Content strategy and planning in general are pillars of today’s content marketing world.
Not only does it give you something to work towards by crafting the type of content your customers actually want and need depending on where they are in the sales funnel, but it also lets you hone WHEN that content should be published as well.
A content strategy is the light that shines through the darkness, giving you direction and focus during a time where they couldn’t be more important.
However, the benefits of this type of content planning extend far beyond the ultimate quality of the content itself.
In today’s digital climate, putting the right content strategy today could have a positive effect on nearly every other aspect of your organization.
Content Planning: By the Numbers
First, it’s important to underline the fact that content strategies and content planning in general are indeed every bit as mission-critical as you thought they were.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, most B2B marketers in particular utilize no less than 13 different content marketing tactics at various times.
Without a plan in place and a framework to build from, trying to keep track of it all is a recipe for disaster – as evidenced by the fact that 73% of all major organizations actually hire someone specifically to manage their content marketing strategies for them.
Yet at the same time, Altimeter reports that 70% of marketers in general still lack a consistent or integrated content strategy.
To understand some of the major benefits that this brings with it, the key word in that sentence is “integrated.”
The Splinter Effect
Content planning doesn’t just affect the people who will be writing your content.
It’s not about just making sure that your in-house or freelance writers have something to do today. It’s about building a solid foundation from which to build the next year of your company.
It’s about understanding where you are versus where you want to be and breaking the journey to get there down into a series of smaller, more manageable and more realistic steps.
If everyone knows what the end goal is, every department – from the highest executive to the most recently acquired freelancer – has direction.
They’re no longer guessing about where their focus should be – they know. People are spending more time collaborating because they understand how the role they’re playing affects the much larger whole of an organization.
They’re spending more time communicating with one another and sharing resources.
They don’t just know what they need to do, they know when they need to do it buy. And they understand, for the first time, that the machine they’re a part of was built to help them do it thanks to the single, unified strategy that you’re all following together.
Planning for a Bright, Prosperous Future
These are just a few of the key benefits that a well-designed content strategy will bring to the table – beyond the content itself.
Perhaps the most important thing to understand is that over time, your strategy will continue to grow and evolve as your business does the same.
Your goals will naturally change and, as a result, the content you need to get you there should adapt in response.
This is just another in a long line of reasons why events like the 2017 Content Marketing Conference are so essential.
They give you insight into some of the new techniques that will be all the rage tomorrow, so that you can get started putting them to good use today.