Creating a Content Marketing Blueprint

High-quality, frequently updated content does more than merely allow you to rank higher on Google and other search engines. An effective content marketing campaign will enable you to attract prospective customers who are looking for possible solutions to their problems. The content you produce provides prospects with valuable information and insight about your company and establishes trust and credibility with your potential clients. To attract new customers, your content marketing campaign needs to be well-researched and thoughtfully executed. The following are the steps you'll need to take to develop a robust content marketing blueprint.

Set Clear, Measurable Goals
For your content marketing plan to be successful you must set clear, measurable goals. Establishing goals will not only inform changes to your plan as you go, but it will also allow you to monitor your progress and stay motivated.  

Identify Relevant Triggers
You need to identify the reasons your prospective customers search for information online, these are known as triggers. To help you in determining these triggers, you can do keyword research. Take some time to brainstorm a list of possible triggers, writing down as many as you can. Use the topics that you identify as your keywords for your content development plan. 

Develop Content Assets
After identifying your marketing triggers, itÕs time to begin working on your content. Think about the questions that your prospects might ask you, then group them under corresponding triggers. You will use these as your content topics. Create a well-written piece once a week that speaks to your customers' questions and awareness. To help you stay on track with your strategy, you can develop an editorial calendar.

Optimize Your Content
Optimization is the process of making your content more digestible for the search engines. Both the headlines and the content youÕve written need to be optimized. This involves ensuring that your marketing trigger keywords appear in both the headline and the body of your content. You should also include links to products or services that you mention to build organic links back to your website. 

Promote Your Content
After you've set your deadlines and implemented your editorial calendar, it's time to begin promoting your content. Use social media to link to other people in your updates and utilize hashtags and topic tags. Include your recent posts and content releases in your company newsletter and utilize your network to spread the word.

While developing a useful content marketing blueprint requires you to do some planning, the payoff for your hard work will be worth it. Invest time and energy in these steps to turn your target audience into paying customers. 
