Creating a content strategy for your brand can be a daunting task. You could outsource the process, like 50% of all marketers do. However, that reduces your chances of delivering top-quality content to your audience.

Developing a content strategy that works doesn’t have to be hard. With a little bit of planning and some simple steps, you can have a solid one up and running in no time.

In this blog post, we’ll be walking you through 7 easy steps to help you create your very own content development strategy from scratch.

7 Steps to Create Your Content Strategy From Scratch

You can use these steps if you’re a business owner, marketer, or blogger. After a while, expect to see growth in web traffic and engagement.

So, let’s get started on creating a content strategy that will set you up for success!

Define Your Goal

Before you start creating content, it’s important to define what you want to achieve. This will give you a clear direction and purpose for your content strategy. Ask yourself questions like:

• Who is your target audience?
• What problem are you trying to solve for them?
• What action do you want your audience to take after reading your content?

Write down your goals and refer back to them as you work through the rest of the steps.

Conduct Persona Research

Once you have your goals in place, it’s time to get to know your target audience. This is where buyer persona research comes in. A persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer.

Pegasystems, a global B2B software company, serves as a great example of the impact of buyer personas

They performed thorough research and development on their existing customer personas. The information they got helped them tailor their content strategy to these personas.

In the end, they enjoyed the following rewards:

1. 20% increase in customer engagement
2. 10% increase in lead generation
3. 32% to 40% jump in conversion rate
4. More effective marketing
5. 10% increase in pipeline opportunities and value

By creating personas, you too can better understand your target audience’s needs, wants, and pain points. This information will help you create content that is relevant and valuable to them.

Run a Content Audit

Before you start creating new content, it’s a good idea to take stock of what you already have. Conduct a content audit to see what’s working well, what needs improvement, and what you can remove.

This will help you identify gaps in your content and make sure that you’re not duplicating effort.

To perform a content edit, first read through your content carefully to identify any errors or inconsistencies. Next, check for clarity and readability. Make sure that your content is easy to understand and that the structure and flow make sense.

Finally, look for opportunities to tighten up your writing and eliminate any unnecessary words or phrases. Remember, the goal of a content edit is to improve the quality and effectiveness of your content.

Choose a Content Management System

You can’t create a content strategy that works without considering a CMS. A content management system (CMS) is a platform that allows you to create, manage, and publish your content.

Choose a CMS that is easy to use and aligns with your goals. Some popular CMS options include WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace.

Consider the following when choosing a content management system:

• Ease of use
• Cost
• Features (such as customizability, search engine optimization, integration with other tools)
• Compatibility with your website
• Ability to scale as your needs change

Determine Which Type of Content You Want to Create

Once you have a clear understanding of your target audience and what they want, it’s time to determine the type of content you want to create.

Some popular types of content include:

1. Blog posts
2. Infographics
3. Videos
4. Social media posts
5. Podcasts
6. Newsletters

Choose the type of content that will best serve your goals and target audience.

6. Brainstorm Content Ideas

Brainstorm Content Ideas

Now that you have a clear direction and a list of content types to work with, it’s time to brainstorm content ideas.

Remember the information you learned from your buyer persona research? Well, this is where you use it to come up with topics that will resonate with your target audience. Make sure to include a mix of evergreen and timely content to keep your audience engaged.

You should also incorporate SEO when brainstorming content ideas. To do this, research keywords that are relevant to your topic and target audience. Use these keywords in your content to help search engines understand what your content is about.

Make sure the keywords are used naturally, and don’t sacrifice the quality or readability of your content. Additionally, consider using subheadings and meta descriptions. They will further optimize your content for search engines.

By starting out with SEO, you can make sure that your content is easy to find and brings people to your website.

Publish, Distribute and Manage Your Content

Once you have a list of content ideas, it’s time to start publishing, distributing and managing your content. Keep to a regular publishing schedule and use analytics to see how well your content is doing.

Continuously evaluate and adjust your content strategy as needed. This will ensure you’re meeting your goals and serving your target audience.

In conclusion, creating a content strategy from scratch may seem overwhelming. However, with these 7 simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating great content that helps you achieve your goals.