Have you ever created and shared content to your social channels only for it to completely “underperform” and leave you wondering why the hell you’re still spending time trying to make social media work for you? Maybe the problem isn’t Instagram or the content that you’re sharing; maybe it’s your content strategy.
So, what is a content strategy?
A content strategy is a plan that organizes the written, visual, and audio content that you’ll produce in order to achieve specific marketing goals. It gives purpose to your content so that you’re creating and posting with intention, rather than taking a shot in the dark.
Content strategies identify what it is that you’re trying to achieve, the content pillars that you will use, and the individual pieces of content that fall within those pillars.
Here is an example:
If your goal is to sell high-end shampoo, your content strategy might include educational videos that discuss the science of the product, testimonials from happy customers, and before-and-after photos. You need to show the value of your product in order to convert customers, and you’re more than likely not going to do that by posting daily trending TikTok dances.
But wait, what are content pillars?
We’ve seen a few different definitions out there for ‘content pillars’, but how we define them is that they are common themes or styles of content that all of your written, audio, and visual content would fall into. If the content that you’re producing doesn’t fall into one of your content pillars, it may be an indication that it’s not right for your brand account.
Content pillars can be promotional, educational, entertaining, engaging, or community-focused, and should always be defined with your target audience in mind. It’s usually best to stick to 3-5 content pillars to avoid creating confusion and to keep your content strategic and goal-oriented.
Here are a few examples of content pillars for different brands:
Jewelry Brand
Product Features/Launches (Promotional)
Styling Advice (Entertaining, Engaging)
Care Education (Educational)
User-Generated Content (Community-Focused)
Realtor
Product Features/Launches (Promotional)
Styling Advice (Entertaining, Engaging)
Care Education (Educational)
User-Generated Content (Community-Focused)
Home Decor Brand
Product Features/Launches (Promotional)
Styling Advice (Entertaining, Engaging)
Care Education (Educational)
User-Generated Content (Community-Focused)
Once you have a clear picture of your content pillars and the purpose for each, it’s much easier to plan your content accordingly.
As you can see from these examples, not all content should be created with the intention of selling or with the intention of entertaining. Depending on your brand, your content strategy should include a good mix of promotional, educational, entertaining, engaging, and community-focused content, all of which work together to achieve a variety of goals. While promotional posts work to hit sales goals, entertaining posts create brand awareness and loyalty, and educational posts offer value to the customer.
A content strategy forces you to look beyond the likes or saves on an individual post and identify what you’re really trying to get out of social media, your website, or paid media. It can be so easy to get caught up in metrics that, at the end of the day, don’t mean as much as you think they do to your business. A content strategy helps you to prioritize what matters.
What should be included in a content strategy?
Content strategies built by Sammy Hill Creative include the following:
+ An overview of the brand’s goals for the strategy period (Increase sales by %, build brand awareness, increase brand authority, improve customer retention, etc.)
+ Defined content pillars and the types of content or series of content that will be produced for each.
+ Identify the platforms that the brand will publish content on.
+ A schedule for the content that includes dates, formats, topics, captions, and audio.
+ The detailed strategy of creating the content with deadlines (brand photoshoot/video shoot, graphic design deadlines, written content deadlines, contractor details, UGC strategy).
A solid content strategy offers your brand an easy-to-follow roadmap that puts your content to work and gives it purpose.
No one wants to waste their time creating content for social media, email campaigns, or blogs, just to say that they posted something. There needs to be a reason and strategy, otherwise, you are working for your content, not the other way around.
Build your brand’s content strategy with the intention of achieving your goals and you will find that creating and sharing content will become less of a chore, and more of a strategic component of your business. It will lead to more space for creativity and the opportunity to genuinely connect with your audience.
If you’re not sure where to start with your content strategy, Sammy Hill Creative would be happy to help.
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