Hey there, and welcome to the Marketing 101 for small business owners podcast, I am your host Philippa Channer, a content marketing strategist. I am passionate about helping small business owners develop a content strategy that educates their customers and encourages the sales they are looking for.
During the month of August, we will be spending our time learning about the power of Long-Term content planning and how to use it to set your business up for success. Today we are exploring the benefits of taking the time to prepare a long-term content strategy for your small business.
What is a Long-Term Content Plan?
Of course, let’s first start with defining what a long-term content strategy plan is. A long-term content plan is a strategy that is made to promote and market a company’s product or service. It includes an outline of the brand’s values, goals, and objectives.Having a long-term content plan is important because it will help the company decide what to publish on its website or social media accounts. It will also help them determine how much time and money should be spent on marketing campaigns.
What are the Benefits of Having a Long-Term Content Plan?
A content plan outlines the content that will be created over the next few months or even up to a year. It starts with a brainstorming session, where you and your team (if you have one):First, define your overall goals and objectives for the long-term content strategy. Then, you determine the content formats that you are strongest in (video, blogs, or podcasts). Next, you determine your ideal frequency and how often you will post new content. And lastly, you create your distribution process for sharing your long-term content.But why? Why do we go through these steps? This week we are exploring that very question and discussing the benefits to having a long-term content strategy plan.
- Knowledge: First up is knowledge. You know what you will be talking about and can prepare for it in advance. You aren’t waiting until the last minute to think about what topics you should be discussing.
- Structure: You have a timeline for when you will publish certain pieces of content, which helps with planning your workload. You are essentially preparing a roadmap for your content and giving yourself a framework to work in. Keeping you organized and focused. This leads to …
- Focus: You are no longer wasting time and energy on irrelevant topics because you are aware of what’s coming up in the near future. You are clear on your message and how you will deliver it. And lastly …
- Clarity: Your audience knows what to expect from your blog, which reduces confusion and increases engagement rates.
Conclusion
And if those reasons aren’t enough, keep in mind that Ii you don’t have a content plan, you’re playing the content creation game at a disadvantage. You’ll never know what posts are working and which ones aren’t. You won’t have the data to optimize your content for better results. Your strategy will be arbitrary and reactive rather than deliberate and proactive.
So remember, if you haven’t already created your long-term content strategy, then you are missing out on having … knowledge of your plan, a structured plan, a plan that is focused, and clarity of message and delivery for your audience. And, if you didn’t get your free downloads from this series yet, but sure to check out the posts on why long-term content planning is important and how to create a long-term content plan.
Next week I will wrap up this series and will be discussing some of the resources you need to have to help fuel your long-term content strategy. In case you didn’t know, I offer a free marketing consultation session to everyone who needs help with a marketing challenge. You can schedule that today.
