In a recent Institute of Direct Marketing poll marketers identified content marketing as the most significant commercial trend for 2015.

Although seen as important by many businesses, the research suggested that they did not know how to develop a content marketing plan or implement it.

The IDM highlighted the four steps of creating a content marketing plan.

They are summarised for you below.

REVIEW – What content generation are you currently doing well (or not so well). What more could you do and what are your competitors doing.

OBJECTIVE – What do you want to achieve. Typically this would be things like increasing web site traffic, leads and rate requests. Set a specific target, so you can measure success.

STRATEGY – You’ve got to consider how the audience can interact with, or act on your content and have an editorial plan that’s going to put relevant content for your audience at the heart of your activity.

Personalise as much as possible.

Resource will be a significant issue. Particularly content creation and a centralised repository for content and background material

Well-crafted content, like a white paper or case study, can be adapted for multiple use and impact across a range of channels including:

  • Articles
  • Blog
  • Case studies
  • Competitions
  • eBooks
  • eBulletins
  • Forums
  • Guides
  • Infographics
  • Press releases
  • Product features
  • Publicity
  • SlideShares
  • Social
  • Video
  • Web
  • White papers

ACTIVITY – Diarise specific activity and ensure that you reach your audience at key lifecycle moments using the most appropriate channels.

Attract – Increase brand awareness with new prospect audiences. Link content with Google, LinkedIn and Twitter ad campaigns, to boost reach and add new audiences

Engage – Retaining interest over the long-term to retain existing and prospective customers

Act – React to content and encourage enquiries

Convert – Converting prospects to customers

Even if you intend to consult external agencies to support this activity, we would recommend that you go through the planning process.

It will ensure that ensuing activity is appropriate and more likely to deliver the results you want.

It will also make it easier to select and manage your agency.

Match your activity with the resource available. Little and often is better than nothing at all.