How to make Content Marketing easier – The Content Marketing engine checklist

As part of his involvement in our latest content marketing masterclass, we asked Geraint to outline his 12-step content marketing engine – a set of core steps to producing an efficient and effective content marketing strategy designed to deliver results.

Fuel Stage

A successful content marketing process needs firm foundations in order to operate at maximum capacity.

1. Focus on the journey and the customer

It’s goes without saying if you don’t have a clear audience with a clear defining need in mind, your content marketing efforts will be left spluttering on starting line. In content marketing, niche as deeply as you can so your content resonates.

2. Distill your brand journey

Whilst content has to be helpful to users, it needs to fit with your expectations from it. To that end, define and distill your brand essentials first and then build a content marketing engine that delivers people who value your positioning and ideals.

3. Define the editorial process

Setting out to create a content marketing strategy – and adopting a long term content based approach to marketing – is a long term play. The process is key to ensuring you stay on message whilst being creative, and build up a consistency whilst maintaining the highest possible quality.

4. Build a content creation community

It’s hard to be creative and consistent and content marketing is best delivered with an opted in, excited and passionate team. With roles and responsibilities shared, including delivery, it means it doesn’t become an onerous task for a small team or lone marketer.

Ignite Stage

Ignite prospects and customers’ interest with engaging content which is relevant, compelling and timely to their needs.

5. Create effective content

In short, answer questions they are asking online. The best way to sense-check if content is relevant and effective is to start reviewing what they are already using and putting your version in front of them.

6. Atomise, repurpose and reimagine

Create long form content – articles, scripts, webinars – and break it down so it can be used in multiple ways. Most social media platforms allow for lots of different ways to use bits of content, written, graphic, video, animation, carousel, polls and more.

7. Keep conversion in mind

Yes it is content that will be of interest to your target customers, but always remember to make sure they know you can help them with it – whether it’s a product or service offer, make sure you give them a clear next step.

8. Amplify

When you’ve got really good content, consider putting some spend behind it so it reaches its audience potential or consider third party audiences and PR as a way of getting in front of more of the right people. Trade associations and membership bodies can be useful here.

Accelerate Stage

Enable your organisation to produce more, better content and accelerate to greater content marketing success.

9. Build content rhythm

Rhythm is all about maintaining a consistency and reputation for quality. Decide what you are producing, when so your audience comes to start expecting it. This works exceptionally well with emails, especially if they are specifically timed.

10. Rev the engine

Spread the content as far and wide as you can. Get the time and third parties behind it.

11. Measure and improve

Make sure you are regularly checking the engine and fine-tuning it so it continues to perform. Play to your strengths and develop more content around what is already working.

12. Look in rear view mirror

Keep a keen eye on the market and your competition for opportunities to improve and adapt.

Have you booked your free seat at our Content Marketing Masterclass on Thursday 14th July? Geraint will be breaking this down in much more detail.

Five hours of totally free training on content marketing strategy, planning and implementation.

(We recommend the recordings and slides bundle that you’ll be offered after registered though!

Content Marketing Strategy and Planning Online Masterclass Image
Book the Content Strategy Masterclass, 14th July for free here
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Rene Power

MMC Learning’s Director of Marketing, Rene is passionate about making marketing more accessible and has an interest in businesses in the industrial and professional services sectors. Among his responsibilities as a member of the MMC Learning team are designing and delivering the company’s own marketing activities, and assisting clients with their team training.