1. How Content Marketing Strategy should be Planned? Content strategy means managing almost any tangible media- written, visual, and downloadable- that one create and own. It is the piece of the marketing plan that continually shows who you are and your industry's expertise. While the phrase ‘content is king’ has become very popular over a few years, the content marketing strategy has only become a discipline of its own in the last decade. Content marketing is a term that focuses on matching the content (information, inspiration or entertainment) to the needs of your customers at any stage of the purchase cycle or customer journey. Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action (Content Marketing Institute, 2017). A content marketing strategy analyzes the various ways in which content marketing can be used throughout the customer’s journey, the customer life cycle and/or the different touch-points of the customer’s experience. A content marketing strategy essentially examines how content marketing can be used strategically as such and in other marketing, customer and sales strategies.

3. Major steps in a strategic content marketing approach Analysis of Content: Which content is essential to meet various business purposes throughout the journey of customers or for branding drives are analysed. Creating inventory: Creation of inventory is done with current content, other resources, and pieces of information that have potential to be used as content. Content planning: This include proper planning, collaboration and scheduling procedures of content. Narrative Development: This takes into consideration the brand’s assurance and unique value proposition. Using the business objectives and customer intent through content the brand is linked. The tone of style, voice etc. should be established.  Automating specific marketing: This processes, often activated, using the right content at the right time on the right place. Content strategyplanning: The strategy is planned out for different channels. Each channel has specific characteristics, technical aspects, usage patterns, etc. Therefore, planning for each channel should be different and specific to the requirements.  Defining content-specific metricsand KPIs: One should see if the general marketing/business objectives as defined in the content marketing strategy are ideal for their marketing ROI. Defining a proper mix: It is needed to fit the vision and the customer journey about formats, channels, etc.

4. Content providing: Providing the content in different formats, each with its own call-to-action, depending on the steps. Offer a variety of types of content and formats. Not for its sake, but because different sectors and individuals have different needs. Repeat, variety, choice, and multiple formats are not wrong. Provided it is relevant.  Mapping content: Content is mapped to pain points, questions and buying cycle. Elaborating should be done on the buyer personas from the perspective of content strategy. The buyer journey as well as the sales cycle should be looked.  Campaigns planning:  Planning campaigns in the general marketing strategy whereby many content marketing strategies can be combined. Other steps:  Defining governance, content flows, managing content assets, storing ideas and data, etc. Training people for the right planning, execution and follow-up. Finishing the loop between marketing and sales that includes content as well. Looking at flexible content needs. Analysis of competitors, markets, customers, prospects, marketing places, baseline analysis, etc.

5. Content Analysis • Content planning • Content strategy planning • Content providing • Mapping content • Other steps:  Defining governance, content flows, managing content assets, storing ideas and data, etc. Training people for the right planning, execution and follow-up. Finishing the loop between marketing and sales that includes content as well. Looking at flexible content needs. Analysis of competitors, markets, customers, prospects, marketing places, baseline analysis, etc. Published by Brainware University