Content is King, But Strategy is Queen

Nearly 7 out of 10 businesses that use content marketing feel as though their efforts to stand out online constantly fall flat (CMI, 2022). Despite all the time and effort they pour into creating great content, they struggle to get their audiences to pay attention to what they have to say, which, to be honest, is the real challenge in content marketing nowadays. 

And the reason why most companies fail to get people to take notice is not because of their lack of creativity or bad luck, but because of the absence of one crucial piece in the puzzle—a solid content strategy.

Today, around 82% are actively using content marketing to drive their businesses forward (HubSpot, 2021). But only 40% that employ content marketing have an overarching strategy in place, according to CMI.

The other half is basically going in blind, which is a tremendous waste of time and effort. So just how crucial is a strong content strategy to a company’s digital growth?

In this article, we explore the reasons why content strategy matters and how it helps brands get real results from content marketing initiatives.

Why is Content Strategy Important to Brands Online?

If content is the house, content strategy is the blueprint. It acts as a framework that guides companies on how to create, deliver, and manage their content to achieve their goals and objectives.

In this digital age where content is the lifeline of organizations, knowing how to make it something usable and actionable provides a competitive edge. Without a well-planned strategy, all the content that is being churned out runs the risk of tanking. Here’s how a thoughtful content strategy can help fuel digital growth:

A Ticket to SEO Success

A content strategy enables businesses to create content that meets the needs of consumers—or, to be more specific, matches their common search intent—and this can translate to a higher SEO ranking.

We all know that Google rewards webpages offering meaningful information to consumers with a higher position on SERPs. Content strategy helps guide the creation of purposeful content that’s deemed more “relevant” and “valuable” by Google.

With a higher SEO position, businesses boost the chances of their content being organically discovered by their target consumers. 

Fuel to Increased Traffic

An offshoot of a great SEO performance is not just increased traffic, but increased quality traffic. And that’s the ticket to conversions.

The more visitors a website recieves, the more potential customers it can capture. And what attracts consumers to visit a website is great content built around an even greater strategy. 

With the use of content strategy, businesses create meaningful, high-quality content that draws them in and prompts them to act. 

Bridge to Connection

It’s common for brands to receive a significant amount of web impressions yet struggle with engagement. What are they possibly missing? A solid content strategy.

A content strategy enables brands to identify which content consumers are willing to engage with. They can then create content that speaks to their target market, helping to foster engagement and develop a sense of community. 

If businesses want to engage with their consumers, building a customer-centric content strategy should be the goal. 

The Key to Making ‘Em Stay

A content strategy allows brands to provide helpful information at different stages of the customer journey, from awareness to discovery. This, in turn, boosts customer retention (which ultimately trickles down to brand loyalty). 

Content anchored on a solid strategy creates a sense of trust and loyalty among consumers, increasing the likelihood of them returning for future purchases and developing long-term relationships with brands. And getting customers to keep coming back is known to increase profits by 25% to 95% (Harvard Business Review), which is a brand's ticket to long-term success.