A content management strategy is like a roadmap for your organization’s content and data. It’s a structured plan that guides you in creating, publishing, and managing all your content.
Having a solid content management plan is an important asset in any brand building process. It’s not just about staying afloat; it’s about thriving in this fast-paced digital age.
With the right website content management plan, you will be able to manage and make the most of your content, thus ensuring your organization’s success and growth!
In this blog, we will discover how to create the perfect content management system for your business’s growth! Without any further ado, let’s get started.
Key content strategy elements
Your content management strategy is a comprehensive plan outlining your objectives, tactics, and metrics to gauge effectiveness. It should also incorporate data and research for informed decisions and remain editable and easily accessible.
Clearly defined high-level goals are essential for any content management strategy to assess its impact effectively. Avoid cluttering the strategy with too many goals; instead, focus on no more than three key objectives.
Craft your brand’s story with utmost importance, as it will shape every piece of content you produce. Your brand building strategies should address real problems and create connections with customers based on their perspective, not yours.
Understand your audience personas, representing your target audience based on real data obtained through interactions like customer interviews, sales calls, support requests, social media interactions, and more.
Include a section in your strategy that summarizes competitor analysis to identify opportunities for differentiation and fill market gaps, leveraging your brand’s unique story and connection with your ideal customers.
Be strategic about keywords analysis in your content to drive sustainable organic inbound traffic from search engines. Do keywords research and focus on a small set of relevant short-tail keywords and consider long-tail keywords for more specific targeting.
Content objectives can vary from blog articles and social media posts to videos and webinars. Determine your core content source and distribute it to different platforms for wider reach, maintaining a consistent publishing schedule.
For promotion and distribution, outline the tasks and processes for new content, such as email outreach and social media posts. Additionally, plan specific tactics for larger “epic” content pieces that require more resources.
Measuring success requires defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align with your content marketing goals. Common KPIs include new and returning traffic, email engagement, conversions, and more. Monitor these metrics to track progress effectively.
Content management strategy example
Now, you might ask, what is a content strategy example? A content strategy example is a plan that outlines how a brand will create, distribute, and manage content to achieve specific goals.
Here are real-life brand content strategy examples that showcase how planning and execution can lead to remarkable results. These examples of content strategy prove that a well-thought-out approach can significantly impact a brand’s success.
Marvel Origins campaign
Marvel Comics has a long history dating back to 1939, but it was in 1961 that the Marvel era truly took off. They wowed the masses with superheroes like the Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Ironman, Thor, and Captain America.
Now, the Mapping Marvel Origins campaign by Movoto Real Estate had a clever strategy. They wanted to showcase the backgrounds of these famous comic characters and their connection to various places around the world. So, they created a cool map infographic that linked each character to their native lands and birthplaces.
The results from this website content strategy example were fantastic! The campaign got 9000 shares, and it was featured in 365 stories. The focus on beloved Marvel characters and superhero teams really resonated with comic book fans. Plus, it cleverly highlighted Movoto Real Estate’s core business.
The campaign got placements in top-notch media outlets like Yahoo, MTV, Mashable, and Nerdist. That’s how you make a splash with creative and engaging content management strategies!
Average Faces of Drug Abuse campaign
This one used graphics in a powerful way to shed light on the dangers of drug abuse. They took over 100 mugshots of people arrested for drug or alcohol-related offenses and combined them into a single image. The result was a series of six such images, each carrying information, facts, and stats about the perils of drug and alcohol abuse.
Now, the strategy here was smart. They knew visuals would grab more attention than plain text, so they created strong and emotionally stirring graphics. These visuals were paired with educational bits to really captivate the audience. This example of a content strategy
The campaign worked wonders! The client, aiming to establish authority in the drug treatment industry, saw a surge in popularity. Top-notch publishers were eager to contribute, and the campaign garnered 9000 shares and got featured in 250 stories. You can easily use this example as a sample content strategy for your brand.
BuzzStream
This example of a content strategy revolves around a big player in the SEO space, BuzzStream. Their unique selling point (USP) lies in handling the growing content volume as more and more companies jump into the content marketing game. With thousands of marketers on board, BuzzStream is the go-to place for building influencer relationships, driving traffic, boosting awareness, and rocking search performance.
Now, their strategy was smart. They wanted to establish BuzzStream as a niche thought leader, and they did it through an original research-based campaign. The main goal? To boost their visibility on search engines and build a solid bond with their target audience.
And the campaign was a massive success, earning BuzzStream industry authority with 320 featured stories. The research-driven approach generated nearly 66K shares, and their online content upgrades resulted in record-breaking new sign-ups.
Salesforce
Salesforce is a US-based software company rocking the CRM (Customer Relation Management) world. They are all about marketing automation, customer service, analytics, and application development. They even create awesome web series and rock live-streaming initiatives. Plus, they have got these killer reports full of sales and marketing insights for different industries.
Now, their campaign strategy is all about nailing organic viewership and engagement. They want to reach the right people at the perfect time and make a statement. The goal? To position Salesforce as the trusted and authoritative data source.
The strategy worked like a charm! Salesforce’s global success is evident in the huge spikes of Linkedin engagement and a solid 20% increase in report downloads. With such results, they have left their competitors in the dust and proved they have got the power to convert like no other.
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Winning Content Management Strategy
Know Your Brand and Audience: Your brand development strategies should define who you are, and your audience is who you are talking to. Use your brand’s mission and values to connect with your target audience. Ask yourself questions like who your customers are, what problems they face, and how you can make their lives better.
Do a Content Audit: Take a good look at your existing content. Use tools like Semrush or Screaming Frog to gather all your content in one place. Evaluate each piece to see if it provides valuable information and matches your customers’ needs. Don’t be afraid to make improvements where necessary.
Set Goals and Metrics: Love your content, but don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. Set clear goals and use metrics like keyword rankings, organic web traffic, time on site, and lead generation to measure success. Social shares are also vital indicators of great content.
Research Your Competitors: Check out what your competitors are doing and how well they are doing it. Use competitor analysis tools like SpyFu and BuzzSumo to gain insights. Aim to create better, more engaging content that outshines your competition.
Determine the Right Content to Offer: Start by focusing on one content type, especially if you are new to content marketing. Consider options like industry news reports, blog series, newsletters, infographics, and tutorial videos. Educational content that adds value to your audience is a winner.
Build a Content Calendar Publishing: To keep your audience engaged, you need a steady stream of content. The key is consistency, whether you post weekly or a couple of times a month. Quality matters, so focus on creating valuable content.
Create a Content Distribution Plan: Don’t let your content go unnoticed. Figure out where your audience spends their time online and distribute accordingly. Use your website, social media, and guest posting opportunities to reach a wider audience.
Encourage Discussion: Social media is your ally here. Know where your audience hangs out and offer value there. Focus on what your fans want, not just your competitors. Engage with your audience, ask for their opinions, and build a loyal following.
Measure Your Results: Consider taking help from a content management strategist or use key metrics like sharing, lead generation, and consumption to evaluate success.
Research the Results – and Create More Content: Use the data from your metrics to refine your strategy. Find out what content resonates most with your audience. Ask questions like: What made that video more shareable? Was the topic unique? Learn from insights and adjust your approach.
Tools and Technologies for Content Management
WordPress: The most popular CMS in the world, it’s perfect for websites, blogs, online stores, you name it! It’s SEO-friendly and has a massive community to support you.
Drupal: Great for experienced developers and offers advanced features like marketing automation. But customizing it can be costly.
Joomla: Another popular CMS with tons of features, but it’s not beginner-friendly due to its steep learning curve.
BigCommerce: If you are all about eCommerce, this CMS has got you covered. Lots of payment options and excellent customer support, but not free.
Shopify: Another top-notch option for eCommerce, user-friendly with plenty of extensions, but also not free.
Wix: Ideal for beginners, its drag-and-drop interface and interactive templates make it super easy to create a beautiful website. Paid plans offer more features.
Squarespace: A favorite among bloggers and entrepreneurs, easy to use with a simple drag-and-drop interface. Offers everything you need but comes with a price tag.
Ghost: Perfect for bloggers, it’s flexible and easy to use but not forcing you to publish content in a specific manner.
HubSpot CMS: A fully integrated CMS with sales, automation, and marketing tools, making it ideal for startups. Easy to use for non-techies.
Contentful: A popular platform used globally for creating and delivering content across all channels. Great for developers and provides engaging omnichannel experiences.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
You know that feeling when you are juggling tasks, and it feels like there’s never enough time in the day? Like editing an eBook while tweeting and wishing for more hours? It’s frustrating, right? And it’s not just about personal time management – content management plays a role too.
Take B2B content marketers, for example. They face delays of up to two months before launching an eBook. Imagine how that affects productivity! But there’s a solution – better content management.
Content management simplifies things. It’s all about defined responsibilities and rules. Who creates the content, who approves it, who posts it, and who promotes it. When everything’s clear, it’s like a well-oiled machine!
Budget constraints
Budget constraints can be a real headache for content marketers. Nearly half of marketers face this challenge, especially smaller teams handling multiple tasks without agency support.
So, how do we tackle this budget hurdle?
Here are two practical tips:
Repurpose your content: Don’t let your amazing assets like eBooks gather dust after one campaign. Get creative! Turn that eBook into blogs, videos, infographics, and email campaigns. Stretch its value and get more mileage out of your efforts.
Track your results: Document your content management strategy and monitor campaign performance. When you can show the company the ROI, they will be more likely to invest in content management, and you will get the budget you need to generate more leads. Simple math equals more opportunities!
Changing trends
Content marketing can feel overwhelming, with trends always changing. It’s like there’s always someone who knows more than you do. But don’t worry; even Einstein admitted he knew nothing!
Training on the job might not be easy, especially for small teams with tight deadlines. And with new strategies popping up each year, a lack of knowledge and training can hurt your business’s performance.
Here’s how you can tackle the knowledge gap:
Invest in yourself: The content management community is welcoming with blogs, news websites, classes, conferences, and even free certifications and training courses. Keep learning and growing!
Take chances: Don’t be afraid to experiment with A/B testing, meta descriptions, and page titles. Every learning experience doesn’t have to be perfect. There’s a middle ground to explore.
Consider external help: If your team lacks subject matter experts or great writers, collaborating with a content marketing agency or consultant can make a big difference.
Lack of buy-in or vision alignment
You might think content management is beautiful, but not everyone in your company shares the same vision.
When decision-makers don’t believe in content management, it can be tough to get ROI-worthy ventures off the ground. Those amazing tech solutions that boost efficiency often come with a price tag.
There’s a solution to get the buy-in and vision aligned:
Prove its worth: Show them the money! Measure the ROI of content management and demonstrate how it contributes to the company’s revenue.
Get those numbers: Figure out how your management strategy impacts profitability, and you will have a strong case for larger investments to scale your work further.
A chaotic mix of tools
Content marketing isn’t what it used to be. It’s no longer just about blogs and social media. Nowadays, there are tons of tools that play a role in the process, from creating assets to promoting them on social media.
As a content marketer, you are expected to be a multi-faceted unicorn and an Inspector Gadget hybrid – launching multiple campaigns, tracking performance, and making adjustments on the fly.
Step back and assess: Take a breather from your day-to-day marketing activities. Look at what your team does most often during the week.
Create an ecosystem: Align those tasks with digital tools that make them easier to carry out. Build a seamless ecosystem that works together like a well-oiled machine.
Get automation savvy: Embrace the power of marketing automation platforms like HubSpot or Marketo. Choose one that suits your company’s unique needs.
Measuring and Optimizing Content Management Strategy
Let’s break down the content measurement and how to make it work for your content management initiatives:
Deciding what to track: Don’t get overwhelmed by tracking everything. Start with a few fundamental metrics based on your content management goals and business priorities. Know what success means for your organization.
Inventory and audit existing assets: Before you measure, you need to know what content you have. Create a content inventory and conduct a basic content audit to understand your content strengths, weaknesses, and gaps.
Measure for priority goals: Understand your company’s top priorities to determine which metrics to track. Focus on the most relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) for each content type or goal.
Listen and learn: Apart from quantitative data, pay attention to conversations around your brand, especially on social media. Unsolicited feedback can give insights into your content’s impact and audience reception.
How to track, measure, and manage your data: Establish a manageable measurement process that fits your needs. Use tools like spreadsheets and Google Analytics to organize and analyze performance data effectively.
Tap into Google’s most powerful insights: Google Analytics offers critical reports for content marketing measurement. Use traffic reports, navigation summaries, organic search insights, and conversions data to gauge your content’s performance.
Organize your information for easy reporting: Keep your team and stakeholders informed by sharing regular editorial status reports with key analytics and insights.
Turn information into actionable insights:
Understand the data and what it tells you to do. Use proven best practices to analyze results and turn insights into actionable steps.
Establish a scoring system: Create a consistent content scoring system to compare content efforts and prioritize resources effectively.
Translate knowledge gained into ROI achieved: Ultimately, your content should benefit the entire organization, not just the content department. Define and present proof of content management ROI in a way that aligns with your organization’s goals and resonates with stakeholders.
Conclusion
Recognizing the significance of a content management strategy for your organization’s long-term success is just the beginning. Taking action and actually implementing that strategy is the next crucial step. However, we understand that navigating this process may not always be straightforward; there can be complexities and challenges along the way.
Seeking assistance and guidance to get on the right track is perfectly normal and even wise. There are resources available to help you streamline your content management efforts, whether it’s through expert consultation, using specialized tools, or collaborating with experienced professionals.
Having a well-executed content management strategy is a game-changer. It lays the foundation for information management, propelling your organization toward growth and prosperity in the digital era. So, don’t hesitate to reach out for support on your journey to content management excellence!