Tell me the truth, are you the content creator who’s trying to fit in everything together but fails?
Are you the one who has zillion ideas but never able to meet any?
Are you the one who suffers from writer’s block each time you sit in front of the blank white screen?
Well, it seems my friend you need to work on an actionable content plan.
Something to convert your ideas into action. I am pretty sure you must have hundreds of blog templates and ideas here and there, and you merely accessed any for the longest time. Then what’s the point?
Why not make a content plan that serves the purpose of your business, meeting your audience’s expectations and certainly eliminate your content woes?
There are two crucial attributes of a content plan
Your audience should take action.
It should offer a profit to your products and services
If you’re not able to meet both, your boat to success will deflate sooner.
What is a content plan?
First things first, don’t take a blog content plan for an editorial calendar. As they both are two different things. While an editorial calendar sets a call-for-action with defined dates and content, a content plan is a quarter or year-long strategy you pull through to reach your goal.
Let’s get going and uncover what it takes to formulate a killer content plan that works.
One. Figure out the core message
Your niche is one thing, and the core message your blog delivers is another. Ensure the content plan sets the tone of your blog and it is vivid in each blog post your write.
The core message is something your audience has signed up for and in every blog post, they are looking for it.
Craft your message, the essence of your blog, and ensure you bring a substantial difference for your reader.
E.g. If you’re running a parenting blog, your fashion content will work if you give it the right mix with parenting. Because, of course, you have more parenting readers than fashion.
Also, don’t set limitations because you scale when you set yourself free.
Second. Know your audience
You write to the people. To provide to their pain points, their interests, their needs and for some friendly laughs.
But if you don’t know your audience, chances are you will struggle in positioning your content plan. Have an efficacy to know the audience, so that --
you can create purposeful content that is Relatable.
you can write for the right audience and ultimately not waste your efforts.
You will not spend time sorting your content ideas.
E.g. An ice-cream seller knows the taste buds of the consumers and whips the batch of ice cream putting in all the flavours at your display. Creating content is no different if your plan is handy with the “wants” of your audience.
Third. Content ideas
Well, this has been asked to me a lot while I pitch to clients or earlier for interviews. How do you end up researching or filtering content?
The answer is simple - most ideas fall in the categories you have created for your blog. Bucket it down and search through the platform I am mentioning below to gain your piece of trends and reference.
Answer the public is great to narrow down what people in your country are searching for. It gives a gentle insight into the keyword targeted.
Keyword research sets a strong ground for opportunities and new ideas, but SEO shouldn’t solely drive your content planning.
Dig in topics that align with your audience and create content with your own zone of genius.
Fourth. Content format
If you love creating content, you must know by now which format resonates with your audience.
Change is the only constant, they say, and it is no different in this industry.
We all know videos get a lot of traction and so do many repurposed content, but it does not mean you are behind.
If you channel "your vibes" in writing blogs, do it and they will eventually love it. That’s your zone of genius.
I am not saying step back and not experiment with the latest content creation formats but explore where you are comfortable.
Pick your area of brilliance and give more input to that. That’s your format. For instance,
mine is definitely writing!
Fifth. Plan your editorial calendar
An editorial calendar is a visual representation of your monthly, quarterly or yearly content calendar.
It is the output of your strategic content planning, meaning you can finally churn content.
It summarizes your game of content marketing.
That’s why you need one to
Keep you consistent
Plan your things ahead
Not let a deadline loom over
Never run out of writing block and content ideas
Sixth. Promotion of posts
While writing is one part, promoting your content is another. Let’s say it takes equal efforts. Even more, at times!
To do that, pick any social media platform and attain your comfort, mastery in one. If you can seamlessly keep up with one, you can simultaneously take up the next.
Usually, people experience burn out at one before they could move to another. I couldn’t keep up with Pinterest and before reaching the threshold, gave up. I shouldn’t have done that. No one should. Experience one before you could take up next.
Seventh. Interact with the audience
The content plan is handy now! But do you think it is all about it? Posting the blogs and then working on the next. What if your audience needs more?
Less talked, but collating email addresses from your potential audience is the tip of the iceberg.
Your email list forms the backbone of your business. It shall be yours to start an email series, promotions, newsletters and more.
It is a place you can pitch in your products or services. It is a platform where you continually stay in touch with the audience and reinforce the beliefs of trust with them.
Hope it helps!
So, now you can convert your idea to creation. A simple blog plan strategy can make you achieve your larger marketing plan.
Because when you write a blog, know how it is contributing to the needs of the audience.