we have access to resources for content such as (Creators, influencers, and testimonials)
Are we focused on building a specific list? (Email, SMS) great, what freebie, downloadable, or resource do we have that we can provide the audience?
I take all of these questions into consideration when building a content plan. I then research topics and keywords for that client's specific industry.
Tools that I love using for this research:
Semrush
Quora
Google Search
Notion AI
ChatGPT (AIPRM plugin)
I also utilize TikTok and Twitter to see the conversations happening around those pain points.
Step 3: Build the content plan
Once I have completed my research, I bring up a blank document in google docs and list what type of content was working, what kind of content I want to test, and what type of content works for competitors. Then I start building the blog calendar, the social calendar, and the newsletter calendar.
Note* I also do this every month in advance because I like to be prepared for content for both myself and any client I work with. Things always come up; I would instead move content over, scrambling for something to post.
Example: For July Healthy Dash of Social
Blog Calendar:
Week of (July 3rd) Reintroduces Healthy Dash of Social and our services to clients.
Week of (July 10th) The importance of content distribution and why you shouldn't just post once and move on
Week of (June 17th) How to set up your social media process every month
Week of (June 24th) End of month analytics review, let's break it down
Newsletter Calendar:
Week of (June 3rd) Daily Dash of Digital: How HDOS can help your business
Week of (July 10th) Daily Dash of Digital: Let's build a content distribution plan together
Week of (July 17th) Daily Dash of Digital: What does your social media process look like?
Week of (July 24th) Daily Dash of Digital: End of month analytics review, let's walk through it
Social Media Plan: For this, I plan out what is going out on each social channel and what type of content format it is, for example:
July 10th | Topic: The importance of content distribution and why you shouldn't just post once and move on
Channels:
LinkedIn: Carousel
Instagram: 30-second Video
Facebook | Pinterest: Direct blog link
Step 4: Analyze your Content Plan Consistently
I am consistently surprised by how many people need to take the time to look at your analytics and insights. The data tells you everything you need to know regarding your content. Make it a point (weekly) but monthly to review your content insights/analytics and ask yourself the following:
Things to ask yourself/team when analyzing your content⤵️
- What content does my audience interact with most?
- How can I create content that provides value and is personable to the community I am building?
- Does the visual I'm putting out there reflect my brand's mission and social media goals?
- Does it feel good to put this content out? Am I passionate about the content, or is it just another filler post for the content calendar?
- Have I asked my community/audience what would be helpful to them?
Here's my dash of advice today: Stop ✋ using filler posts and put a strategy behind your content plan.
Things to remember:
👉Posting content to post isn't a good idea. You are wasting your energy and putting out content that your audience isn't going to interact with. If you are unsure what works yet, test different types of content, engage with your audience, and search for their pain points. Do the work to find what's valuable and what works for your brand
👉Stop second-guessing creating content. Make it fun to create an experience for your customers/clients - I've seen so many people have great ideas and then not put them out and go with a more generic idea (test your ideas 💡)
👉Personable connection is always better than filler posts. People connect with people. That is why so many people spend much time on a platform like TikTok. Show the personality behind your brand, and be relatable.
As a quick recap, take this checklist with you, add it to a document or project management board, and utilize it monthly when creating the content plan:
Review your digital marketing goals.
Conduct a content audit & research every month.
Develop the content plan ahead of time.
Create the calendar and distribution plan.
Measure and optimize your results
I love helping brands build content marketing strategies and plans. If you need help getting started, send me a message at info@healthydashofsocial.com or schedule a call . I'd love to jump in and help!
