The 11 essential elements of a content marketing strategy. Meghan casey asks me to write this blurb for her book and i was like, what book, where. The complete guide to writing test strategy sample test. Jun 26, 2018 a strategy document serves a different purpose to a strategic plan. The right marketing plan identifies book content strategy document template everything from 1 who your target customers book content strategy document. Make sure you put all the outputs of your content strategy into the template. Plus, you know that awesome content marketing involves a lot of flexibilityhow do you build that into a strategic document. Knowing how youll reach your vision is the meat of your strategic plan, but its also the most time consuming. Professor sloans book traces the history of strategy, differentiates strategic thinking from strategic planning, describes the influence of culture, and introduces five key attributes for learning to thinking strategically. Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working toward common goals, establish agreement around intended outcomesresults, and assess and adjust the organizations direction in response to a. Further reading on content strategy if you are a content specialists like copywriter, someone with traditional content skills like journalist or a small business owner who just wants to maximize the impact of your own content to achieve business goals, you should learn the tenets of content strategy for the web. Kicking off any content marketing process starts with the strategy, then moves into some basic process planning.
Strategic planning basics balanced scorecard institute. It provides an outline for you to plan, organize and conduct your conference, document and execute your plan, and to monitor and adjust your strategic plan, as needed. How to write a content marketing strategy stepbystep. So a strategic plan is only useful in so far as it affects actions. Once youre confident in the strategy youre presenting, youll have the complete attention of every executive in that conference room. Thus, we urge the readers to use this document only as a guideline and as an aid to innovative strategic thinking. The template may be used by local courts to document local planning efforts related to the completion of these seven planning tasks and subtasks. To help you succeed, use this proven strategic plan template, and the information below details the key sections you must include in your. We created the business strategy plan template to document your strategic plans. Two books every content strategist should own are content strategy for the web by kristina halvorson and melissa rach and the content strategy toolkit by meghan casey. Each part has certain elements to show you how and where things fit it. Are there parts of the content marketing strategy and planning process that.
Strategic planning document template accounting124. This planning feeds into strategic framework and programme budget documents for each department. Therefore, they should be different types of document. Content marketing strategy, content strategy, and content plan. A strategic plan is a dynamic document or presentation that details your companys present situation, outlines your future plans, and shows you how the company can get there. It specifically provides information about the elements that are necessary to be present in the document. A roadmap to launch and grow your organization process as important as product perhaps more important aligns stakeholders around strategic priorities communicates your goals, strategies and programs engages, motivates, and retains external and internal audiences e. Armed with this book, you can confidently tackle difficult activities like telling your boss or client whats wrong with their content, getting the budget to do content work. Plan tactics and channels to make your content marketing a success. However, you can expect to include the following content. Meghan casey asks me to write this blurb for her book and i was like, what book. How to develop a web strategy from scratch stepbystep. Yearly content planner and strategy guide kindle edition by oliphant, kirsten. This can feel laborious or complicatedespecially if youre working solo.
Our content strategy guidance is designed to help you do this. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. This theory is backed up by a comprehensive study of 150 strategic plays in over 30 industries in the last century. The format of the strategy document and its presentation style depend on the audience and the nature of the topic. A national longterm economic strategy is likely to be different. How to write a content marketing strategy w template. It also involves laying outstepbystephow youre going to get there.
But simply creating content without a thoughtful vision is a lot like writing individual book pages for readers expecting a story. University, took the entire strategic planning establishment to task in his book, the rise and fall of strategic planning. Confusion between these different documents causes good strategies to be described badly. Kristina halvorson, author of the book content strategy for the web. The test strategy document describes the scope, approach, resources and schedule for the testing activities of the project. Decide what format your document will require include layout, margins, line spacing, font styles, etc. So what are the atomic units of a content marketing strategy that will focus and interconnect your execution. A strategy document serves a different purpose to a strategic plan.
To make strategy more interesting and different from a budget we need to break free of this obsession with planning. Sustainable content, and this is particularly true of learning content, is the result of a production process that we should carry out. It is a static document means it wont change throughout the project life cycle. In contrast to the other two, a content plan is very tactical. Our ebook, the essentials of a documented content marketing strategy, can walk you through the process.
Map out every part of your strategy in one place complements this guide. Or they think their website or business is small enough that a goal written on the back of an envelope is all they need to create successful content for the long haul. There was a problem a big bad wolf, a conflict pigs who were trying to protect their homes from the wolf and a solution building a brick house to keep the wolf out, at least until he fell down the chimney. Content strategy focuses on the planning, creation, delivery, and governance of. Strategic planning kit for dummies cheat sheet dummies.
And your content plan documents the specifics of how you will execute your strategy, and who on your team will be handling each task. Your plan should include certain elements, like mission, values, and vision statements, and avoid common pitfalls, like neglecting the specific needs of your organization, so it becomes your road map for success. A strategic plan details the plans to achieve that strategy. Aug 29, 2011 in her book, the elements of content strategy, erin kissane raises the point saying, content is appropriate for your business when it helps you accomplish your business goals in a sustainable way. It is therefore arrogant and unrealistic to say, this is. At its core, your content marketing strategy is your why.
Content strategy implies that someone is stepping back and asking, what should we create, and why. This goal can be set in a scenario where the technological environment is undergoing rapid change. Document your entire marketing plan using this free outline. It reiterates that your strategy helps you to identify what already exists, what should be created.
Content strategy is the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content, as cited via kristina halvorson. Where you will present your strategic objectives and key programs for the upcoming year. Complete beginners guide to content strategy ux booth. Content marketing is rampantly used nowadays as a business development strategy. The one who prepares this document, must have good experience in the product domain, as this is the document that is going to drive the entire team and it wont change. Learning to think strategically asserts that learning is the critical link to transforming strategic thinking into a. Not to oversimplify how to create a strategic plan, but by placing all the parts of a plan into three areas, you can clearly see how the pieces fit together. Jun 22, 2016 put simply, content strategy is doing your homework and content marketing is presenting it. Yearly content planner and strategy guide kindle edition by. It is necessary to have a strategic plan for your chapter or. In this book, you will learn why enterprise content management ecm is important. The goal of content strategy is to create meaningful, cohesive, engaging, and sustainable content.
Plan your documents design to support this purpose. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading yearly content planner and strategy guide. Comparison between the timeline expectations for strategic objectives listed in this plan, and what is actually achieved in the tactical plans covering those time frames. You can utilize the content strategy template provided by moz. Content strategy can be very difficult to build up, especially if you do not know where to go from where you have been. This microsoft word tool is a great resource to help guide you through the development of your business strategy.
Instant strategist allows business people to develop a valid strategic plan in a matter of days, compared to traditional strategic planning models that might take months to complete. Use it as a working document, adding information as it becomes available. The original edition of this book was published in 2002 and was the first book to specifically address content strategy as a discipline. Discover the best strategic business planning in best sellers. Decide whether or not visuals will be helpful to include in your document.
The truth is, without a strategy your content will never reach its full potential. This has high potential of successes as content marketing is usually implemented in digital mediums where people can see information and details about the business even in the comfort of their own homes. If they simply complete the template, theres a good likelihood it will be. It documents the how plans for how the strategy will be implemented. A strategic planning checklist is a helpful tool when it comes to the assessment of the strategic plan and how it can be implemented in a timely and measurable manner. Enterprise content management with microsoft sharepoint. The strategic paper is a document that describes the direction of any company, institution or business organization. So youre on board with content marketing and are excited to get started.
Of course, there are a lot of people out there writing, designing, creating content. The writing is professional, engaging, and uses the right amount of humour to keep things lively. Developing a content strategy content marketing institute. The essentials of a documented content marketing strategy. A strong content strategy boils down to creating the right type of content for your target audience. How to write a strategic plan onstrategy resources. Oct 14, 2017 content strategy, and all content marketing, is a form of storytelling. Strategy is not planning it is the making of an integrated set of. Content strategy is the piece of your marketing plan that continuously. The content of the template corresponds to the content in the strategy, specifically the seven planning tasks and the more detailed subtasks.
Module 1 introduction to strategy, planning and structure. Strategic planning edinburgh business school v using the course package it is widely accepted that strategic planning is extremely difficult to teach effectively. There is a better way, though, than struggling your way through. Jul 28, 2016 this document outlines areas where stakeholders, bce board members, and bce staff and management are in agreement and disagreement while providing additional insight to assist bce to develop goals and objectives in the upcoming strategic plan. A strategy document is different to a strategic plan.
Content strategy is doing the research, planning and behind the scenes work. Now its time to download that template and see what story your content strategy is trying to tell. You can take many approaches to the process and consider differing ideas about what needs to. Test strategy document gives a clear vision of what the test team will do for the whole project. Without this foundation in place, youre likely to get caught up. A strategic plan is essential for a successful business, and creating a strategic plan that you can actually use is key. A fillinthe blank content strategy document marketing land. Share it as a live link, present it as a slideshow or download it. And there are books my favorite is kristina halvorson and melissa rachs content strategy for the web. A strategic plan is a roadmap to grow your business.
Introduction strategic planning workbook 4 focus on translating knowledge into action, not leaving you with just strategy meet the need also provides other sources of information to assist you and your team through. You want the reader to quickly grasp the mission of your company, its values, issues and goals and key strategies to reach goals. No two businesses are alike so theres no real standard for developing a strategic plan. How to plan an effective content strategy to quadruple. All of them reflect good general guidelines and structure, which can be incorporated into your own strategy design. The strategic planning reference and resource book has been designed to familiarize you and help you through the strategic planning process in a stepbystep approach. Test strategy document the test strategy document is a living document that is created in the projects requirements definition phase, after the requirements have been specified. Edit the interactive planner with your team to go through every step of your content strategy, from planning and executing to publishing and optimizing. This chapter on the strategic management and strategic planning process provide an insight on the basic knowledge on what is strategy and strategic management.
With allnew chapters, updated material, case studies, and more, the second edition of content strategy for the web is an essential guide for anyone who works with content. More important, however, than the document itself, is whether the strategic plan is actually put into practice. As others have noted the difference, here are some examples of both. You may be a marketer at a small business, an editorial director at a brand or media company, a community manager at a startup. The beginners guide to blogging and content strategy youre reading this book because you believe in the power of content.
The key to a great content marketing strategy is being able to tweak, break, and chuck parts of it as you learn more about what works and what doesnt. In this essential guide, meghan casey outlines a stepbystep approach for doing content strategy, from planning and creating your content to delivering and managing it. Youll learn how to use a datadriven approach to creating content that people will love. A fillinthe blank content strategy document after noting a lack of standardized content strategy documents, columnist jonathan blank has created his own. Did infographics, videos, surveys, ebooks, or images help influence your success. Weve assembled a handful of sample strategic plans.
Why you are creating content, who you are helping, and how you will help them in a. He indicated that strategy is a plan, a pattern, a position, a. New and experienced content strategists alike turn to these books to learn the essentials of content strategy. It documents the specifics of how you will execute your strategy, and who on your team will be handling.
Guidelines for the format and content of the strategy no two strategies have exactly the same format. A content strategy is a structure that guides your marketing from the beginning stages to postpublication. The beginners guide to blogging and content strategy. Much like a road trip, a lot of work goes into creating a single piece of content. A handbook for implementation continues this process. The web strategy planning template is our flagship piece of content here at bluewire media and was cocreated with david meerman scott the bestselling author of the new rules of marketing and pr. Strategy for pandemic influenza keeping the courts open in. The level of progress in attaining strategic objectives for this plan will be determined through a combination of three factors. Instead of brutally battling your competitors, this breathtakingly refreshing book argues that the best strategy is to carve out a new blue ocean where you can shine without raining on anyone elses success. Find out how to build a business case for content strategy. The second edition provides a good general introduction to content strategy, with a deeper discussion of markup and tools than found in other introductory books. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. That is, a strategic plan is a road map to lead an organization from where it is now to where it would like to be in five or ten years. Strategy is more than simply achieving business goals.
The best way to plan a social media strategy in 5 steps template. In effect, mintzberg declared strategy did indeed have several meanings, all of which were useful. Strategic planning is the practice of looking forward, outside the immediate future for your organization, to reach a particular set of goals. The deadline for completion of these tasks and subtasks is. Content strategy is the discipline responsible for satisfying business requirements through content creation and distribution. The difference between strategy document and strategic plan at excitant, we make a very clear distinction between these two documents. What do you need to consider in your governance plan.
Content strategy for the web sets the stage for content strategy to be implemented for any company by helping individuals to understand what it is, why it is important, how it can be created, who is involved, how it is managed, etc. While what you need to document will differ based on your content marketing maturity and the requirements of your organization, this guide will walk you through the process. People often use these terms interchangeably which is understandable, as the lines are somewhat blurry, but each is a bit different. The content strategy toolkit by meghan casey is the ultimate collection of everything you need to create and launch a content. Keep track of when your content is publishing and help your team work ahead.
This is because, at the mba level, it is not sufficient to know about the subject it is necessary to be able to apply ideas in order to carry out strategic analysis of real problems. Download this goal planning template for help figuring out the right content goals. We are suggesting that planning is the key ingredient to get right early on in ecm. How to create a content strategy in only 652 steps. What is an example of content strategy vs content marketing. Pulling customer feedback and data insights into your content planning process allows you to go beyond what you sell and get to the core of why the product or service exists in the first place.
A strategic plan presupposes existence of a strategy. It should be a starting point for work on a strategy and not the final word on its format or methodology. So, while creating a sound content marketing strategy is necessary to attract and retain users, it also. Content is the atomic unit of marketing the currency of how to get attention when done well. How to do strategic planning every organisation is different.
Throughout her book, content strategy for the web, kristina halvorson. To find out how to create a documented content strategy, including the 36 questions to ask, download our 16page guide, the essentials of a content marketing strategy. A definition of strategic planning strategic planning is a tool for organizing the present on the basis of the projections of the desired future. Content strategy is a way to deepen relationships with your customers and build long term engagement.
Before you dive right in to writing all the things, its important to take some time to get your content strategy in order so all your best efforts can reap the maximum rewards. All right, now that weve covered the caveats, lets look at how to write this content marketing strategy. Throughout her book, content strategy for the web, kristina halvorson discusses in detail the benefits of and how to create your content strategy. This article goes a little beyond that, getting to best practices and a few favorite tools. It may a onepage report or a book shape binding, depending on the size of organization or matter under discussion. As you prepare for planning, you can simply make it efficient using this template. How to plan an effective content strategy to quadruple results.
Pdf strategic management and strategic planning process. It creates clarity, alignment and organizationwide engagement. Strategic planning academic director of edinburgh business school, the graduate school of business, heriotwatt university, alex scott is an economist and has published over thirty research papers into efficiency in. The goal of the template was to help our clients understand the building blocks of a successful web strategy and reduce the confusion that comes.
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