Three benefits a content plan can bring to your business

A well formulated content plan will help your business to clearly communicate who you are, elevate your online performance and ensure the correct goals and tone of voice are conveyed to your customers. Posting consistent and relevant content will help you to reach the right audience at the right time, as well as hitting marketing and business growth goals. It’s important to plan ahead and schedule, rather than posting your content as and when. Here are three benefits that a content plan can bring to your business:

1.     Improves your brand reputation 

 Content creation is a top priority for over 80% of marketers, as it contributes to:

·       building relationships

·       increasing trust with your audience

·       answering customer questions

·       generating leads

Most importantly, it contributes to your brand’s reputation as the content you publish across your channels is what your target audience uses to form an idea of who you are, what you stand for and if they want to be associated with your business. 

Creating a detailed strategic content plan for your company, alongside quality content that will be of value to your customers, will raise your credibility and brand reputation, enabling you become a thought leader in your industry. Some examples of content you could create and share include: 

·       blogs and articles

·       videos

·       white papers

·       photographs

·       webinars

·       podcasts

·       eBooks

·       Infographics

 The type of content you create will depend upon the consumption preferences of your target audience. A CEO at a construction company, for example, is likely to have differing buying preferences, decision making ability and find very different information valuable to a graduate in the same industry, in their first role from university.

2.     Reaches a wider audience  

Content should be targeted at your customer’s typical pain points. A hiring manager, for example, at a dynamic technology company may be struggling to grow their team owing to a lack of talent in the market. They would therefore benefit from targeted content which gave them hints and tips of how to adapt their recruitment strategy to ensure that they are attractive as possible to prospective employees.

The channels you use to reach your customers should be outlined in your content plan, and will again depend on their consumption preferences. The Boomer generation, for example, is less likely to watch videos on Instagram or TikTok than Millennials and the Gen Z generation. Their consumption preferences are likely to be very different.

Did you know?

84% of marketers that used video have seen an increase in leads generated, making it a form of content that can generate highly beneficial results (source: wyzowl). 

Sharing content that reaches your audience at the right time, via the right channel, with the right content will, over time, strengthen the connection they have with your brand and increase the likelihood of them remembering you and returning when the need arises. 

 Taking the time to plan content that will effectively reach your customers will also increase your chances of engaging with new audiences that maybe hard to reach or you haven’t considered before, further increasing exposure of your brand. 

3.     Keeps you on track and focused

 There can be multiple people working on a project at one time, so by agreeing and implementing a plan, it helps to avoid confusion and communication issues. It is crucial that the plan meets business goals and marketing objectives (it’s easy to veer off track when a plan isn’t set in place). A thorough content plan will help ensure the whole team is striving towards the same shared goals and objectives, which will in turn support the overall company goals. 

Content plans are a crucial tool, helping you to achieve your objectives whilst growing your brand presence in the market and connecting with your audience. Without one, your business may lose its voice in the market and become lost amongst the competition.