Creating the company story and determining content marketing line is a cornerstone of the further actions. Make sure that you know the best tools and platforms to looking for ideas, data, and extra facts.
Content marketing needs stories. Every brand creates its own to build lasting interactions with the audience. Apple changes status quo, Google wants to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, Amazon seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company. Before you start writing any piece of content decide the main message.
You need to take into account company mission statements, whole previous communications, and current business strategies. What’s important and, simultaneously, hard to implement – this message has to be universal, pervasive in your content, but not directly.
Actually, your brand main story should be well-known before your begin planning the content marketing strategy. If not, focus on it. Then make a use of many tools available to looking for and selecting appropriate topics, threads, and subjects.
Content Planning
When the brand story is determined and buyer personas needs are well-known you may focus on the most creative part of the strategy. You should decide if want to go deep in content planning. You may lay down just threads and general topics or subjects of individual campaigns. If you preferred defining every detail it’s also possible. Everything depends on a few factors:
- industry – some spaces (social media, eCommerce, fashion) are more dynamics and content has short expiration data, new trends impose fast reactions – precise planning in a long term is harder than in more consistent areas;
- content designers – you may work on your own, in a small team, huge group or outsourcing creation – it determines crafting process – decide which way is easier to exact;
- human resources – you should get to know your writers – some may need to be encouraged through deadlines and pinpointed topics – others are the best when you leave them alone and allow being creative.
When you will know how detailed have to be your strategy you can focus on selecting topics. Probably, when you truly worked on planning and audience stages, you have a list of topics/threads/subjects to use. Enrich your knowledge base with suggestions from the best places to find ones.
Content Marketing Ideas Generators
These tools allow finding new and develop gained brainchildren. You can make a use of them at different stages – from content planning to creation.
1. Google Keyword Planner – essential and well-known tool for every online marketer. Efficient when want to amplify already cooked up thoughts. Direct feedback, shows users interest in specific terms and topics. Also important when brainstorming and needs some path to follow.
2. Google Trends – another useful feature from Larry Page and Sergey Brin. If you want to be up-to-date, find hot topics, and the most engaging subjects, it’s a perfect solution. Many filters options make it easier to determine what you are looking for.
3. Reddit – allows sharing interesting stories and discuss on different threads. You can use it not only to distribute your content. You can find many awesome topics to follow there. Reddit community is known as a bunch of people who know everything before it is popular. For sure you will find some inspirations.
4. Portent – not only useful but cool also. Type your subject and look at suggestions. Easy and intuitive in use. One of the best content marketing tools. Look at my example for content marketing – I’m gonna take advantage of it.
5. HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator – a helpful platform to create subjects. Type 3 words (nouns are preferred) and you will get 5 suggestions. Below are topics for interactive, content, marketing.
6. Flipboard – a valuable platform with amounts of outstanding content. The exploring section is worth to get to know. Many inspirations and helpful sources.
Content Ideas Savers
When using different devices and consuming a lot of content on various pages you may have problems to not overlook valuable content. Make sure that you use one of these tools. Don’t allow great ideas to shelter.
7. Evernote – intuitive and smart feature. Collect different types of content from every device you use. Gather information in a well-organized way.
8. Simplenote – simple, online notebook. Allows collecting all your thoughts, ideas, and links across using devices. Multi-tasking content crafts will love it.
9. Quip – a useful tool for content teams. Documents to share and edit in a real-time. Chat boxes allow discuss details and develop ideas.
The Most Useful Databases For Enriching Content
The best content designers love data and numbers. When following databases you can find many tremendous ideas, see trends, and deepen your analysis. Essential websites to check demographics and most popular categories are public data sites.
9. PewResearchCenter – tons of data, analysis, and interesting articles. Can both – enrich your content or generate new ideas. Worth checking, but very addictive.
10. Open Data Network – a great platform for data sharing and finding. Users can interact through answering questions. Many valuable facts from reliable sources of information.
11. Kaggle Datasets – an inspiring data-sharing movement. The best place to find skyrocketing information. A valuable asset to use in content creation.
Setting content marketing line brings a lot of additional knowledge. These tools and similar ones enriching your job. Add to this list the most valuable blogs and influencers in your industry. Analyze the most shareable and popular ones. Stay open to new ideas. Then you will have to choose the most efficient channels and start the process.
#content marketing #Content Marketing Strategy #Content Marketing Tools #strategy