Content Marketing Strategy Services
Content marketing should always begin with a strategy: a map for what you’ll do, why you’ll do it, who you’ll speak to, and when and where you’ll share content.
Who is this for? Higher ed marketers or those who manage marketing efforts who need a content strategy but don’t know how to build one, or who are overwhelmed with or aren’t seeing returns with their current content program.
What’s the pain point? You feel like you’re shouting into the void. You’re creating content yet don’t know if it’s making any impact or generating ROI. Your content development process is slow and ineffectual. You can’t seem to capture attention or engagement.
What’s the solution? You not only get a map to more easily navigate your marketing efforts, but confidence in and control over building your audience.
What’s the process? We’ll work together to create a defined strategy detailed in the process below, then I hand it off to you to execute, with coaching along the way.
What’s the transformation? Disorganization to streamlined. Anxiety to relief. Having a clear strategy and plan for your content takes the guess work out of the everyday, freeing up time and energy on your content teams, and increasing impact with your audience.
Is this done-for-you or done-with-you? I work with teams (or even individuals) to create the strategy and plan, but hand it over to you to execute, including the content creation. My goal is to teach you how to fish so you can build a sustainable content program — I’m not available to just make fish for you!
The Process
Here’s the process I take my clients through when developing their content strategy and program:
First, we start with your goals and what you’re trying to achieve in your marketing efforts, as well as identify metrics to track.
Then we determine who your target audience is and develop audience personae, so that you can speak to them more directly in your marketing efforts.
Then we pick the key topics for your content. Don't post about everything in the universe, but pick two or three things that will further your goals and that your target audience will gravitate towards.
We also talk about branding, voice, and style so that your content will be aligned with your messaging.
Then we figure out which channels are going to be the best places for your marketing efforts based on where your target audience is.
We put all of it together into a detailed content calendar that shows why you're creating this piece of content, what you're creating content about, who you're creating it for, and where and when you're posting it.
We’ll take a look at your content development process so that you can more easily create high-quality and highly-targeted content. We’ll also streamline the development process and make sure you have the right people in the right roles.
Once you have this detailed content calendar and streamlined process, it's much easier to go through and create content that's tailored to your audience, aligned with your goals, and that tells the story you want to tell. We’ll work on content creation best practices across various formats.
Now, we start distributing content to your various channels, guided by your content calendar.
We’ll establish a cadence for measurement: looking at metrics, analyzing that data for insights, and applying those insights to improve your content strategy.
Finally, we’ll revisit this strategy and program and make sure that it’s sustainable for you to continue into the future.
Ready to get started? Fill out the form below.
Areas of focus
I can work with you on any or all of these:
Overall Content Strategy
A comprehensive strategy unique to your school or department that includes goal-setting, identifying your target audience, solidifying your message and brand, strategies for various content channels (website, blog, social media, newsletter, etc.), analytics, and more. Simply take this strategy and execute it.
Thought Leadership (faculty or university research)
Leverage your institution’s expertise in your content marketing, or boost faculty thought leadership on their own channels. Uncover your unique point of view — what you have to say about your industry that differentiates you from others — and how to communicate it to your audience through your content.
High-Quality Content
Content is the interface between you and your audience. It’s how a prospective student may first meet you, what inspires current students to stay engaged, and what continues to build the relationship with alumni. Develop high-quality content that speaks to your audience, catches their attention, tells them a story, and draws them in with a new way of seeing the world.
Storytelling
Are you using the power and emotion of storytelling in your content? Go beyond facts and data to engage your audience with individual impact and personalized transformation.
Distribution
Great content is wasted if you can’t get it front of your audience. Having a strategy for distribution across the right channels will accelerate your marketing and get you to your audience faster.
Measurement
Understanding how to measure the impact of your content will not only help you know what resonates with your audience, but will help you refine your strategy.
Team Structure and Process
You need people to execute a great content strategy and processes to guide them. I guide you on how to structure your team, what capabilities you need, and who you need full-time and what you can contract out.
Ready to get started? Fill out the form below.
How it works
Initial Discovery Call: Let’s talk about your current challenges and desired outcomes, and where I might be able to help.
Contract, Timelines, Deliverables, Expectations: If we choose to work together, we’ll set up the terms of engagement.
Project Kick-Off: We’ll meet so that I can learn everything about your current content strategy (or lack thereof), how you run your strategy (i.e., content development process), and where your biggest pain points are.
Research and Digging In: In addition to talking through your challenges, I’ll read through your content and dig into what you’re currently doing, as well as talk to other stakeholders who can help guide your content strategy creation.
Creation: I’ll create your personalized content strategy that will guide your new efforts, including goals, target audience personae, your unique messaging, strategies for various channels (web/blog, social media, newsletter, etc.), a library of content ideas, templates, and development guidance, analytics tracking, content audit, a content calendar, and more.
Delivery: We go through your new strategy and materials — delivered in a custom-made online dashboard — and revise as need be.
Training or Workshops: If needed, we can conduct any additional training or workshops, like working on developing your thought leadership strategy, training on how to write or content, or any other needs that arise.
Implementation and Execution: Now, take your new content strategy and implement it!
Check-Ins and Coaching: …but you don’t have to go it alone. We’ll have a series of check-ins so I can help you implement that strategy and make sure it becomes smooth sailing for you.
Ready to get started? Fill out the form below.
What you get
You may not need all of these in our engagement, but if you do, you’ll be set with all the resources you’ll ever need to easily execute your content strategy.
A Personalized Content Strategy
Personalized content marketing strategy you can implement that answers the 5 Ws: why you’re making content, who you’re making content for, what content you’re making, and where and when you’re distributing that content.
An audit of your current content.
Goals creation to guide your content strategy.
Audience/ICP research and three ideal customer personae.
Competitor content audit (up to three).
Strategies for various distribution channels, including web/blogs, newsletters, social media, podcast, webinars, video, and placed media (dependent upon strategy).
Guidance to Creating High-Quality Content
Guidance on what type of content to create for your funnel (top, middle, and bottom).
A library of ideas you can use for your content.
Guide to writing great content (like blog posts, articles, social media posts, case studies, white papers, industry reports, etc.).
Templates, briefs, how-tos, frameworks, and samples that streamline your content creation.
A personalized content style guide to get you clear on your messaging, voice, style, tone, word choice, and other brand necessities.
Guidance on Distribution
Guide to distribution on your various channels (including channel set-up, if needed).
A personalized content calendar that you can follow from Day One.
Best practices for social media posting and engagement.
Guidance on Measurement
Guide to tracking and analytics, and how to use data insights to guide your content strategy (without needing a degree in BA!).
A personalized analytics dashboard.
Guidance on Team Structure and Process
Guidance on how to set up your content marketing team, including what to hire or contract for.
How to structure your content development process, from idea generation to publish to repurposing content.
Tools and resources to use.
Plus…
A personalized content marketing dashboard (in Notion) that will guide your content planning, creation, and execution in one handy portal.
Calls and check-in to train you and guide you on how to implement your new strategy.
A project Slack channel for help and questions during implementation.
Ready to get started? Fill out the form below.
Let’s work together!
Fill out the form below with what marketing solutions you’re looking for! I’ll follow up to schedule a quick call to talk through options.