How to Develop a Content Marketing Plan: Explained by an Expert

Ever feel like you're constantly creating content, but it's not quite moving the needle for your business? You’re not alone! 

Many entrepreneurs struggle with a scattershot approach to content marketing and end up with burnout without getting the desired results.

A few days ago, Matthew, one of my clients, DMed me on LinkedIn asking for help regarding developing a content plan, and we had a great talk. 

Below, I’ve listed the questions Matthew asked, along with their answers.

Hi, I’m Amit, a seasoned SEO and content marketing professional with a decade of experience. 

Matthew: What exactly is a content marketing plan you keep mentioning in your posts?

Amit: A content marketing plan is a roadmap guiding how you create and share content online. Imagine you're setting off on a road trip. You wouldn't just get in the car and start driving, right? 

You should have a destination in mind, some cool stops planned along the way, and a general idea of how long it'll take. A content marketing plan works like that for your online presence.

Matthew: Why is a content marketing plan essential?

Amit: When you have a content marketing plan at hand, you get a direction to move. It outlines your goals, target audience, key messages, and the strategies you'll employ to achieve them. Without this roadmap, your efforts risk becoming disjointed, scattered, and ultimately ineffective.

Here’s why a plan is crucial:

• It prevents you from creating random content.
• No more wasting time and resources on content that doesn't resonate.
• It helps you attract the right audience to see a better ROI. 

Matthew: How do I start developing a content marketing plan?

Amit: Developing a content marketing plan is the cornerstone of any successful online presence. Be aware of the temptation to simply create content and hope for the best. 

First clearly define your goals, whether driving app downloads, boosting brand awareness, or generating leads. Next, leverage your authority to conduct a thorough analysis of your target audience, determining their demographics, behaviors, and pain points.

Finally, utilize your expertise to develop a comprehensive content calendar, ensuring consistency and relevance across all channels. 

Matthew: What should be included in a content marketing plan?

Amit: A well-rounded content marketing plan should encompass several crucial elements for online success. It should outline clear objectives, providing a direction for achieving specific, measurable goals. 

The plan should also include your target audience (understanding their needs is key), a mix of content formats (videos, blogs, infographics), a content calendar to stay organized, distribution channels to reach your TA, and success metrics to track your progress. 

Having a comprehensive plan is essential for a successful content marketing strategy.

Matthew: How do I define my target audience?

Amit: I use a 3-pronged approach when defining my target audience. These include:

• Understand their demographics, such as age, location, income level, and more. 
• Tap into their hobbies, passions, and online habits to understand their lifestyle, as it helps tailor the content accordingly.
• Identifying their struggles and other pain points to know the solutions they’re looking for.

Defining your audience with these three steps allows you to craft content that truly resonates with them.

Matthew: What types of content should I include in my plan?

Amit: The type of content you should include in a plan heavily relies on the kind of audience you want to target. For example, people searching for a medical illness can spend time reading a long blog. But someone looking for a cookie recipe would prefer a 3-4 minute video over walls of text. 

Whatever type of content you are creating, make sure it’s user-generated to fulfill Google’s E-E-A-T criteria. 

Matthew: How do I create a content calendar?

Amit: Creating a content calendar isn’t as complicated as most people think. In fact, it’s crucial to organize and manage your content marketing efforts in one place. Let me give you a basic idea of how to create one. 

Schedule your content creation and publication dates well in advance. It ensures a consistent flow of content and prevents last-minute scrambles. For each piece of content, list details like the topic, format (blog post, video, etc.), and target audience to get clarity. 

Make sure to invest in a content calendar tool, if you are starting out, a spreadsheet is fine. 

Matthew:  How do I choose the right distribution channels?

Amit: The rule of thumb says to use the distribution channels that bring in more traffic. If your target audience spends more time reading blogs, you should publish more blogs to create awareness and widen your reach. 

Tracking the results is essential as it clarifies whether the distribution channels you have chosen provide satisfactory results. Don't be afraid to experiment with different channels, as it’s crucial to understand what works and what does not. 

Matthew: How do I measure the success of my content marketing efforts?

Amit: This is a challenging one, Matthew! Measuring the content’s success depends on several factors, such as your ultimate goal. For example, if you want to generate more leads, then you can easily track the results by checking the number of appointments booked or sales made.

However, the success of your content marketing efforts isn’t just measured by their evident substance; enhanced reach and better customer retention also count. Monitoring content marketing campaigns at every level is important to understand their success rate and refine your strategy accordingly.

Matthew: How often should I review and update my content marketing plan?

Amit: Not frequently! Many people I speak to say they tweak their content marketing plan every month, which is why they don’t reap results. Content marketing is a time-consuming approach, and you must stick to the strategy for at least 3-5 months to determine the results.

If there’s a major event, such as the recent Google March Core Update, you can review and update your marketing plan. You can also make micro-adjustments to the strategy and distribution channels to stay ahead of the curve. 

Wrapping it up!

I hope this article has addressed all your doubts regarding developing a content marketing plan and refining it to stay at the curve. 

If you want to get your content marketing plan reviewed, then DM me on LinkedIn, and I’ll break it down to explain why you aren’t getting the desired results. 

Got more questions? Or need SEO consultation? You can contact us anytime with your doubts, and I’ll be happy to help you.