• Content Marketing
• Content Plan
• Content Strategy
• Content Formats
• Content Funnel

If your head is spinning with content overload, don’t worry! I’ll break down exactly what these marketing jargon terms mean and how you can use them in your online business without feeling overwhelmed.

For starters, these terms are all connected, but they’re not the same thing or interchangeable terms. So let’s define what each of these content-related terms are, what you need to know about them, and how you can use them for your business.

Content Marketing

This term describes any visual, written, or auditory content you create for your business to promote in the online space. It can be found on social media, podcasts, videos, emails, blogs, and more.

This content gets distributed to your audience and helps to build their trust in you, see you as the go-to person for “XYZ” (because you’re a rockstar and totally know your shit!), drive traffic to your online spaces, and create leads with the potential for sales.

Now you know what content marketing IS, let’s chat about strategy!

Content Strategy

Strategy in your content is key. It’s the part of the journey where you plan, define your goals (make them S.M.A.R.T.), clarify your target audience, set your KPIs (key performance indicators — a fancy way of describing online metrics), decide on your online distribution channels, and define how to measure and track everything. 

Content strategy is the big picture of how your content will be created and published online and how it can be repurposed in the future. For all you visual learners, Hubspot has a great colour-coded chart that breaks down each step of developing your content strategy. Next, check out how a content plan fits in the whole strategy bit.

Content Plan

I talk a lot about your social media content plan because that’s my jam, but a content plan also applies to ALL of your online content, not solely what you put on social media. You can have an overall content plan and then sub-plans specific to each platform you’re creating content for. In fact, you should optimize your content for different platforms to generate the best results possible. 

When I plan a client’s social media content, my social media content, or my blog content, I build it out in Airtable. It’s simple and convenient to have everything you need in one hub. Clients love it, and it’s a streamlined process that fits my business well. 

Your content plan will include information like the topic, content format, corresponding copy, visual assets, person managing, date to be published, hashtags if relevant, necessary links, etc. This setup is to keep you organized and aware of all the content your business is putting out there so you can track what’s working and what’s not. Speaking of content formats, let’s tackle that next!

Content Format

Content formats are simply the way the content is created and delivered for your audience to consume. It can include:

• Short-form Video/Reels
• Long-form Video (YouTube)
• Graphics – Single or Multiple
• Branded Photos
• Blogs
• GIFs/Memes
• Email Newsletters
• Text-Based Social Media Posts
• Quizzes

When you are creating content, it’s important to consider what you enjoy creating, what your audience enjoys consuming, and what will further your overall content marketing strategy. Finding that sweet spot in the middle may take some trial and error, but it’s possible!

Content Funnel 

Don’t let the name scare you. A content funnel isn’t as complicated to understand as marketing “experts” would have you believe. It describes the connection your content needs to have to fit each stage of the buyer’s journey.

• Top of Funnel = Awareness Stage (awareness of the problem to solve)
• Middle of Funnel = Consideration Stage (interest in products/services)
• Bottom of Funnel = Decision Stage (decides to purchase and solve the problem)

When planning and creating content, you need to consider each of these three stages. You don’t know what stage someone is at when they land on your account, so it’s key to cover your bases by regularly producing and posting content for all three parts of the content funnel. This will include content that answers questions, educates, entertains (to show your brand personality), shows your values, explains your processes and highlights the benefits and transformation they will receive after their purchase.

Content Clarity

You’ve gotten to the end of this blog, congrats to you! I know all things content can be a tad overwhelming until you get the hang of it. This is exactly why I offer Content Strategy Intensives. We work together and sort through everything in a way that gives you clarity and a complete, customized social media strategy tailored to your specific business goals and ideal client. The perfect in-depth service for the business owner needing a strong foundation for their social media presence without on-going management services. Click here for all the details of what’s included in the Content Strategy Intensive.

Remember, you don’t have to figure out this online business thing all by yourself! When you’re ready, I’ll be here.

Looking to get consistent with your content creation? Check out this post HERE.

Your Social BFF,

✌️Sarah