Anyone diving into the world of content marketing knows that the success of any campaign depends on two essential elements: quality and frequency. And, that can become a problem. If you’re running a blog, then you know that coming up with creative ideas on a regular basis is no easy task. With so much content out there and so many other businesses targeting the same audience as you, what can you do and say that hasn’t already been said and done?
That’s where a comprehensive content plan can come in handy.
It may sound like a complicated process at first. After all, how do you know what your audience will be interested in one month from now? And, how can you tell how many articles should you publish at a given time?
Well, with a little bit of research and brainstorming, content planning can make the process of writing easier.
Table of Contents
Here’s a quick guide on how to lay out great content ideas in advance.
Set up Clear Goals
Before you start listing topics and ideas, it’s vital to determine what you want to achieve with your content. Without a clear direction, you’re just going to drift and waste time and resources on ineffective approaches.
So, set up comprehensive content marketing goals and figure out what type of content can help you reach them.
Finding Ideas
Now that you’ve identified and communicated your goals, it’s time to look for ideas. Have a brainstorm sessions with your colleagues and ask them to pitch their ideas.
Write every suggestion down, either in a shared spreadsheet or any other tool you use for optimizing team communication. Let everyone know that there’s no such thing as a “bad idea” and encourage them to present even the wildest suggestion. Don’t dismiss crazy ideas instantly and take a second to determine whether you could turn them into something that you could work with. Discuss all the ideas with your team and pick those that can help you achieve your goals.
Keep in mind that content planning can go a lot easier if you enable your team to collaborate rather than have each article writer for hire, surf the web for inspiration individually.
1. Search for Relevant Keywords
Keywords research can give you helpful insights on what your audience is searching for about your products or your business. For instance, if you’re creating content for a bio cosmetics blog, then you might assume that prospects want to learn about the benefits of organic lotions and makeup. However, when you do keyword research, you can find out that your target audience is also interested in reading about the ingredients of bio cosmetics, studies that support their advantages or how to use them to get the most out of them.
You can use Google’s Keyword Planner to identify keyword combinations that you may not have thought of otherwise. Write down the ones that can make great article topics and discuss them with your team.
2. Create a Survey
Sometimes, it’s not a bad idea to ask your audience what they’d like to read and have them chip in for ideas. If you’re not comfortable surveying your audience, then you can take a look at your competitors to see what they’ve done.
Be sure also to check their comment sections or social media posts. Many people who comment might make suggestions on what they’d be interested in reading next.
3. Look at Older Content
Do you have a piece of content that blew up a while back? Then consider relaunching it through social media. Be sure to read it thoroughly before you to do and update it, especially if the topic was somewhat time sensitive.
Back to You
Establishing your goals and brainstorming for topics can be a tedious task since they keep you from doing the thing you ultimately love do to – writing. But without them, it can be difficult to create quality content that hooks your audience and keeps it coming back for more.
