What is a Content Strategy?
As Fulton & Roark is a startup, we do not have a marketing team with dozens of people, and there is no bureaucracy when it comes to trying to get marketing ideas approved. Saying that, a strategy should still be in place. After reading Content The Atomic Particle of Marketing by Rebecca Lieb with Jaimy Szymanski, I learned what a content strategy is when it comes to content marketing. Through my reading and experience, I feel it is essential to explain why it is crucial to have a plan in place when creating content marketing pieces.
A content strategy makes everything a lot more organized, and with that, a lot easier than if you did not have one. When I first started interning at Fulton & Roark, we were low on content, so it was my job to publish as much content as possible and publish it right away. Now that things are caught up, I can organize the material into a specific schedule of what goes on Instagram and our company blog, among other places. Once the content is developed, I schedule it on Buffer, a social media management software. With IG stories, I schedule reminders on my phone. This is all organized on my calendar so that I can see what is being published when and where. It also helps me keep track of when things need to be completed.
The second thing that I found valuable is that a content strategy standardizes practices. While I am currently the only one making Instagram content for Fulton & Roark, developing a strategy allows for consistency, so that the next team member knows where to pick-up from and can move forward smoothly and efficiently. Additionally, this helps in understanding the language, style, and voice of the company. Everyone has different writing styles which are read in different voices by different people. However, when creating content for a company, the language must stay the same across all platforms. While learning a new style may seem simple, this can be hard and was the one thing that took a bit of adjusting to. Outlining a content strategy makes things a lot easier. A content strategy should include words or phrases not to say, but also explain what the voice/personality of the company is. Another important aspect of this involves fonts, colors, and graphics. On Fulton & Roark’s Instagram, we only post pictures in black and white, and one of our fonts can only have capitalized letters. This is crucial information as we aim to be consistent across all platforms.
At first, I questioned all of this. I was the only one creating content, so naturally, I knew what was going where and how to style it correctly. However, just as startups start to grow, their content should as well. As Fulton & Roark continues to grow, more team members will be hired that will need some guidance as they adjust to their new company. Having the opportunity to lay the marketing foundation has been a great learning opportunity for me.
Written by Erik Schultz, #WakeEntrepreneur