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For the majority of the time I spent working in a marketing department in corporate America, I had an uphill battle trying to convince the decision-makers to prioritize a content strategy. Although I was the person in charge of content, I was repeatedly told that putting a strategy together wasn’t a priority; there were simply too many fires to put out all the time.
But a content strategy should be a top priority for every marketing department in every business, everywhere. In fact, avoiding a content strategy drains you of resources, time, and money (and trust me, it also really frustrates your marketing team).
Having been on the inside for this conversation, I know how hard it can be to divert attention away from what feels most important and urgent to your marketing efforts, especially when those efforts are supporting a sales team, but this is why hiring an outside content strategist is an excellent solution.
What Does a Content Strategist Do?
A content strategist helps the content-producing marketing team or small business owner understand the bigger picture behind what they are creating, and why they are creating it. Content strategy is always tied to measurable business goals, helping you make more strategic decisions about where to invest your time and talents when it comes to marketing your business.
In addition to helping you with clear goal setting, a content strategist will also help you to defines and/or refine your target audience segments, determine which content topics you should be talking about as a business, and strategically choose which channels and platforms to invest your time in before creating content based on what would yield the best return for your business.
Why Should I Hire A Content Strategist?
A content strategist is ideal for businesses that are looking to level up their marketing efforts, feel more confident in their approach to content marketing, or need help achieving specific sales goals.
If you're looking to work smarter, not harder when it comes to creating content, a strategist can help you get there. And if you're not creating a content marketing program from scratch, a content strategist can audit your existing content and help you figure out how to leverage it more effectively. This means not just driving traffic, but driving conversions. Smart content helps you better understand your audience - their pain points, their motivations, and their needs, which makes it easier to create value-driven content that encourages them to take action.
A content strategy is a roadmap for success, so you or your marketing team can better understand how content fits into your bigger picture marketing plan. Why is this important? For two reasons: 1. It creates clarity of purpose when it comes to creation and 2. It can help you or your team feel more confident about what you should be taking the time to create.
Will a Content Strategist Actually Yield Returns?
Bottom line: Does bringing in a content strategist financially make sense and will you see a return on investment? The answer is undoubtedly yes.
While I have personally seen incredible results for my clients who bring me in as a content strategist, you don't have to only take my word for it:
According to Demand Metric, 90% of all organizations utilize content in their marketing, bringing in three times as many leads as they would with traditional marketing, and costing them 60% less. Entrepreneur Magazine reports that content has "become the center of gravity in every business operation, to the point that 73% of organizations have a content strategist in place to oversee their content strategy." These content strategists play an important role in not just marketing, but also business strategy "as they are responsible for developing and managing the overall content strategy of the business."
Consumers are engaging with content at an increasingly rapid rate, with MediaFly reporting that "digital selling has driven content consumption up, with the average number of views per piece of content shared increasing 207% during the pandemic." And B2C marketers reported to the Content Marketing Institute that the top three goals that content marketing helps them to achieve are creating brand awareness, building trust, and educating their target audience.
Without investing in a proper content strategy, your business, quite frankly, is leaving money on the table.
Ready to Hire a Content Strategist?
I've been on both sides of the process when it comes to content strategy, and I know how difficult it can be to pull the trigger on trying a new approach. But when you put a ton of time, money, and resources into creating content that doesn't convert or achieve larger business goals, it's time to bring in someone who can help right the ship.
As a content strategist, I've worked with a variety of businesses of all different sizes across disciplines and industries to help them gain clarity in their approach to content, feel more confident about their strategy, and grow a loyal and engaged community in the process. If you're ready to adopt those three C's, contact me today to get started.