Content marketers are often too quick to jump into the tactical sandbox. A content marketing plan without a solid content strategy foundation is essentially a house built on quicksand -- sure to sink, costing everyone time, money and aggravation. Respect your audience, create content they truly want, and stop creating clutter that will inevitably become a content strategist's colossal cleanup.

1. No-Nonsense Content Marketing
Strategy FTW

2. Content
Strategy
Content
Marketing
Editorial
Strategy
What is Content Strategy?
Why is it necessary?
Who are we talking to, and why?
How will we think and act like publishers?
What is Content Marketing?
How does it intersect with Content Strategy?
Questions We’ll Answer

3. Today’s inbound marketing is
tomorrow’s content strategy
cleanup.
- Matthew Grocki

7. of consumers say they have stopped following a
brand on Facebook because the information it
posted had become “too repetitive and boring.”52%
SOURCE: socialmediainfluence.com

8. BRAND A
BRAND B
BRAND C
BRAND D

9. The Big Picture

10. POSTM Methodology
PEOPLE
Who is our target
audience and what
are their needs and
wants?
OBJECTIVES
What are we
trying to
accomplish?
STRATEGIES
How will we
accomplish our
objectives?
TACTICS
Which tactics
will we deploy to
meet our
strategic
objectives?
MEASUREMENT
How will we
measure our
success?

11. Content Strategy
Content Marketing

12. PEOPLE
Who is our target
audience and what
are their needs and
wants?
OBJECTIVES
What are we
trying to
accomplish?

13. STRATEGIES
How will we
accomplish our
objectives?
TACTICS
Which tactics
will we deploy to
meet our
strategic
objectives?

14. Content Strategy
Content Marketing
MEASUREMENT
How will we
measure our
success?

15. Content Marketing
Content Strategy

17. First Comes
Content Strategy

18. What Is Content Strategy?
Planning Creation Aggregation Delivery

21. PERSONA ATTRIBUTES BRAND ATTRIBUTES

22. User Needs

23. per· so· na
Noun
1. The aspect of someone's character that
is presented to or perceived by others.
2. A role or character adopted by an
author or an actor.

24. How do you have a
conversation with a crowd?
You don’t.

25. These individuals are
personas.
You have conversations
with individuals.

27. Brand Goals

28. Brand Goals
What are your KPIs?
What myths do you want to
dispel?
How will you measure
success?
What do you want your
employees to accomplish?
What do you want your
customers to do?
What are the key
communications points?

29. BRAND ATTRIBUTES (THE CHARACTER DNA)
Warm BUT NOT Overbearing
Exciting BUT NOT Sensationalist
Friendly BUT NOT Insincere
Hip BUT NOT Trendy
Affordable BUT NOT Cheap
Focused BUT NOT Intense

31. We refer to ourselves
as “we” and “our,”
never “I” or “me.”
When it works…
“We love hearing
feedback like that
and will pass it along!”
When it doesn’t…
“I’ll be sure to pass
that along."
Consistent
Language
Use of rhetorical
questions and
conversational aides
help contribute to the
inviting and friendly tone.
When referring to
customers, use “you”
and “your” – this helps
makes the content
more personal.
All content is written
in the present tense,
unless there is a
specific reason
otherwise.
Grammar
Usage
Standards
When it doesn’t…
“Our new fall line is
up on our website
now.”
Friendly &
Human Voice
When it works…
“What do your shoes
say about you? Mix it
up this weekend and
try something new!”
We speak in a casual,
warm tone that feels
conversational

32. When You Write For (BRAND) Remember…
• To respect your audience
• Put the sales hat aside
• We’re comfortably uncomfortable in our transparency
• There’s room for a bit of playfulness and humor
• We never refer to ourselves in the third person

33. Flick User: AdamKR
In comparison to
our competitors,
where do we
stand out? More
importantly, where
do we deserve to
win?

34. Now Comes Content Marketing

37. Prioritize

39. BLOG/
WEBSITE
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Vine
Instagram
YouTube

40. Editorial Strategy
(Publishing Plan)
Have a
good
reason for
meeting
Invite
the right
people
Take a
long-term
approach
Show up
informed
Sign off with
your John
Hancock
Five Commandments of Editorial Meetings

41. Articulate & Organize Your Plan

42. NOW you can create

43. …And set it free

44. And it will be shared far and wide … and
covered in slobber

45. What Should Content Do?

46. Short
Visual
Educational
Entertaining

47. Great content tells an interesting story…

48. SOURCE: Unrealitymag.com
Great content stays in character…

49. Great content marries online with offline…

50. Great content is
smart, useful and
unique

51. Great content entertains…

52. Great content inspires action…

53. Great content hits its mark and sells …

54. In Closing …

55. POSTM Methodology
PEOPLE
Who is our target
audience and what
are their needs and
wants?
OBJECTIVES
What are we
trying to
accomplish?
STRATEGIES
How will we
accomplish our
objectives?
TACTICS
Which tactics
will we deploy to
meet our
strategic
objectives?
MEASUREMENT
How will we
measure our
success?

56. The future is about respect.
It’s becoming harder and
harder to be an asshole.
- Brad Frost

57. THANK YOU