How to Develop a Better Content Strategy

There’s no shortage of content in today’s digital marketplace. Whether it’s LinkedIn articles, blogging or guest blogging – it seems like everyone’s writing. It’s harder now than ever before to create a content strategy that stands out. We write to rank, not because we necessarily have a fresh perspective. Before sitting down and putting fingers to keyboard, read everything you can about your topic.

For content strategy, it’s important to know what’s already been written about a topic. Conduct a search on your topic, and look for similar themes. The goal is to form questions. Do you find yourself asking the same questions after reading? Is there more that can be written about the topic? If you have no unanswered questions, don’t write the article.

Content Tools That Help with Content Strategy

Tools like BuzzSumo or Ahrefs Content Explorer are two tools that help content creators determine what types of content are performing well on what platforms. If an article is getting traction on Facebook for example, you can write a similar piece that serves as a follow up, or delves deeper into the subject matter. Look for things the original article lacks, like useful URLs for example.

Imagery That Matters

Your content strategy can go above and beyond by including the right images in what you post. If you’re writing an article on top restaurants in an area, chances are you aren’t going to be the first one to ever do so. While others may include professional images, you can go above and beyond by sharing personal images. While these images might not be as beautifully executed, they can provide readers with valuable information. Showing the interior of the restaurant, and how food really looks when it’s not staged, is useful information that can help readers decide where to dine.

Screenshots provide valuable information when you’re writing a how-to article. There’s nothing like a step-by-step guide with images to make creating something easier. Include screenshots in your how-to articles  or infographics to help them stand out.

Valuable Downloads

Provide your readers with downloads that’ll enhance their experience for better content strategy. Writing a travel article about museums or attractions? Provide a downloadable map that will help them navigate better. When reviewing restaurants include a downloadable menu. Reviewing a restaurant isn’t enough. Readers want to know if they’ll find something they like on the menu, and if there are items they can afford before booking a reservation. Providing marketing tips? Include a downloadable detailed infographic. Free design tools like Canva make it easy to design custom infographics that turn complicated facts into information your readers can understand.  

Useful URLs

Whether you’re linking to your own content, or linking to outside resources, make sure your URLs matter. Link to content within your site that will enhance the visitor experience. If you have content that further expands on a subject, link to it within your content. Don’t have relevant content to share? Include outbound links that provide additional information, insight or expand on a topic.

It’s easy to get caught up creating content for SEO purposes, but your content strategy will go further when what you write provides a fresh and unique perspective.

 

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