➡️ Content Plan - Breakdown

Hey learner,

Over the past few weeks, I shared my free content marketing plan - an assignment I did during an interview process that helped me land the job! I’ve also shared five reels, breaking down each part of the assignment. In case reels aren’t your thing, I also wanted to make a post breaking down each part. Here it is!

Here’s my step-by-step process of how I’d go about creating an end-to-end content plan with clear deliverables for each section. To see this plan filled in as a full content marketing plan example, be sure to download my content marketing plan assignment here.

PS. If you read this post whilst following along with my content marketing plan, it’ll really help you understand the whole process much more clearly!

Part 1: Research and Analysis

➡️ Objective: The first phase is all about laying a strong foundation. Without a deep understanding of the industry, market trends, and competitive landscape, any content marketing efforts are essentially shots in the dark. This step is crucial for aligning your content strategy with market needs and opportunities.

• Gather Critical Information:

  • Stay updated with industry trends through reports and publications.

  • Analyze direct and indirect competitors, their business units, and content strategies.

  • Estimate the total addressable market using industry data.

• Determine New GBU or Content Topic:

  • This synthesis of research helps pinpoint areas ripe for innovation or expansion. For example, identifying the energy sector as a promising field based on current trends and industry insights allows a business to position itself advantageously.

• ⭐️ Deliverable: A business case document including a competitive analysis and an opportunity size estimate, justifying the choice of the new GBU or topic.

Part 2: Content Strategy

➡️ Objective: This stage is about drawing the blueprint. Defining clear goals, understanding your audience, and deciding on the types of content to produce is like planning the layout of your house, ensuring each room serves a purpose and contributes to the overall functionality and aesthetic.

• Set Goals: Identify core and supplementary goals, like acquiring a specific number of clients and creating content pieces for lead generation.

• Define KPIs: Establish metrics for measuring success, such as web traffic growth and social media engagement.

• Identify ICP: Detail the ideal customer profile, including their budget, location, and activities.

• Prioritize Content: Choose content types (webinars, blog posts, etc.) that resonate with your target audience.

• Plan Distribution: Create a timeline and collaborate with product and business teams for content roll-out.

• ⭐️ Deliverable: A content strategy document with a Content Calendar, analytics tracker, and a workback schedule.

Part 3: Content Creation

➡️ Objective: Now, it's time to build. This phase focuses on producing the content that will fill the rooms of your house, making it inviting and valuable to your visitors (audience).

• Research & Analysis: Explore audience pain points and how your offerings provide solutions.

• Frameworks & Optimization: Align topics with suitable content formats and optimize for SEO. Which topics would be best in a whitepaper, in a blog post, or a webinar?

• Execute Content: Create and schedule content according to the calendar.

• ⭐️ Deliverable: Produced content (white papers, webinars, videos, etc.) within the predefined timeframe.

Part 4: Content Promotion

➡️ Objective: With your house built, it's time to open the doors and invite people in. This phase ensures that your content reaches your target audience and engages them effectively.

• Synergy & Strategy: Collaborate with the demand generation team to tailor messaging for the ICP.

• Goals & KPIs: Set measurable objectives for content performance across channels.

• Amplification & Alignment: Ensure content consistency and impact across all promotional channels.

• ⭐️ Deliverable: A Content Promotion Calendar that outlines when and where your content will be shared to maximize visibility and impact, akin to planning a series of open houses and advertising them to attract visitors.

  NOTE: The Content Calendar and the Content Promotion Calendar serve distinct yet complementary roles in a content marketing strategy. The former is used for planning the creation and publication of content assets, like scheduling a webinar on March 1st, ensuring a consistent flow of content. The latter, however, focuses on the promotional activities that highlight these assets (like an ad promoting that webinar), detailing when and where marketing efforts, such as ads and social media posts, will occur to maximize the content's reach and engagement.

Part 5: Measurement and Optimization

➡️ Objective: Just as houses require ongoing maintenance and updates, your content strategy needs regular review and adjustment based on performance data and feedback.

• Tracking & Iteration: Monitor content performance from launch to optimization.

• Tools Mastery: Utilize tools like Salesforce, Google Data Studio, and Sprout Social for in-depth analysis.

• Adapt Strategy: Use data insights to refine content and distribution strategies continually.

• ⭐️ Deliverable: Regular reports (weekly, monthly, quarterly) on content performance and lead generation, guiding strategic adjustments.

Each part of this content marketing plan is designed to build upon the previous steps, creating a cohesive and dynamic strategy that not only reaches but resonates with your target audience.

By adhering to this comprehensive guide, businesses can ensure their content not only speaks to their audience but engages them in meaningful ways.

I hope this was helpful; feel free to send me an email if you have questions and don’t forget to subscribe!