3 Reasons Why Having A Content Strategy is Essential For Your Blog and Your Business

by Scott Bradley on January 8, 2011

Have you ever sat down to write an article for your blog and drew a blank?

Trust me I have been there and done that, but here is what I have learned over the years that has helped me and other clients I have worked with overcome this challenge we as writers and business people all face.

When it comes to blogging and creating content for your market to consume, it is essential to have a content strategy plan created BEFORE taking action.

As many wise people have said before me, “Taking action without a plan in place, is a recipe for a lot of disappointment and a ton of wheel spinning.”

There are many elements to creating an effective content strategy for your blog, and in creating an effective strategy, one of the most important things to keep in mind as you are planning out your content is that the content you will be creating must ALWAYS be adding value to the market no matter what you are selling.

This is a key point and especially true if you plan on using the content to serve a business purpose.

There are many reasons why having a content strategy for your blog and your business is important. Here are three reasons why…

1. Your Content Strategy Makes it Easy To Write Before You Write

When you know what type of content you want to create for your market, before you create it, you take a lot of the guesswork out of blogging, and your focus begins to shift to writing instead of relying on yourself to create the best ideas for your blog on the whim.

Spending 1-2 hours a week during each month thinking about the next series of blog posts you plan on publishing for the next month is time that will pay off in major dividends going forward, as when you sit down to write, you won’t be facing writers block.

2. Your Content Strategy Helps Fuel The Relationships You Grow Within Your Blog Audience and Relationships With New Readers

When you are creating relevant content that your market wants, you are more likely to get more mileage out of the content you create over the life of your site and your business.

As you publish articles in a seamless manner, with one article building on the next in a seamless flow, your readers will become more engaging, and will continue to trust you more. As the trust between you and your reader builds, the chances that they will want to do business with you, or purchase your products will increase over time.

I don’t know about you, but when I find a piece of content that I love, and then click over to the main blog to see what else they have created, and it suits my fancy, there is a very high likelihood that I will be adding it to my RSS reader that I take time to read every week.

I personally appreciate other bloggers who take the time to think about the content on their site that they are going to write, before they write it. I can normally tell when a blog content strategy is well thought out, or is one where the blogger fly’s by the seat of their pants. I much more prefer the former compared to the latter.

3. Your Blog Content Strategy Creates a Weekly Expectation For Your Readers

When your readers know what types of posts are published on certain days of the week, it is something they always look forward to.

What I mean by this is, maybe you have a video come out on Monday, a high quality blog post come out on Wednesday, and a Friday wrap up of highly valuable links that you found around the web on Friday. [This is just one of the various ways to do it, but is not the ONLY way].

What you would plan one week every month is the specific titles and angles for the content you will publish within the major “framework” of your publishing schedule as illustrated above.

Example: The Week of Jan 1st:

Video: Happy New Year Video, and One Thing I Learned At My New Years Eve Party That Will Help You With Your Business

Blog Post: 5 Things I Learned 5 Minutes Before The Clock Stroke Midnight on The Last Day Of The Year

Friday Wrap Up: 10 Amazing New Years Eve Blog Posts I Read This Week

(You get the idea, and as you can see above I made this week all about the new year, but you don’t necessarily have to do that all the time.)

As you continually pop out the best content that serves your readers, and has a pre-defined plan and process bringing them value with each and every post, they will return the favor to you by visiting your site continually, and sharing your articles with their audience over and over again.

Because they will love what you post, and how you post it throughout the week, it will create something really special.

Creating the expectation that the specific articles/pieces of content are going to be in your site each and every week gives your readers the chance to form a habit of coming to your site every week (which is a good thing, and what you want).

It also increases the likelihood that they will engage and share the awesome content with their friends through facebook, twitter, and other social media sites.

As a blogger and business person you will even get major brownie points with your audience if you take the time to respond to their questions and comments. When you really take the time to serve them with awesome value, and then take the time to serve them by answering their questions, you will build readers and increase the size of your business FOR LIFE.

Did you like this article? Check this out!

On January 11th I am going to be teaching a 6 week intensive blogging and business course delivered to your via webinar that is sure to help you increase the sales of your business, increase your traffic, and truly help you jump into any niche and dominate it. If you want to learn more about the course click here: Become A Blogging Master

As someone who has the credibility of driving 20,000-70,000 visitors through websites, blogs and the like, I am sure you are going to find a TON of value when you decide to take this class. The best part is that it is delivered to you via webinar and home study materials!

If you have any questions about this blog post, or about the program please leave your questions below.

I look forward to serving you, and helping you reach your goals.

{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }

Terry Crosby January 8, 2011 at 5:47 PM

Great post Scott. I especially like your section regarding relationships. Consistency and relevancy is a great way to your target audience that you care. What kind of listening tools and techniques do you use to keep up with the needs of your target audience?

Reply

Scott Bradley January 10, 2011 at 10:03 AM

Terry thanks so much for the comment and great question!

There are many things that I use to stay on top of the niches I like to follow.

Search.Twitter.com
Google Alerts
Facebook Search
Google Reader

How about you Terry?

Reply

Terry Crosby January 23, 2011 at 12:53 AM

The ones you listed are definitely my favorite. I also use http://www.twilert.com/ because it seems to pick up more than Google Alerts. I like the Rockmelt browser because I can store my favorite RSS feeds on the edge of my screen. My Twitter lists are also a fantastic resource.

Yusuf Chowdhury January 8, 2011 at 10:36 PM

Thank you Scott. Those are very simple, practical and yet very effective steps.

Reply

Scott Bradley January 10, 2011 at 10:04 AM

You are welcome Yusuf! Thanks for your comment!

Reply

Brian Kevin Johnston January 10, 2011 at 9:06 AM

Great Post Scott… You are right about a strategy… Talking to a specific person you know in your sphere of influence in a blog post is key (Target Audience) Best to you and yours, Brian-

Reply

Scott Bradley January 10, 2011 at 9:28 AM

Thanks for your comment Brian! I appreciate you taking the time!

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Dolores Hagen January 10, 2011 at 9:44 AM

I’m really looking forward to joining you on the Blogging Mastery program with Bea Fields. This little sample of how to organize your content is a great start. Thanks.

Reply

Scott Bradley January 10, 2011 at 10:06 AM

I look forward to serving you Dolores. I am just putting the finishing touches on tomorrows course.

This is going to be some of the best content I have ever created.

I was talking to Bea last week and I told her,

“Bea the participants in this class are going to get all the goods from me. I am leaving no stone unturned and will be delivering all of myself 100% so that they get what they were promised.”

We are going to have a great time!

(If you are reading this comment, and have any questions, please feel free to send me an e-mail)

Reply

Charles February 3, 2011 at 6:44 PM

Once again, a great read Scott! You always seem to know how to put fresh ideas in my head. Much appreciated!

Reply

Scott Bradley February 8, 2011 at 8:42 AM

You are welcome Charles. I appreciate the comment!

Reply

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