Let’s get this out of the way right now: it’s pretty much a given in the business world today that content is king. More important, content is critical. It is the lifeblood, the identity, and the value of any company or organization. So why is it that content is so often relegated to the backseat? What is it about content that so often makes it an afterthought for otherwise bright, engaged, and responsible professionals?
Perhaps it’s the tedium that overcommitted, understaffed sales and marketing executives and department managers have come to expect when it’s time to sit down and actually commit digital words to a blank screen.
Perhaps it’s the tedium that overcommitted, understaffed sales and marketing executives and department managers have come to expect when it’s time to sit down and actually commit digital words to a blank screen. Let’s face it – no one really wants to take on the task of trying to think of what to say about a product or service, a company, institution, or organization. Where’s the fun in that? Besides there are more important things to do, right? Call a client. Write a sales report. Get those fourth quarter numbers in. Anything other than try to talk about what it is you do or sell so that it makes sense and someone would actually be interested in reading it.
As a result, more than a few otherwise calm, rational human beings become frantic, desperate individuals racing against a deadline to produce something, anything, for a website, newsletter, sales brochure, blog – with little thought and even less planning.
But the truth of the matter is that “content” – that elusive, gray cloud of words, images, and graphics – is the soul of any organization, large or small, profit or non-profit. Without content, there is no brand, no image, no value. A construction without substance, a body without soul. Without proper planning and adequate attention, it’s no surprise that the resulting product is unfocused, dull, generic content that creates no unique brand identity, no interest, and no sales.
What’s needed is a content strategy and the ability to implement it.
So what is a content strategy?
In short, a content strategy is the analysis, creation, publication, and maintenance of useful, appropriate, and current content, developed to meet one or more established goals. While the word “content” is often used today to refer to information developed specifically for a website, it really can apply to any text and supporting graphics created for distribution across any and all channels of a marketing program.
In this e-book, we’ll discuss the various aspects of developing a workable, usable content strategy that will help you gain control of the content creation process using a few, simple steps. You’ll also gain an understanding of what it takes to generate unique content that will help build your brand, set you apart from the competition, and provide a number of valuable tools for your sales and marketing toolbox.