Why Your Content Strategy Is Failing (And How To Turn It Around)

Look, I get it. You're a brand trying to stand out in an overcrowded market where everyone's shouting the same message with slightly different fonts. You've decided to build a content marketing strategy, which is honestly the smartest decision you've made since investing in that fancy coffee machine for the office. But now you're staring at this mountain of marketing jargon, wondering if you really need all these components. 

Spoiler alert: You do.

When you start developing your content marketing strategy, you'll quickly discover there are more moving parts than in that complicated fitness equipment gathering dust in your garage. It's like trying to solve a Rubik's cube in the dark, except the stakes are your brand's success instead of impressing your friends with your puzzle-solving skills.

Building this strategy might seem about as appealing as a root canal performed by an enthusiastic amateur, but here's the good news: with the right expert guidance, you can develop an action plan that actually works. And unlike those New Year's resolutions we all make, you'll stick with it.

WHY YOU CAN'T JUST WING IT WITH CONTENT MARKETING

Creating content without a plan is like going grocery shopping while hungry. You end up with a cart full of random items that made sense in the moment but somehow don't combine into anything useful. Your audience notices this disconnected approach faster than people spot a typo in an important presentation.

Consistency in marketing isn't just important. It's everything. A solid content strategy ensures that everything you publish fits under a cohesive theme. It's like a well-tailored suit instead of mismatched separates you grabbed in the dark. Each piece complements the others, amplifying your key messages until they're impossible to ignore.

A documented strategy also lets you track performance, which means you can tell what's working and what's failing spectacularly. Tracking marketing ROI is crucial unless you enjoy the thrilling mystery of throwing money into the void and hoping something sticks.

5 ELEMENTS YOUR CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY CAN'T SURVIVE WITHOUT

There are five key components that every effective content marketing strategy needs. I'll break them down for you.

1. BUILD A FRAMEWORK THAT MAKES SENSE

Think of your content framework as the skeleton of your marketing strategy. Without it, you'd just have a pile of marketing organs flopping around uselessly. Not a pretty image, I know.

Your framework should include:

• Goals: Start with the end in mind, like planning a vacation by thinking about the Instagram posts first. Define what success looks like before you begin.
• Audience: Create a buyer persona that's more detailed than your coffee order. Understanding who you're talking to means you won't waste time creating content for people who will never care.
• Content Types: Figure out what formats your audience prefers. If they're into long-form content, prioritize blogs. If they're visual learners, invest in videos and images. If they prefer interpretive dance... maybe reconsider your target market.
• Distribution Channels: Know where your audience hangs out online. It's like knowing which parties to attend and which to avoid, except with less awkward small talk.
• Workflow Management: Assign tasks to your team or agency partners. Clear accountability prevents the "I thought you were handling that" conversations that haunt project managers' nightmares.

2. NAIL DOWN YOUR KEY MESSAGES

Developing key messages is like creating the world's shortest autobiography, distilling everything important about your brand into concise, memorable points. These messages become your North Star when creating content, ensuring you don't drift off into irrelevant territory.

An overview of your planned content for the next three to six months lets you check that your key messages are consistently expressed without sounding like a broken record.

3. COME UP WITH CONTENT IDEAS THAT DON'T SUCK

A content strategy forces you to build a lineup of ideas in advance, which means you're not scrambling for inspiration at the last minute like you scramble for an excuse when someone asks why you haven't responded to their email from three weeks ago.

Creating cohesive marketing campaigns ensures all your content pieces relate to each other and amplify your key messages. It's like a well-orchestrated symphony instead of random musicians playing whatever notes they feel like.

Staring at a blank page is as intimidating as making small talk with your dentist while they're poking around in your mouth. Start with research – check industry publications, current trends, and events. Look at reports and statistics to generate data-backed ideas.

4. CREATE A PLATFORM PLAN THAT MAKES TACTICAL SENSE

Your content framework should identify which distribution channels to use, but a detailed platform plan ensures you know exactly what types of content belong where. It's like knowing which outfits work for which occasions, preventing the digital equivalent of showing up to a black-tie event in sweatpants.

Research your target market's online habits and get expert advice to use your communication channels effectively. Pair this with a posting schedule to build consistency, which encourages audience trust faster than free samples at a grocery store.

A basic weekly schedule might look like:

• Monday: New blog post on your website
• Tuesday: LinkedIn text post highlighting the blog
• Wednesday: Instagram visual featuring blog insights
• Thursday: LinkedIn video expanding on the blog topic
• Friday: Facebook post with a fresh take on the blog

Monitor when your audience is most active online to ensure your posts go live during "prime time." There's no point in posting brilliant content at 3 AM unless your target audience consists exclusively of insomniacs and new parents.

5. TRACK METRICS THAT ACTUALLY MATTER

Having content metrics is like having a fitness tracker. It tells you if all your effort is paying off or if you're just making enthusiastic movements that accomplish nothing.

According to SEM Rush, there are three types of metrics to track:

• User Behavior Metrics: How people interact with your content, like pageviews and new vs. returning users. This shows if people are finding and consuming your content or avoiding it like small talk at the office holiday party.
• Engagement Metrics: How much people interact with your content through likes, shares, comments, and mentions. High engagement means your content resonates; low engagement means it's about as compelling as watching paint dry.
• SEO Outcome Metrics: How visible your content is online, including organic traffic, backlinks, and keyword rankings. Good SEO is like having a spotlight on your brand instead of performing in the dark hoping someone notices.

These metrics give you a comprehensive view of your content marketing performance, showing you where to focus your improvement efforts.

STOP WINGING IT AND START WINNING IT (YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY AWAITS)

Creating a content strategy might seem overwhelming at first. Kind of like the first time you tried to explain TikTok to your parents, but it makes an enormous difference in your marketing results.

Partnering with a content marketing expert ensures you nail each component of your strategy without the painful trial and error that comes with going it alone. It's like having a skilled navigator instead of just hoping you eventually stumble upon your destination.

Ready to build a content marketing strategy that actually works? Contact Winsome Marketing and we'll help you develop a solid plan for your brand that's more reliable than those "waterproof" labels on cheap raincoats.