10 Do's and Don'ts of Building a Content Strategy

Having a well-executed content strategy is the backbone of any successful inbound marketing campaign. It's what your whole strategy is built around. From the tactics you'll use to attract more qualified visitors to your website to the techniques you'll use to covert those visitors into leads and then close those leads into customers to the methods you'll use to continue to build engagement with your customers to keep them coming back for more.

But we also know that a lot goes into building a content strategy. Developing exceptional content has been the center of our marketing efforts, and we've seen first hand the impact it can have on your business.

We also know how much of your time content development can consume. We have a dedicated team who works on just our internal content alone. We know it's an investment, but we also know that it pays off. So today, rather than writing one of our long posts and getting into the nitty-gritty details, we're going to keep it short and give you just 10 quick points to help you build a better content strategy. 

10 Do's and Don'ts of Building a Content Strategy

1) DO know who you're writing for. Your buyer personas should be your first and foremost priority.

2) DON'T just write to write. You should always have a purpose and make sure that it aligns with your goals.

3) DO use an editorial calendar to help you plan ahead. It will save you time in the long run.

4) DON'T forget about keywords. They'll help you gain that quality traffic you want.

5) DO write consistently. Try to follow a posting schedule that is manageable by your team, but that your readers can also count on.

6) DON'T copy what your competitors are doing. It's important to have a unique voice so you can stand out in your space.

7) DO use your competitors for inspiration. See what type of content is resonating with their audiences to help you brainstorm topics for your own strategy.

8) DON'T waste all your time worrying about becoming a thought leader in your space — your focus should be on producing exceptional content and the thought leadership will follow.

9) DO read your analytics to see what your readers are responding to and determine how you can continue to improve.

10) DON'T be afraid to change your strategy halfway through if you see things aren't working.