How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy that Makes Your Business Stand Out
Hi, I’m Francie.
If you’re hanging here on the Founding Females blog, you’re aiming to start and build a strong business. That means, you’re my kind of people. Welcome! I hope you learn something here that will make you wildly successful.
How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy that Makes Your Business Stand Out
Let’s talk about how to create a content marketing strategy that helps your business stand out.
Maximize your content by creating a marketing strategy that works with these practical tips for female entrepreneurs.
Here’s the good news: You don’t have to create loads of brand new, native content every time you want to talk to your audience.
That would be exhausting.
The key behind successful content marketing is creating a super valuable piece of core content and knowing the right way to repurpose it across different platforms.
People mention to me regularly how often they see my content posted online. It FINALLY feels like the countless hours of learning and applying content marketing tips are paying off.
It took quite the learning curve to get here, so I want to share with you what works so you don’t make the same mistakes I did.
What is content marketing?
First, what content is content marketing? Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a target audience. Your content strategy is an approach to creating relevant content that fits inside your much more broad small business marketing plan.
Basically, you create content related to your business that helps educate or entertain. This way, your audience has a natural way to associate your offering with the topic.
And not just any audience, but your ideal client – the type of person best fit to buy from you. Create a tangible idea of who is the best fit to buy from you with ideal client avatars.
How to Speak to Your Ideal Client
Building your ideal client avatars allows you craft a message that 1) deeply resonates with that person and 2) moves them to take action, i.e. join your email list, visit your website frequently, tell their friends about you, and eventually, buy from you. I’ll teach you exactly how to to this with this handy matrix 👇.
How to Create Your Ideal Client Avatar
And ✨voila!✨ Add your best contact info and your matrix will be immediately available for download.
Why Knowing Your Ideal Client is Important
We all just want to feel understood. Crafting your ideal client avatars allows you to show your prospective customers that you understand them. If they don’t feel understood, they won’t feel compelled to buy.
Then, a solid content marketing strategy helps you disperse that content appropriately through marketing channels where your ideal client is already spending time.
The goal behind well-crafted content is to build trust, establish brand authority, and ultimately lead prospective customers to become paying customers.
Content Marketing > Salesy Advertising
Content marketing feels more authentic than traditional advertising because it educates, entertains, or solves problems for the audience.
With content marketing, your audience feels engaged, as if they’re inside the story you’re telling. This is a way more compelling strategy than ideal clients feeling like they’re being spoken to, the way traditional advertising often does.
What Does Content Marketing Include?
Let’s talk about what the key components of content marketing include.
Key components of content marketing include:
1. Audience Understanding
Successful content marketing starts with a deep understanding of the target audience. The ideal client avatar matrix I linked above helps you ask the right questions to develop a sense of the intricate details of what makes people special – their values, feelings, and affinities.
Understanding how their needs, preferences, and pain points feel to them helps you create content that resonates with them. A complete ideal client avatar dives deeper than surface level characteristics, like age, gender, location, and socioeconomic status.
You become thick as thieves with your ideal client when you can answer questions about what the intricate details of the person’s lifestyle, anxieties, values, and desires feel to them.
You can see how developing an intimate sense of your ideal client(s) - it’s okay to have more than one, but I recommend no more than three - helps you write about topics that truly matter to your audience, rather than casting a wide net by speaking in generalities.
2. Content Creation
Content can take various forms, including blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, podcasts, emails, and more. The content should be high-quality, relevant, and well-aligned with the interests of the target audience.
That’s why it’s important to include research as the first step to creating content.
First you understand who you’re writing for with detailed ideal client avatars.
Then you write content that captivates your audience by educating and entertaining them. You’ll set out strategically to create long-form content that’s well researched and thought out. Comprehensive content provides comprehensive information to meet your audience’s needs. The bonus is that search engines love comprehensive content.
After that, you can repurpose the long-form content by tweaking it appropriately for other marketing purposes.
For example, repurposing might look like a 2000 word blog post which could become 15 different social media captions. A podcast could be transcribed to become the basis for a new blog post. Your blog post could also be turned into a 3-part email series.
When you start with one piece of quality content, you’ll be set up well to use that content and tailor it to other platforms appropriately.
In 5 Ways to Maximize Marketing Content, I’ll teach you exactly how to make the most of the high quality marketing content you create.
3. Content Distribution
Creating great content is not enough; it needs to effectively reach your intended audience. This involves using various channels such as email, websites, and partnerships to reach the intended audience. Remember, you don’t have to use social media to market your business. If the idea of not being tied to socials intrigues you, read all about how to market your business without social media.
One of the things you’ll do when you create your ideal client avatars is figure out where they spend time online and in person. Knowing these important details will help you focus your time and resources by being present only where you know your audience is most likely to see your content.
4. Consistency
Consistency is crucial in content marketing. Regularly publishing content helps maintain audience engagement and builds trust over time.
Processes are the key here. Having a few great business tools is a game changer for maximizing your time. For example, I use the Tailwind App to publish my Pinterest content on a regular basis. The tool allows me to batch and scale my efforts.
Then, I use Plann That to distribute the content to social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Finally, I create an email with each new blog post published on my website so it reaches a warm audience.
I’ve detailed my entire process for exactly what should be done with each new piece of content in a Google spreadsheet. I use it to make sure I don’t miss any important steps. Having a defined system helps me remain consistent with the many moving pieces within my content marketing strategy.
5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Content should be optimized for search engines to ensure it ranks well in search results. One of the biggest mistakes I see entrepreneurs make is writing solely about what they suppose their audience will like rather than performing the research up front to first ask what their audience is already asking the search engines. The positive impact of creating content based on researched keywords can’t be overstated.
SEO involves using relevant keywords, creating compelling meta descriptions, and following other SEO best practices. Don’t sweat about learning SEO. I shared all the SEO tips you need to know to grow your website traffic.
Now let’s talk about content marketing examples.
Examples of content marketing
To help you understand how to create an epic content marketing strategy that helps your business stand out, here are some examples of how you may use content marketing as an entrepreneur:
1. Blog Posts
A company that sells fitness equipment may create blog posts about workout routines, nutrition tips, and health advice. Here, they’re educating their audience and positing themselves as an authority on the topic by teaching others about related topics
2. Videos
An outdoor adventure gear brand may produce videos showcasing outdoor activities, product demonstrations, and travel adventures. Of course their products are featured in the videos, helping viewers associate their brand as the ideal product to use for their love of adventure.
3. Infographics
A software company might create infographics illustrating industry trends, statistics, or the benefits of using their products. Infographics are a compelling way to tell a visual story that educates and invites visitors to learn more.
4. Podcasts
A marketing agency may host a podcast featuring interviews with industry experts, discussing current trends and providing insights. This is a smart content marketing strategy. To maximize your efforts, be sure to transcribe your podcast episodes and add them to your website so search engines can crawl those important keywords to drive organic traffic to your website.
5. Ebooks and Whitepapers
A technology company could offer downloadable ebooks or whitepapers addressing common challenges in the industry and providing solutions. Educating the audience is an effective way to be the authority on a topic so when the customer has a need arise, they’ll think of you to help solve it.
6. Social Media Content
A fashion brand might share visually appealing content on platforms like Instagram, featuring new collections, styling tips, and behind-the-scenes glimpses. This inspiration anchors the audience as a credible influence for fresh new ideas.
In short, content marketing is a versatile and powerful strategy that, when executed effectively, can help businesses build a loyal audience, drive organic traffic, and ultimately contribute to business growth.
How do you maximize content marketing?
Not only is "content king," but platform algorithms like Pinterest, for instance, are prioritizing fresh content.
It's no secret that Google loves fresh content to crawl too, but with a constant need to produce content (not to mention, also run your business!), how does an entrepreneur manage to deliver the volume of content for a strategic marketing plan and deliver content that intrigues the audience enough to move them to action?
Below you'll find four expert tips for managing "all the things” when it comes to executing your content marketing strategy.
Content planning is key
Here’s what happens all too often with entrepreneurs. You know you need to get an email out so your list doesn’t go stale. But just like everything else, there’s never any time. You jump into your email marketing platform and shove out the first tip that comes to mind before you jump to the next task.
This strategy is backward. A much more effective content marketing strategy is to go find out what your audience is actually asking about. Trying out keyword phrases in Google, Pinterest, and YouTube can help you generate a list of keywords.
From there, you’ll want to plug that list into the Keysearch Tool or Keywords Everywhere (get the paid version, it’s ridiculously inexpensive for the value you get). Once you do, you’ll have actual data about the volume of searches and competitiveness that will help you make the best decision about content to create.
Four content creation tips for beginners
Set goals and write them in the calendar. Be realistic about how many blog posts, videos, podcast episodes, or social media posts you can handle. Have a defined idea of how often you’ll need to create fresh content. You can’t prioritize your business activities unless you have a target to shoot for. Know what results you’re trying to create before you dive in.
Hash out what it will take to reach those goals. Then work backward planning marketing content. Write down actionable to-do’s and put them on the calendar leading up to your goal completion date. For example, "Brainstorm 10 blog topics," "Perform blog research," "Complete draft 1," or "Perform SEO research for Blog Topic #1."
Create a repeatable process. Our brains love clear direction. When you document your process, it’ll be handy to guide your creation energy and maximize your efforts.
Keep a separate document for content brainstorming ideas. Don't bother writing about things your target audience doesn't care about or that don't relate to your company's over-arching goals. As you do your research, keep a bank of topic ideas for next time.
CONTENT MARKETING TIP: Create a detailed picture of what your ideal client's life is like 2-3 months before they need your product or service.
Then, create another detailed picture of what your ideal client’s life is like 2-weeks to 1-month before they need your product or service.
Your marketing channels should deliver repeat touch points continuously as your audience travels through the buying cycle Click to read to read more about why the buying cycle is important to marketing.
Then, write content based on things they might be typing into the search engine to find out more information. The time to connect with your ideal client and establish the know, like, and trust factor with well-planned content is before he/she is ready to make a purchase. Then, you’re already primed when the need arises.
Tips for Being Consistent with Content Creation
Here’s how to be consistent with content creation and planning:
Use content marketing the way you plan any other project in your business.
Visualize what the end result would ideally look like.
Brainstorm what a thriving content marketing strategy would look like for you, but don’t forget to be realistic about how much you can take on.
Take this week for instance. Is it realistic to produce a blog post this week? Or is it more realistic to take two weeks to create a good quality blog post? It’s better to produce high quality content than to crank out lots of content that doesn’t get noticed.
Work backward from your ideal and figure out what steps it will take to get there. I call this “reverse engineering.”
Next, attach due dates to the steps you listed. Put the small to-dos on your calendar and work them into your schedule. At first, it might be better to allow 10% more time than you think you’ll need.
Finally, execute. Remind yourself that consistent content is a priority for a thriving online business.
Life happens. Kids get sick. Projects take more time than we expect. Work to get ahead and schedule out your content 1-2 months in advance. Doing this will help ensure you’re able to keep up the consistency even when unexpected events throw you off track.
Put it on the calendar! Choosing a predictable time and interval will help. Maybe the last Monday of the month is your set time to plan content for the next month. Maybe you execute weekly, every Thursday for the following week…whatever your system is, put it on the calendar, stick to it, make it a priority, and tweak if necessary, but no matter what, commit to it.
CONTENT MARKETING TIP: Give yourself margin for something to come up. Waiting until the day before you need more content is a recipe for ineffective content.
I request content ideas from clients anywhere from 15-30 days before they need to go out, just in case.
Three Important Components for Effective Marketing
The first is that marketing is a long game. It takes time to see results.
The second is that consistency is non-negotiable. Through consistency, you teach your leads and customers what to expect. Inconsistency = confusion, an uncomfortable feeling humans tend to reject.
The third is measuring and tweaking. If something’s not working, use data-driven tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and your website platform insights to identify what it is that isn’t working the way you thought it would and make changes.
In the same way, measure what is working, understand why, look for patterns and themes in engagement, and try to reintegrate it as much as possible to inform your content marketing strategy over time. With metrics and analytics included with almost every online platform these days, managing by numbers is a must for business owners.
If there’s a piece of content that really resonates with your audience, the data will show it. Explore what about that piece made it effective and see how you can integrate that element into your best practices for all future content creation.
Conclusion to Creating a Content Marketing Strategy that Helps Your Business Stand Out
Quality, well planned content can cut through the noisy online space and effectively reach the customers who are most likely to purchase from you, compelling them to take action, like joining your email list, engaging on social media, visiting your website, telling others about your business, and ultimately deciding to buy.
The reality is, most businesses haven't figured out a good, repeatable system. Without a solid, repeatable system, it’s daunting to think just how much content you’d have to create to maintain a thriving digital presence.
CONTENT MARKETING TIP: Much of content marketing success is rooted in your habits. Think about what habits (procrastination, perfectionism, time management) may be holding you back from creating an epic content marketing strategy.
Grab the Ideal Client Avatar Matrix: Get started creating your content marketing strategy first by creating your ideal client avatars with this helpful tool. Once you know who you’re talking it, it’ll make creating a message that deeply resonates a breeze!
Discover Your Ideal Client Avatar!
Download the spreadsheet that will walk you through developing your own ideal client avatar.
*And ✨voila✨ add your info to the form below and your download will be immediately available.
Save these content creation tips for later!
Female business resources
Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business (with free access to the resource suite)
Hi, I’m Francie!
Nice to meet you. I’m the founder of Founding Females®. Some call me a business sage because I love to empower female entrepreneurs to breathe life into the business dreams God called them to.
After feeling like a misfit in the corporate world, I discovered a life I loved waking up to through business ownership.
I’m the author of Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business, a guided journal helping hundreds of women start and grow their businesses.
I’m also a passionate entrepreneurship hype girl, female leader, public speaker, and community enthusiast.
My MBA and 10 years in a corporate career and in business ownership positioned me as an entrepreneurship educator with forward-thinking strategies for starting and growing successful businesses.
As a community leader, I realized other women could thrive with the right guidance and support. I created the Founding Females® Mastermind Community that provides a safe space for women to build better businesses.
I believe that anyone with a dream on their heart can pull up a seat to change the world through entrepreneurship. Looking to grow your own business? Click for info about how to work with me.
About Founding Females®
The mission of Founding Females® is to help build a better future for female entrepreneurs through education, encouragement, and shared wisdom. We create safe spaces for women to share business challenges and receive peer support.
In addition, Founding Females® offers an online female business mastermind, a how-to guidebook for female entrepreneurs called Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business, and in-person events, like an annual women’s business conference and local Founding Females Meet Ups.
Curious to connect with women business owners who are paving new paths, providing tremendous value to customers, and growing their businesses? Our Women’s Business Mastermind blog series features women business owners who are raising the tide for all of us.