Every piece of content you create should support a measurable business goal.
Are you confident all your content does?
Or are you spending tons of time and money on content that you're not sure is moving any needle?
A content strategy consultant is the most valuable investment you can make for your business because they will...
Create an algorithm proof Content Strategy for you
Attach all your content to specific and measurable business goals
Create a turnkey content playbook that will cut your content planning in half
Deliver a Content Strategy that yields 3x growth metrics or higher
Set up time to talk with us if you already know your business needs this.
Jump to any of the sections in this article or read the full piece to get the most value:
What is a Content Strategy Consultant
Content strategy is about process and data. There is a way to be effective and efficient with your resources, but it is not a widely practiced skillset because it takes more effort to do well.
There are many marketers who will try to build a content strategy, but there are few who understand how to align a content strategy to clear and measurable business goals. When hiring a content strategy consultant, you want to look for a professional who understands how to create an efficient and sustainable content strategy that will improve operational efficiencies, cut through the noise, and align all content to organizational growth goals.
Your content strategy consultant should give you frameworks for measurable growth, a roadmap to execute your content strategy, and leadership level understandings for all stakeholders.
Their main goal is to ensure that all content aligns with the business’s objectives and resonates with its target audience. When evaluating your options, here are some key responsibilities of a content strategy consultant to consider:
Audience Research: Do they conduct thorough research to understand the target audience’s needs, preferences, motivations, and behaviors?
Identify Opportunities: Do they know how to conduct an effective competitive analysis and then identify the best opportunities for your business based on your target audience?
Content Planning: Can they create a comprehensive plan that strategically and mindfully outlines what type of content will be produced, when it will be published, and on which platforms?
Content Creation and Management: Do they provide the roadmap for the creation, editing, and management of content to ensure it meets quality standards and aligns with the strategy?
Performance Analysis: Do they track and analyze the performance of content to measure its effectiveness and make data-driven adjustments?
During initial conversations, you should be able to see all of these skills from a content strategy consultant before you ever hire them.
Content Strategy Consultants to Stay Away From
We've talked about what makes a good content strategy consultant, but what about the red flags?
Here's a list of things to watch out for:
Treats content as a creative outlet
Talks about their opinions
Does not readily share data as proof for their work
Makes you feel like content is very complicated to do well
Never asks you what your organizational goals are
Neglects to do a deep dive on your target audience
Goes all in on emotion or all in on functional values (neither extreme is correct)
Talks about how well they know the algorithm and how they can help you master it
Makes platform recommendations before they have even started to work with you
Is slow in response time
Does not give you straight answers to simple questions
If you see any of these, you can choose whether to have an honest conversation or find someone who is better equipped.
What does an Effective Content Strategy Look Like?
There are a few non-negotiables:
It must take into account your target audience.
It must align your content to organizational growth goals.
It must have a clear measurement model and process of tracking.
It must create continuity in and sustainability of content programs.
It should be able to be used for stakeholder alignment, succession planning, and efficient onboarding.
It should improve your operational efficiency and cut your content planning time in half or more.
The primary pieces of the most impactful content strategies that produce content that cuts through the noise and achieves 3x growth include
Detailed Target Persona
Competitive Opportunity Analysis
Emotional AND Analytical Value Points
Content Playbook with Frameworks and Guidelines for Specific Content Types
Measurement Model
When you work with a content strategy consultant who knows what they are doing, you will see all of these pieces as a part of their deliverables.
What Kind of Results Can I Expect?
There is a proven process that works for content strategy and if you follow it, your business will experience 3x or higher returns on your key growth metrics.
You can expect to see an increase in demand, an increase in conversion, and an increase in loyalty and advocacy.
But the trick is you cannot cherry-pick pieces of the proven process. The 100% success rate only works if you commit to the process and follow through.
If the process is followed, your business will see accelerated growth on the channels you apply it.
The real question becomes...
...are you ready to invest in marketing your business in way that actually shows returns?
Are you ready to go all in and have your own algorithm-proof content strategy that anyone who you hire can execute?
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Author: Julianna Francesca, Founder of The Business of Marketing
"Thank you for choosing to learn more about how marketing can grow your business. We need more savvy marketers and business owners out there and you're taking steps to be part of that elite group. If you want more info, check out the other free articles or snag a self-guided material. If you're hungry to see results, we invite you to learn about our expert brand managers, explore our Services, or take advantage of our complementary strategy sessions."
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