STRATEGY IS CRITICAL

Strategy represents where your business is headed. Getting there is execution. Strategy without execution is like a roadmap without a car.

Apply these best practices to your content marketing strategy and execution for long-term success.

A DOCUMENTED CONTENT MARKETING PLAN

You need the strongest and most clearly documented content marketing plan you can put together. Without one, your content creation activities are no more than boats bobbing on a sea. 

Putting together a documented content marketing plan takes time and commitment. Once you get going, it's not that difficult though. The process is satisfying and the creative element is fun.

And it saves you time and wasted resources exponentially in the long run.

MONITOR THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

As an organization, you always want to be aware of what your competition is doing and how the marketplace is changing in response to customer need.

This also holds true from a content perspective. Look at what content your competitors are producing, and draw inspiration from the best practice you see. Pay attention to what isn't available and what content opportunities exist. 

Being aware of your competitors is a sensible thing as long as it informs your own progress and doesn't get in your way. Build your business and your content assets with passion and focus. Monitor and learn from the competition but don't lose ground because you are looking over your shoulder too often or too long.

BE INTEGRATED IN YOUR APPROACH

Integrated content marketing is the practice of realizing your organization's goals in the marketplace through integrated content experiences that develop audience, build trust, and advance the bottom line over time.

Integrated content marketing is a key success criteria for client-focused organizations with a commitment to content development. It requires a content-first, marketing-first approach in every corner of your business.