5 Ways a Solid Content Planning Strategy Helps You Get More Clients
Many Virtual Assistants do not realize the impact that content planning can have on their business.
There are a lot of mental barriers that come up for VAs when it comes to what to put out there, where to put it, and what it’s all for.
That can lead to a lot of time wasted thinking about all of these things.
And often, it means that Virtual Assistants put the wrong kind of content out for their audience to see.
Or worse, they don’t put anything out at all.
How many inspirational quote graphics do you post in your social media channels?
If they are not relevant to the services you offer your clients, they are not working for you in the way that they can be.
The bottom line is that we use content as a means to get clients.
If you don’t take the time to plan your content strategy, you can waste a lot of time and effort and see no results whatsoever.
Here are 5 way a solid content strategy helps you get more clients:
1 – Strategic planning saves you time.
If you have ever done any business planning, you know that the better prepared you are, the easier it is to execute your plan. We do this every day for our clients, but sometimes we forget to do it for ourselves. When you have a strategy, you know where you are going to focus your marketing – and that give you more time to spend interacting with potential clients. Tip: If you find yourself spending endless hours trying to put content together, take a half hour now to plan your content for the coming week. What you want to post, and where. You’ll see how much time you’ll save! (then do the next week, and the one after that!)
2 – Content goals become clearer.
What do you want your audience to do when they see your content online? Knowing your end goal is very important whether you are writing a blog article, recording a video, or creating graphics to post on social media. What do you want them to do? You want them to work with you, that’s for sure. While it’s nice to see email opens and blog comments, you really want them to take action. Tip: Instead of just writing any article for a blog post, plan what you want your people to do and work back from there. Your message will come through much more clearly, and they will know the next step.
3 – Measurable results help you improve what you put out there.
When you use content marketing as a means to build your business, you need to make sure that your business is, in fact, building. Using SEO properly in your content helps it get seen better, which is the point of content in the first place. When you build content using keywords and relevant hashtags, you are putting more eyes on it. Are you getting more signups to your list? Are you getting consultations? Are you having conversations with potential clients? If not, your content could use some work. Tip: Choose some keywords that will be the foundation for your marketing message. Don’t underestimate the power of Google and search functions. People want to find what they are looking for. When you choose your SEO pieces effectively, you will be seen.
4 – Consistent messaging positions your expertise.
Is your marketing message consistent through all of your marketing? If it’s not, your audience could be confused by your content, making it less effective. Planning helps you to figure out how to sprinkle your main marketing message throughout all of your marketing platforms so your message is the same everywhere. Tip: Use your content plan to select some broad topics and some categories, and develop your content around those.
5 – Reach your audience in a way that makes them respond.
Your audience doesn’t always like to consume their content in the same way. Some people prefer short posts, some like video or audio. If you make a plan of what you want to post, you can also plan to produce content in different formats that might be more appealing to some of your audience. Tip: Repurpose blog posts into social media graphics or videos. The more your potential clients hear about your expertise, the more effective it becomes.
Remember the whole idea behind sharing content is to get clients.
Marketing is all about putting your message in front of your potential clients so that you are top of mind when they need help.
Make your content work better for you by making a plan and developing your content around the plan.
You will make better use of your time, your audience gets a clearer message, and you can position yourself as the expert in your field.
Want to learn more about content planning?
If you want to learn more about content planning and see a demo of a really cool tool to help you manage yours, join us for this Content Planning Masterclass. Andy Lambert from Content Cal is my special guest for this training class.