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Print media may still be kicking but the most effective content resides mainly online. People nowadays prefer to consume the 1s and 0s, or in other words, digital content. With the right content strategy, your brand can communicate effectively with the right people.

Why? Because content is any data or information you are offering to others to sell a brand, provide an experience, raise awareness and so on. Content is the gateway for businesses to communicate with their customers and audiences.

Developing the right content strategy is crucial, it is the first step when venturing in the realm of digital marketing. A content strategy can make or break a brand.

With the increasing rise of digital marketing and the mediums through which we can reach audiences, content has witnessed great diversification. From once being narrowed down to articles on newspapers and sound bites on the radio, to now having a plethora of content, from blogs to videos and everything in between.

The key to developing the right content strategy for your brand lies in the content you choose to present and the platform you use to reach your audience. Not everyone follows the same cookie cutter technique when it comes to digital marketing, otherwise it wouldn’t have succeeded.

It is important to identify that not all types of content can be distributed on all platforms. A 5min informative video might smash it on YouTube and Facebook, but completely flop on Instagram and Twitter. This is when the content strategy I’ve been talking about comes to play…

This content strategy is your guide and full-proof plan that will ensure a successful and effective communication with your brand’s audience. Before you write a letter on that content strategy, you need to first understand the brand.

Dissect the core message and main goals you wish to achieve through digital marketing. So, are you selling a product, an experience, information, raising awareness? By doing so, you allow yourself to understand who you will be talking to, aka your target audience.

This brings us back to the content, because when you know WHO you are talking to, you will know HOW, and you can then plan the WHERE. For example, if you are talking to young people ages 16+ your content should be concise and trendy, relies more on the visual than the text and if your using videos they should be short and do not rely heavily on sound.

Now that you’ve established your message and target audience in your content strategy, you can begin to choose your preferred content to distribute. There are many types of contents you can choose from, but here are the most prominent five published content you can include in your content strategy:

  Blogs

One of the most popular types of content is blogs! Including blogging in your content strategy will definitely be a step in the right direction. Having a blog section on your website will improve your SEO and drive more traffic to your website organically.

A recent statistic has shown that companies who blog receive 97% more link-clicks to their website. Additionally, incorporating a blog to your site increases the chance of your website being on the first page of search engines when consumers look for relevant keywords to your blog posts. The study also showed that blog posts with images get 94% more views than those that don’t, this means that your content strategy needs to factor in a visual aspect that relates to the blog posts.

Apart from the analytical benefits, blogs are an excellent way to build a relationship with your audience. They also assist in providing as much information and value to your consumers. Following your established content strategy for this you can even generate potential leads for your business when you gain your audiences’ trust.

  Social Captions

This is the most widely used type of content due its widespread among most demographics and accessibility. It is definitely crucial to have the social platform that best suit your business listed and accounted for in your content strategy. An easy way to identify the social platform that you should utilize is to find where your target audience are.

Ideally, it is preferred to primarily cover Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, this way you can be sure that you are hitting every demographic and will surely find your target consumer. Moving forward, you will have a better idea on the exact platforms you have to focus your content and advertising on. As your audience grows and your business expands you can expand to other platforms like, YouTube and LinkedIn, as you see fit for your content strategy.

Once you’ve reached and captured your audience, social captions will help you nurture the relationship with your audience and allow you to engage with them on a daily basis. Apart from sparking a conversation and maintaining it through your engaging content, you can also implement a content strategy specific to discovering new leads, launching new products, or providing additional information to existing customers.

  Videos

It’s no secret that video content is an important tool that can help you gain your audience’s attention and engage them quickly. It is the most effective way to communicate your message and connect with your consumers. Interestingly enough, “51% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI”.

Including videos in your content strategy guarantees a 157% increase in your organic traffic. You can incorporate video content on YouTube, whether it runs as an ad or sits on your channel, as well as on Facebook and IGTV.  Since online audiences prefer videos that are under 2 minutes, make sure that your video content strategy includes short and attention-grabbing videos.

  Graphics

Another very strong and effective content form, is Graphics! It is a unique form of visual communication that grabs attention faster than a normal photo would and communicates as much as some videos.

Graphics can be full of color, black and white, include text, or symbols… whatever it may have, it needs to always enhance the aesthetic of your brand and communicate its concept and ideas. Always remember that just because a graphic looks “cool” doesn’t mean it’s always in line with your brand. Part of your content strategy is to align your content with your image.

This type of content works best on platforms that require informative content like LinkedIn and Twitter. Additionally, it is ideal for aesthetic centric platforms like Instagram and your website. Once your content strategy starts tapping into paid media, you can also utilize graphics on Google advertising.

  GIFs & Memes

These are one of the most shared contents on the internet! Think about it, how many times a day do you receive relatable memes and GIFs from your friends? This is because they are easy to understand and quick. Although most GIFs and almost all Memes are inherently “funny”, you can always adapt your content strategy to include this format in the tone you want.

GIFs could incorporate multiple graphics, animations, photos and text that convey your message efficiently. Memes can be an interesting spin to your already established content strategy aiming to engage more people who fit a specific demographic, it’s also a great way to keep up with the ever-changing trends.

You should definitely consider having this type of content in your strategy because it is an excellent way to gain visibility in the digital realm. Some of the platforms that would be great for GIFs and Memes include Twitter, Instagram, Instagram Story, and your website.

Once you’ve outlined, the what (your brand message), the who (your target audience), the how (type of content), and the where (mediums or platforms the content is distributed on). You can move on with implementing the content strategy and developing the content.


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