Write a content strategy based on research
You have probably been told to be strategic with your marketing. However, it can be hard to write a content strategy with nothing to base it on. This is why I recommend taking some time to do some research to base your strategy on and give you lots of ideas to.
Research, however, can be time-consuming and can seem too wide-ranging to get your head around. As small business owners, we have enough going on, without spending loads of time going down a rabbit hole of research.
This is why I offer 5 key areas to research. Start with just a little and add to it over time. This will help you to write your first content strategy, and to continue to refine it.
5 areas to research for your content strategy
When it comes to writing a content strategy, there is only one place to start – research.
We are so often told to be ‘strategic’, but I think that’s very hard to do without something to base our strategy on.
This is why we start with some relevant research. However, I appreciate that research can be time consuming …something not many of us small business owners have!
It can also make you feel overwhelmed. The ‘what do I do with all of this information?!’ feeling is not uncommon.
However, it is so important. Whilst, you may want to base a content strategy around your instincts, your passions and your interests – that won’t cut it for long.
You have got to put in some hard work and get some evidence and concrete reasons for your strategic choices.
Whilst it is time-consuming, you will never regret it. It is never time wasted. Knowledge is power and you will learn new things, that you can share. The knowledge gained will then show through when speaking with clients and when producing your content. It also gives you a strong bedrock for your strategy long term, because you know what and why you are doing what you are doing.
To give you some parameters, I have 5 recommended areas of research to help you come up with your content strategy
Your market and your audiences
Do you know your market? Have you identified your key audiences?
This is where I recommend you start. You can do some quick and easy online research to identify how big your market is locally and globally. This can help you to understand how big your potential client base is.
You can also research some key demographics of the customers in your market – this is your audience when you are creating content. Who are they? Where do they ‘hang out’? And, importantly, what are the best ways to reach them?
Your competitors
A big part of understanding your market is identifying who else you are sharing it with, i.e. your competitions.
Don’t be ‘scared’ to research their competitors. It is important for your business more generally, as well as for marketing activities and content creation.
Firstly, remember that research is nowhere near the same as copying or stealing ideas. You know where that ‘line’ is and you mustn’t cross it. However, you are also a fool if you don’t have a look at competitor websites and social media accounts (information which is openly and easily available to all) to see what they are up to.
Do you think Tesco doesn’t keep an eye on Sainsbury’s?
When I mention competitors, think far and wide, not just locally, but nationally and, even, internationally. Think big, as well as small. Take a look at ‘quantitative’ elements as well as ‘qualitative’ elements of their content output. This means not just want they are actually saying (qualitative) and assessing what you think of that, but also the numbers (quantitative) – how often are they posting across how many different social media accounts? How often do they blog? How many pages does their website have? How often do they send out a newsletter? How often do they run special offers? Get some numbers and make some comparisons.
All of this information is available by simply searching via the internet and you can even get AI generators to help you. It is all there for you to see and assess.
Use this research to inspire ideas and to figure out where you fit or where you would like to fit in your market, and how your strategy will reflect this.
Industry leads and thought leaders
As I mentioned above, don’t just look locally and small when it comes to research, think big too. Just because you are a small business yourself, doesn’t mean you can’t learn from what the big brands and industry leaders are doing in your field.
Obviously, you won’t have the resources to create the amount of content they do, but looking at industry leaders isn’t just about quantity, it is about quality, style, variation, approach and innovation.
In addition, thought leaders and ‘influencers’ are those in your field or profession who are seen to be experts. The Brian Cox of science, for example. Find out who they are in your field and find out more about their ‘content output’. Are they active on X, Instagram or LinkedIn? Who also follows them? Are there other ‘thought leaders’ you didn’t know about?
Put simply, these people will be saying interesting things. They will have interesting opinions – not that you necessarily agree with!!! – about relevant areas in your field. They are also often ahead of the curve, when it comes to marketing trends.
Follow them and see what they are saying. Learn more about their jobs or businesses. This research will really help with more innovative ideas for your own content. This is important because content can’t always be about who you are and what you are selling. Let’s be honest, that is boring and there is enough of it flooding our feeds and inboxes as it is.
Interesting content is about sharing new ideas and (when you have the confidence) sharing your own thoughts, attitudes and opinions on areas of your profession. You can’t do this without researching, reading and evaluating the latest discussions and developments yourself.
Your own content
Another area of research is to look at your own content output so far. It’s time for analysis and reflection.
Don’t only think about ‘what’ worked well, but ‘how’ it worked well? For example, you may have written a social media post that you would consider worked well because it got ‘100 likes’, however, you may also have written a social media post that only got ’20 likes’ but two new clients or leads. Think about that – which is better and how (perhaps in different ways)! Then, think about the content that leads to the different kinds of engagement.
Adopt a critical perspective for all of the marketing activities you are doing. I have a great evaluation task where we identify what you are doing and how you feel about it from both and enjoyment and effectiveness perspective. Get in touch if you want a copy – kate@thecontentconsultancy.com
Likes, share, views, reach are all great for exposure, but engagement and actual enquiries or leads are going to convert to sales more readily, I suspect. So, analyse the content. In your strategy, you probably want a bit of both.
Your time
Finally, take the time to think about and ‘research’ your time. I know it sounds weird, but it is all very well doing loads of research, coming up with a strategy and plan, only to realise it is simply not realistic.
If you don’t keep a timesheet of how long your marketing activities take you, then start keeping on for a month or so. Part of having a strategy is doing things consistently to see if they work – ensure what you decide upon is feasible.
Also consider your motivations and values – how can your strategy reflect this too.
Importantly, analyse your research and make informed decisions that sit right with you.
A content strategy that grows with you
With any research, it is something which shouldn’t be done once and forgotten about. Ideally, keep it all in a format which is easy to return to, look at again and update – perhaps a spreadsheet or Word document, with clear headings or tables. Even if you do lots of handwritten notes or print off items, keep them in a book or folder that you can easily access and add to.
As I said at the beginning, research is time-consuming and it can be hard to make space for when ‘doing the day job’, but you will never regret it. And, even a small amount will make your content strategy more effective and more realistic.