How to Create a Successful Blog Content Strategy in 8 Steps

You probably wouldn't get to this post if you wanted to randomly create content for your blog without any blog content strategy.

Let's be clear from the beginning.

You create relevant, quality content because you want to attract your own target audiences, build a relationship of trust with them - to be ready to buy your products and services at some point.

This is the shortest thing about content marketing without going into some complicated definitions.

Any content you create now or anytime later must have a purpose within your content strategy.

To maintain a successful blog, you need to have a well-designed plan content. Without a plan, it would be the same as driving in an unknown work without navigation.

All you know is where you want to go, and you have no idea how to get there.

A good content plan should provide you with answers to the questions: about which topics to write, what content will engage the audience, how often yes posting new posts, etc.

According to a study by Ahrefs, out of seven million posts published every day on blogs - 90.63% of those blogs have no visitors at all! {alertInfo}

That's why a good blog content strategy will help you be at 9.37% remaining. {alertInfo}

If you are stuck with planning for the next period or for some time now work the same way - now it's time to update your content plan, and make it interesting and innovative for your potential customers as well customers, no matter how and when they buy something from you.

In case you are encountering a blog content strategy for the first time, this guide will help you with that.

We start with, what a content strategy is, why you need a content plan, and what steps you need to take to create your blog content strategy.

What is a blog content strategy?

A blog content strategy is a plan based on creating content for your blog (written, , audio, infographics) to achieve your business goals.

Blog content strategy is not just a calendar you fill out.

A content calendar is a graphical representation of content and part of an entire system planning.

A calendar would not exist without a content plan. Those two things are separate.

Content strategy is the vision you have for your blog, and it should be
related to your business goals.

A good content strategy is a basis for your inbound marketing when you want it to attract visitors to learn more about your brand.

For example, if your business goal is to increase personal brand awareness, then focus your strategy on SEO content this will increase visibility in search results and the number of visitors to the blog.

You already know how much content can help you grow your blog and business.

Most people make the mistake of getting about blogging without specifying the type of content to create.

They face the problem of uninvolved audiences so quickly.

The blog content strategy should link problems with solutions:

• an audience with, problems he wants to solve
• your product and the way it solves those problems 

Why create a blog content plan?

I guess sometimes you have a lot of ideas, but you don't know which one to choose?

Or are you simply under pressure because the topic comes to mind?

With a blog content strategy, blogging becomes easier. You always have a plan for a few months in advance - with a list of ideas for posts to write about.

The content plan is not set in stone, and you can change how things change - if you come up with a better and new idea. The plan is the starting and reference point.

Here's why a blog content strategy can help you grow your blog faster:

You meet the goals of your blog by serving your audience

You will primarily fulfill the goals of your blog by writing the right content.

For example, if your goal is to increase affiliate marketing revenue, then you will create content that will drive sales through your affiliate links.

If you have decided to launch a new product then you will create content that supports it, motivates people about the product, and sets you apart as an authority in the field.

A good blog content strategy gives you focus and helps you think of better ideas for posts. Creating consistent, valuable content allows you to build stronger relationships with your audience.

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Every piece of valuable content you create and share can improve your authority. When you do it consistently, users will always contact you when they have a question or are ready to make a purchase.

Quality content helps the audience to remember and engage more with your brand.

During the planning, you will think about your target audience and topics which you know will want to read - which will prepare you for success in the next period.

This means that the needs of the audience come first, so you will write content that the audience is interested in, not the one you want to write. 

Blog content strategy gives you a lot of insight and motivation

When you create a content plan for your blog, then you can easily follow its results.

By creating a blog content strategy, you gain insight into what needs to be improved and what to change to achieve your set goals.

Creating a content plan should not be a dry and tedious process - quite the opposite.

If you follow the steps below and make your plan, you will be more satisfied after the process is over, and well prepared for success?

It helps you stay organized and saves you time

A content plan makes life easier and contents more efficient.

With a content plan, you won't have to think much and tirelessly look for new topics to write about.

It is a good idea to stick to a date posting. This will help readers know when to expect new posts.

This improves the relationship of trust with the blog audience.

Planning blog content in advance will give you time to plan content marketing and bring more visitors to your blog.

Most bloggers have too many ideas. And not all blog ideas will be the best for posts. But when you evaluate ideas by choosing the best - your blog will be full of great posts.

Without a planned blog content strategy - the success or failure of your blog is just a matter of luck.

8 Steps to a Successful Blog Content Strategy

The following steps are the main steps you need to take if you want to make an effective content plan.

After that, you will be able to publish regularly quality content and manage to engage your audience and your blog, turning it into a successful business.

Start with your “why” and clear messages from your blog

You must answer the question "why" right at the beginning of the process?

The first step in creating a content plan is to know what you want it to achieve with your content - to set a goal.

I recommend you watch Simon Sinek TED talk about the power of "why" we do something, not what we do or how we do it.

When you have clear ideas then you will be able to direct the content strategy toward your goals.

If you do not define where you want to go, the content plan will not be feasible!

Answer the questions you want to achieve:

• raise brand awareness
• Make More Affiliate Sales
• get more subscribers to the email list
• get more visitors to your blog or online store

 
If you have more than one goal, you can focus on 2-3 goals at the same time, it is important to have a plan of action from the beginning.

According to the Semrush study, brand awareness, attracting visitors, and generating potential customers remain among the main goals of the content strategy:

The metrics you follow will also depend on the content goals. For example, if you want more visitors then page views and organic traffic will be your main metrics.

In this first step, it is essential to consider the purpose of the blog.

Why does your blog exist? The purpose of your blog should be the essence of content strategies.

If this is more difficult for you, here's a framework you can use:

The purpose of my blog is to help [here the audience and the problem it has] to achieve [the desired result] using [here the name of the asset, the way you will achieve it].

For example, my content strategy might be:

I help bloggers and entrepreneurs learn skills on how to build a site and blog, apply SEO, and get more visitors, customers for their products, and subscribers to their email list - by creating detailed guides and tutorials with instructions. {alertInfo}

Let's say you're building a blog that is related to your online store selling fitness supplements and equipment.

The purpose of your blog could be:

I help people who are starting to do fitness - to see faster results by providing them with best practices and best advice for health and fitness equipment. {alertInfo}

The main thing is to define what you want for your readers? What change do you want to make in their lives?

Based on all the solutions you offer for readers' problems you should choose the categories on the blog within which you will create content.

Here's an example that reflects what I'm talking about:

• Purpose of the blog: I want to provide fitness beginners support and tools which will help them live a healthy life, shape their bodies and lose weight healthy way.
• Basic message: every person deserves to feel great taking care of their health.
• Possible categories: healthy recipes for weight loss, exercises for a healthy body, fitness, mental health, etc.
  
  

Define your audience and their problems

Content that tries to attract everyone - will not attract anyone.

To create a successful content strategy, you need to be clear you define the target audience - also known as the “ideal customer profile.”

Getting to know your target audience is the key to creating relevant content.

You need to know what content they find interesting and useful. What are their expectations from blogs in your niche market? What are their main needs and challenges?

You need to do a little research on your target audience to know what people are looking for in topics you want to write about.

When defining your audience, focus on the sore points that affect them and prevent them from achieving a result, as well as that result as a solution.

You identify what different segments of the audience like to read about - well tailor content to those segments and their interests.

Every post you post should target a specific segment of your audience, to address a topic that is important to those individuals, giving them important guidance and insights.

By defining who exactly is your ideal reader:

• you will not waste time and energy writing for people who will not like your posts.
• you will talk to your audience at the appropriate level.
• you won’t have to bother with post ideas all the time because you know what your audience needs. {alertInfo}

Knowing the audience is essential not only for the content but also for the products. If you do not present your product to the right audience, you will achieve zero sales.

Before you gather ideas for posts and start writing them - you should also know to who you will sell your products.

Creating a product becomes a fun job when you know who you are writing about.

You don't have to convince the audience to buy your product. Why?

Because your audience has already told you what they want.

For example, if you blog about beauty and cosmetics for that purpose - it does not mean that you should write for every woman who is interested in cosmetics.

You need to narrow the audience.

You can direct your blog to:

• women who are looking for cosmetic products at better prices, etc.
• women who are busy and want to look beautiful, but do not have time to beautify.

Why am I giving this example? Because a detailed description of your ideal reader can help you imagine that person in your head.

Writing for the "ideal reader" is easier than writing for someone who is not interested in women's cosmetics or beauty.

To explore your audience, use online polls, live chats, comments on other niche blogs, Facebook groups and groups on other networks, and all kinds of discussions on the topics and subtopics you write about.

Select the type and format of content you want to create

There are several types of content you can create, starting with posts on blogs, e-books, videos, and podcasts as audio content.

I recommend that you explore new things and get a little out of your comfort zone in terms of content format.

Of course, this means that you need to be aware of which type of content you are most skilled at and which one suits you.

No matter how much you follow other people's advice about popular formats, always start with your skills and knowledge, and not because something is a hit.

The content format you choose should bring you closer to your goals so that you can be consistent with them and easily measure results.

The more you create content that is in line with your skills - the more you will attract interested visitors.

For example, I don't create Youtube videos.

On the other hand, I write more and make infographics because I love it.

This is my choice. I’m aware of losing people who prefer Youtube videos, but I think that’s okay because I can’t be there for all people.

To decide on the content format you need to know where your spends most of the time, because you don’t want to create content that won’t reach an audience.

I will not go deeper into the formats of content marketing strategy here, I will only list the most popular types of content:

Blog posts - You are reading my blog post right now. They should provide relevant and valuable content for your audience. I recommend writing posts of 1200 to 2000 words at least or shorter if your audience likes it that way.

To successfully create blog posts, see the guides:

• 7 Basic Steps to Write an SEO Blog Post
• 12 Tips How to Write SEO Content in Blogger - SEO Writing Guide
• Infographics - can show what you want to say better than the word itself, with visual and organized data.

This is a great type of content that is interesting and easy to understand. It's a great format for sharing on social media.

• Videos - are a popular content format. They require time like written content, they are easy to share on social networks.

If your audience prefers video content - you can opt for Youtube videos in a slightly longer form. If your audience is younger and likes to consume content quickly, TikTok and Instagram are other options.

• E-books - are a more detailed format of content and are created for different purposes at different stages of the customer's journey.

They are not often published as blog posts readers download them from the site, leaving their contact information via the opt-in application form.

• Templates - are a great help to your readers because they save them time and shorten the path to results.
• Podcasts - If you have good ideas, you prefer to talk instead of recording and writing, consider podcasts as types of content.

Test a little - maybe your audience prefers to listen to you then read the content on the blog, given that the number of podcast readers is growing every day.

• Case studies - are a comprehensive type of content because they can be created in the form of blog posts, podcasts, e-books, and infographics.

Usually, a case study follows a successful customer and client story about how your or another product has helped them improve their lives.

This format helps you build credibility in a particular area of business.

Take a look at your competitors

After defining the audience and choosing the type of content that will be the most valuable for that audience, it is not bad to look at the competitors in your niche.

What do you think of their content strategy? Are there any topics or pieces of content that they did not cover so that you could use it as an advantage?

See sites that appear for your keywords in organic search.

This way you will get an insight into how other bloggers in your niche are attracting their readers. Learn from their success, without intending to copy them.

Looking at the competition should be an inspiration to you - to try to be better, to plan the content of your blog more efficiently.

Consider whether or not you can write about a particular topic from a whole new angle. This will help you stand out.

If your competitors have a similar product as yours - then potential Customers need to know what makes your product different, and what makes it better.

Maybe your brand makes you unique or that you have been doing business for years and have a lot of experience?

Through your content, readers need to understand why it is worth listening to you and why to buy from you.

Analyze existing, identify needed additional content

Before making a list of ideas for blog posts, analyze the content you already have on the blog. One of the most popular content analysis tools is Google Analytics.

This will help you plan your content because you will see which posts have a good effect and which bad ones? Maybe you will notice some trends?

Would you be able to create content that is similar to your most read posts?

For example, if your content talked about how to use Pinterest, maybe you could write more posts about using Pinterest?

The next important thing is to think about the important content, and you never got to write it.

For example, if you wrote when setting goals for your blog that you want to earn more from affiliate marketing next year, then you will plan to write five posts whose main topics are products that you recommend as an affiliate partner to achieve that goal.

Such posts should encourage readers to learn more about the products and make purchases.

It is a good idea to look at the number of categories on the blog and the number of posts within them.

If there is a huge imbalance, here is an opportunity to reduce it.

Notice how many posts need to be added to each category to balance them.

For example, you have a blog about fitness - so looking at your categories, you notice that you would have to write only four more "fitness guides" and 6 more "start exercising", but also 9 more about "training plans" and another 10 about "fitness" equipment ”.

Once you've created a list of ideas for each category - use keyword research to create the best titles for your posts.

You may not currently have cornerstone content on your blog, but you may want to write one thorough post for each category on your blog? This should also be in your content calendar for the next period.

There is no magic formula for creating attractive and quality content, but if you follow certain metrics - it will help you achieve your goal.

Explore keywords for a successful blog content strategy

Keyword research is central to content planning. Why?

Because this is not about attracting more visitors to the blog, but about attracting real visitors, who are just looking for content, that you create.

Also, keyword research improves your SEO strategy and helps you find out what people are looking for within your niche to attract targeted visitors.

Start with the basic keywords. These are words that relate to the topics you will write about, as well as your products if you have them.

Get general terms that represent topics relevant to your audience.

In my case it can be:

• Building a Blogger and WordPress site, starting a blog, email marketing, building an email list;
• Content marketing, SEO content, Blogger and WordPress SEO, social networking…

Make a note of all the topics that are relevant and related.

This keyword research should be simple because your goal is to start your blog content strategy with some meaningful content.

Now is the time to use a keyword tool to increase your list of the most relevant keywords for your niche.

I suggest a Google Ads account for which you only need a Gmail address to get started.

Enter all the words you have previously written here that relate to your topics.

Based on that, you can see what people type when they search for information related to these topics as well as the scope of the search.

You can use some of these exact keywords in your content.

If you want to direct the visitors to your blog in the long run then you should use long keywords.

Make a list of at least ten long keywords (usually a 3-4 word phrase) and plan to use them in the next three months. Choose words that have a larger volume of monthly searches.

It's a little harder to rank for generic, short keywords because they are have a high search volume and maybe the people who use them are not looking for the content you offer.

For example, you want to write about marketing automation platforms, so you should target specific keywords.

These words can be: "marketing automation tools," "platforms that support marketing automation," "email marketing software for marketing automation," etc.

When you use these keywords - it will help you attract an audience that is looking for just that platform or tool that you are promoting.

On the other hand, if you use words like "marketing automation," or "internet marketing automation," there is a good chance that you will attract people who are looking for something completely different from what you offer.

Here's another example: let's say you're selling wicker sets, and here you should use specific, long-tailed keywords. These can be "wicker sets for the terrace," "wicker sets for the yard," "yard furniture," etc.

These phrases should bring you, potential customers, unlike other, more general keywords, such as "backyard furniture," and "outdoor furniture."

Long keywords do not have much competition in general. If you use long keywords you have a chance to attract the right people who are looking for exactly what you have to offer.

When you create a list of targeted keywords - it will give you plenty of inspiration for the content of the blog, especially when you feel blocked and without creativity.

Fill in the calendar - content plan for the blog

You’ve got your target audience, analyzed existing content, prioritized keywords - and now you’re ready to plan your content calendar.

A content calendar is one of the best tools for bloggers because it provides a visual display of blog content, checklists, posts on social networks, infographics, videos, and email marketing messages that you have under construction.

I know that creating a content calendar can be a challenge for you, i.e. just finding time for that activity, especially if you have a family to take care of or maybe do extra work.

But creating a content strategy plan can help you grow your blog the most.

Here are just a few reasons:

1. It helps you to always be organized - if you have ideas for posts written on notes, feel free to raise your hand :). With the calendar, each phase of writing posts will be in one place.
2. You know right away what you're going to write about - a great achievement for bloggers is the ability to plan content for next month! You can easily spot which topics you cover more and which less and balance the content.
3. It helps you be consistent - the powerful thing is planning content and adding dates to every post. There is something in creating a plan that motivates you to stick to that plan.

Your content calendar may contain options such as:

• The idea behind the blog topic
• Idea development (subtitles and topics you will write about)
• Submitted title
• Category
• Keywords
• Image sources
• The idea for upgrading content
• Call to Action (CTA)
• Date of publication

The content calendar does not have to be something wow - but a simple table that will do its job.

I am a man with pen and paper, so for this purpose, I use my planner to organize my blog.

You can use Trello, Google Calendar, Excel Spreadsheet, or an application for your content calendar.

On it, you will mark the dates when you planned to publish posts on the blog, and in addition, you will leave space to write the name of the post next to each date.

You can use colors in your calendar - certain colors for different categories of posts, types of posts, etc.

If all this seems like hard work - you're in luck! I have created 4 resources for you to help you plan blog posts, which are free to download:

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One of the things you need to determine is how many posts you want to publish in the next period (for example, a year).

If you want to write one post a week - that would be 52 posts in a year.

Here, it may be essential to include holidays and other events that may prevent you from publishing.

In that case, you can (like me) take a break or schedule a post while you are on vacation.

Over time, with more experience, you can publish more often and adjust the schedule.

What you should consider when determining how often you will publish is the time you will need to research, write, edit, and promote your content. Make sure you set a reasonable schedule so that your content does not lose quality due to rush.

Maybe it's best to start with two or three posts a month - if you're a beginner. If you start with a more extensive amount from the beginning, you risk burning out and fighting to keep up.

At the same time, it will give you enough time to analyze the results of your content and make decisions about it.

From time to time, your content plan will certainly change. You will get better ideas, guest posts, and sponsors.

Accordingly, you will change something in your plan - add a new one and delete the previously planned post.

Calendar - a content strategy plan should not be something that limits you, but to help and guide you, to support you to make wise decisions when a new opportunity arises.

Start writing quality content

It was a long way to this step - but now you are ready to take a pen and paper and start writing content.

Everything you have gone through so far gives you enough material to create valuable content.

To create quality content you need to go through the process of learning from mistakes that encourages you to be better over time.

Don’t worry about the posts being perfect. As you write and publish you will slowly find your writing style and tone.

Creating content for a blog can be a tedious job it requires dedication and time.

A good strategy is to create content that is 80% dedicated to your users and 20% to your brand. This will make your customers happier and give you valuable feedback.

Do your best when dealing with a topic. Long format content is a great option.

However, the length of the content depends on the depth of the topic so posts can be longer or shorter. It is only important that they do not contain superfluous information but that the topic is fully explained.

Use pictures and examples to keep readers attention. Take care of the style and quality of the pictures on the blog.

From time to time, post an easier post or a more personal one. This could be an interview with a blogger in your niche.

If you follow only one specific topic on the blog in each post - you will be much more productive and focused.

Every blog post is part of your content strategy, and that's why you are closer to your goal with each post!

Be versatile and consistent. Work on understanding SEO and writing optimized SEO posts to help you rank in Google search.

When you are serious about creating content, pay attention to the following:

• Layout and formatting - Avoid large chunks of text use, subtitles, custom graphics, internal linking, bulleted lists, images, and other media to make it easier for readers to absorb and navigate through the post.
• Call to action - you know that posts are the starting point for a customer's trip. With the call to action, you give the reader guidelines on how to engage with your brand and how you can still help them.

It's time to prepare a successful blog content strategy

Creating a strategy and content plan for a blog takes time. Still, it's worth the effort.

One such specific strategy helped my blogs achieve some of its goals.

That's why you need a content strategy that takes into account your goals and brand, your audience, and keyword analysis.

Once you create a foundation for blogging, you will find that consistently creating quality content is easier than you initially thought.

Creating valuable content for a blog is no science. All you need is a PLAN.

Once you create a detailed content strategy plan for your blog, you will see better and greater results.

You have to know that it may take some time until you see those results, maybe a few months, maybe more.

Keep diligent, and have patience.

The fact that you have set aside time for a content strategy for your blog is a success in itself because it will help you reach more customers and clients.

So why are you waiting to create your strategy and content plan?

Do you want a ready-made content calendar? Then here you go! My blog content planners will help you easily create your strategy.

Thanks for visiting my blog and reading this article! Believe me, I appreciate it! Like and share it on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Post a comment, write how you plan the content of your blog, or what are some of your plans for next year?