Planning Your Content Strategy for 2022
When the ball drops in time square at the stroke of midnight, it’s a reset button for website owners everywhere. No, it doesn’t wipe away the stupid mistakes we made in 2021 (like publishing a blog post littered with broken links). And the new year doesn’t wipe the scoreboard for SEO rankings either. But it is an invigorating fist-pump to propel you towards a goal. So shake it off *cue Taylor Swift backup dancers* and start planning your content strategy for 2022.
Why is planning content important?
Content planning gives your brand or site a clear direction. You know where you’re headed and why. By planning content out weeks and months in advance, you’re able to think about the outcomes you want and map out a way for those outcomes to translate into key performance indicators.
And your content plan (even a small one) can come with mega benefits. Here are a few of my favorites:
- You’ll be able to post and share more consistently
- Extra planning gives you the chance to cover important topics in-depth
- Effort now means reduced work time later
- You can actually assign a purpose to your content
- You’ll be able to collaborate and research in advance
Writing content plans is one of those marketing musts that plague you. Even if you know how important it is, you don’t know where to start. So you put it off… and off again… until it’s hanging on by a thread at the bottom of your to-do list.
“Save me!” your content strategy cries as it disappears under the weight of your pendulating eraser.
But this is one step you can’t afford to miss this year. So how about a leg up? That’s right, we’re going to walk you through the basics of a killer content plan.
How do you write a content plan?
Before you think up a single title, check yourself before you wreck yourself. You’ve got a lot of big-scope thinking to do. To create a solid content plan, you need a birds-eye view of your content’s current state. By answering these questions, you can lay a foundation to publish on.
How is your content working so far? – Just because it’s how you’ve been doing it doesn’t mean you have to keep walking down a dead-end street.
What results do you want from your content? – Don’t just send words into the world; give them a job to do. Even with an intangible ROI, your copy should still provide a return.
Where is your target audience in the sales funnel? – Different stages mean a change in everything from approach to call-to-action styles.
What questions does your audience have? – Questions are an open invitation for your reader to find a solution somewhere else. Be the expert they want to turn to.
Which events, products, or services can you support? – Use your content to announce, raise awareness, or encourage participation in this year’s opportunities.
If these questions seem overwhelming, remember that you don’t have to tackle this alone. Reason & Watson offers free content strategy consultations to help you focus your time and energy on the results that matter.
So Many Strategies and Not a Drop to Drink
It’s easy to get caught up in all the options for how to share the content you create with the world. And there are tons of methods and strategies for releasing content out there. Most of them work under the right conditions, so it’s more important to pick a strategy and follow-through than it is to wait around for the “perfect” plan to land in your lap.
A Content Countdown
We want you to take advantage of the time that’s left before 2022. Here are 10 quick steps you can take to prep your content plan for January or February.
- Research 5-10 leading content strategies.
- Pick one strategy that fits your brand or site.
- Jot down a detailed description of your target audience.
- Write a list of 10-20 questions your audience is asking.
- Research trending content that’s answering those questions.
- Write a list of 5-10 facts your readers NEED to know.
- Pick 3-5 Call to Action items that fit with your content.
- Narrow down your results into 5 topics you want to cover.
- Brainstorm 3 angles or approaches to each of the 5 topics.
- Research keyword strategies and assets for your 15 concepts.