Episode 38. Content Strategy Template

EPISODE 38: In this episode of the Creative Spark podcast, we take a look at how you can get ahead of your monthly content schedule with a content strategy template.

Without a defined content strategy, your posting schedule is most likely intermittent or without structure. It's easy to slide into infrequently posting, which means your audience doesn't know what to expect from you and have no idea when to expect it.

“A content strategy flips the tables on traditional, linear marketing by defining the process and then securing the right resources"—David Beebe

For many years, I felt like I was on the content hamster wheel. I knew I needed to create weekly content, and a weekly newsletter and post regularly to social media but I didn't really know why and I didn't see any results. I even created a podcast, and each time, I felt like I was running round in circles creating content without purpose. It was only when I got strategic and started focusing on a monthly conversion goal that creating content got so much easier, it made so much more sense, and I could combine all the different types of content to work together towards a common goal. I created a content strategy template to help me and my team plan out a month in advance. Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered with a free downloadable version of my content strategy template and just three easy steps to get started.

Without a cohesive goal-driven content strategy, there is a tendency to reinvent the wheel every time you post to a new channel. A content strategy template can help align all your content.

Following these simple steps will help you create your monthly goal-driven content strategy

STEP ONE: Define your niche

For many content creators, it’s easy to lose sight of who you’re serving and why, so at the start of each month, it helps to realign your niche, and you might even create different content for different niches. The first step in the content strategy template is to answer four questions: your name, who you help, to do what, so they can achieve what goal. This handy little mad-lib helps you to clarify your niche.

STEP TWO: Identify your core topics

The second step when filling in the content strategy template is to define your core topics. Again, it’s easy to get off track over time. It helps to realign yourself at the start of each month, and as your products and services evolve, so might the core topics you create content around.

STEP THREE: Define your monthly conversion goal

The key to the success of every content strategy is a straightforward conversion goal for the month. For example, launch a product, book more speaking engagements, build social media following, sign more clients, build a mailing list, and so on. By defining the goal before you plan your content, you can make sure your content aligns with your goal, and you’re not just creating noise. The next part of the conversion goal involves defining how you’re going to measure your success. For example: sell ten copies, sign-up 50 subscribers, make $1000, make 12 sales calls, sell 300 tickets, attract 22 visitors, get 120 new followers and so on.

STEP FOUR: Clarify the target audience for the campaign

Once you’ve defined your conversion goal, you can get specific on who this particular campaign will target. For example, your niche might be stay-at-home-parents. Still, if your goal is to sell 100 tickets to an in-person business event, you need to narrow your goal to target stay-at-home-parents in a specific geographic location who are running their own business. Once you know who they are, you can identify the top four questions they might have directly related to your offer.

STEP FIVE: Define your core content channel

Most content creators focus on one core channel for their content marketing efforts. To be safe, this should be a content channel you own, such as a blog or podcast. It’s dangerous to build core content on borrowed land, like social media. This channel is the primary way to publish long-form content for the month and attract your audience to your conversion page. Some ideas are a blog, podcast, YouTube videos, SlideShare, email newsletter, keynote presentations, Q+A, interviews, or webinars. The primary purpose of the core content is to give answers to the four questions your target audience is asking about your topic and encourage conversion.

STEP SIX: Define your pillar content channels

Once you have defined your core content channel, choose three other channels where you plan to repurpose your content. Your pillar content should be the same as your core content but packaged in a new way that suits the new channel. For example, if your core channel is a podcast, you can repurpose the content reasonably quickly as a blog post, SlideShare, and YouTube video.

STEP SEVEN: Define your micro-content ideas

Microchannels are generally social media, and the primary purpose of micro-content is to drive traffic back to your core and pillar channels. Again, this content is repurposed from the core content piece, but it might be an Instagram carousel or story created using content from the podcast or blog post, for example. Give the steps and encourage people to consume the core content and take action towards your conversion goal.

STEP EIGHT: Refine your content strategy

Once you have filled in the blanks in your content strategy template, it will automagically create a monthly content strategy for you and be broken down into weeks and days. Take a look at the resulting strategy and then rework some of the core and micro-content ideas until you are happy with the final strategy.

STEP NINE: Rinse and repeat each month

Filling in the content strategy template will take some time at first. Still, once your core, pillar, and micro-content channels are filled in, you can easily rework the template to achieve a new monthly conversion goal, define your target audience, and identify four new questions.

So that's it for the steps. Imagine how nice it would be to know in advance what content you need to create this month? If you use a content strategy template, you can plan and batch accordingly, and your content is more likely to work cohesively across multiple channels. You can also get strategic about launching and the metrics around your conversion goals.

What is your conversion goal for this month?

I created a content strategy template to help my team and I plan out a month of content in advance. I’ve got you covered with a free downloadable version of my content strategy template. Click here to access it now.

In todays podcast episode, you will discover:

• Why you should plan your content in advance

• How to create a content marketing strategy

• Why your focus should be on repurposing content

• How to create your monthly content strategy

• Strategies for combining content channels

• How to use a content strategy template

• The importance of starting with a conversion goal.

Resources from this episode

• Download your free Content Strategy Template

• Book a one-hour strategy session with me to discover your Creative Superpower

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