5 Components Your Content Marketing Strategy Needs in 2022

Content is still king, but the problem is that there are so many forms of content now! So where to start ? Content marketing for your business can be a full-time job, and if you can’t hire a full-time marketer or are looking to do it yourself, you’ll need 100 % of a content marketing strategy.

First, 82% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing, which means there’s a good chance your competitors are investing. So if you’re not, you’re going to be left behind. But content marketing can be quite overwhelming, so it’s essential that you create a content marketing strategy before you get started.

So what is a content marketing strategy? A content marketing strategy is a detailed document that plans out exactly what content you will publish, through which channels, when, and to whom. It’s designed to help you think of a clear path to speak to your target audience, educating and entertaining them, while building brand awareness. It should list your goals on each platform and a timeline for achieving them.

Related: How to Build a Content Marketing Strategy That Works

Why is a content marketing strategy beneficial?

Eighty-one percent of marketers actually consider creating a content marketing strategy to be a vital business strategy, and I think so too. Without one, you’re just posting directionless content and won’t really be able to deliver a powerful message.

A content marketing strategy is useful because it allows you to set clear objectives and to be able to measure the results. What actually worked? Why did it work? What went wrong? How can we improve this next time? By answering these questions, you will continually improve your marketing. You can also align these marketing goals with your overall business goals.

By following a content marketing strategy, you are able to consistently publish good quality content without fear of having a blind spot or writer’s block. It also motivates marketers because they can take pride in their work and can work towards their goals.

Related: 6 Key Tips to Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy

How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy

Essentially, creating a content marketing strategy involves 6 main steps:

1. Define your goals:

What do you really want to achieve? Brand awareness and customer growth? Are you launching new products that you want to sell? Are you expanding into a new area or just trying to improve your online reputation? Whatever your goals, your content should match them.

2. Who is your target audience and what do they need?

It’s always so tempting to say your audience is everyone, because you want to reach as many people as possible. But then you end up making your content too broad and you end up talking to no one at all.

So think about exactly who you want as customers, what they do, where they shop, how old they are, etc. – and talk to them directly and solve their needs.

3. Competitors

It’s always good to know what your competitors are doing. What content do they put and where? What works for them and what doesn’t? Why is it not working and how can you make it work for you?

4. Content Marketing Plan

This is where you get clarification on exactly What content to publish and when. More in the next section!

5. Create content and promote

This step is the part most people skip without doing all the previous work. This is the most “fun” part, but without the previous four steps, how will you actually know what to create?

6. Analyze the results

The best thing about digital marketing is the fact that you have data to back up what you are working with. You’re missing out on a huge trick if you don’t check your analytics for valuable insights into what content is working and with whom. Learn how to properly interpret this data and build a content strategy around it.

Related: Why Content Marketing is Crucial for Your Business

What goes into a content marketing plan in 2022?

Digital marketing is such a fast-paced environment and trends are constantly changing, but here’s what I think you should include in your content marketing plan to get noticed in 2022:

1. Video content

TikTok is growing rapidly every day, and Instagram has already announced how much it promotes video content. Then, of course, YouTube continues to be popular. So, it’s clear that the video isn’t going anywhere. It’s the most engaging and impactful.

2. Audio content

If you can’t commit to video, audio is also a great option. People listen to podcasts regularly these days, and we’ve seen social platforms like Clubhouse launched purely for audio interaction, which in turn has led Twitter to launch “Spaces” and LinkedIn to launch their audio rooms. So there is definitely something going on with audio in the future.

3. Long content

Gone are the short answers to questions – people are now looking for more value in the blog posts they read. They want educational and informative messages. So, invest in fewer, but longer, higher quality articles.

4. Email Marketing

Despite all the advancements in technology, email marketing is still one of the most powerful forms of content marketing you can use. Since GDPR, your subscribers have actively opted in to receive your content, so they are confirmed as your target audience, unlike social media. This is why many consider email marketing to be more powerful than social media.

5. Paid ads and landing pages

With a well-designed landing page and brilliant ad creative and copy, you can create a fantastic, targeted paid ad campaign with stunning ROI. However, I’ve seen so many companies bleed money with a poorly designed campaign. You must realize that a poor website will always produce poor results even with a great campaign and vice versa. So both parts must be correct.

A content marketing strategy is always going to be a useful document to create, so it’s well worth the time investment it takes to do so. My advice, however, is to get professional help with the strategy document, even if you’re going to be creating all the content yourself. With a professional taking care of all the basics, you know you have a solid guide to help you achieve your marketing goals.