This article was originally published on September 4, 2012, and was updated and refreshed on November 6, 2023.

Edited by Emilie Martin

You’ve spent hours, days, (probably even months) creating a content marketing strategy.

Something you're excited about and are proud of. Something that has the potential to completely transform (or jumpstart) your business.

But then, you’re being held back.

You discover implementing the content strategy is overwhelming. There are too many areas to work on at once.

There are no detailed steps. There are no clear actions — absolutely nothing.

What's the deal there?

How do many brands and marketers control so much of the digital content space? What's their trick?

Prepare to have the curtain drawn back.

Today, I'll break down the precise content planning process that can assist you in implementing your content marketing strategy.

(And I'll give you a little bonus at the end — ensure you stick around.)

Ready? Let’s get started.

A content marketing plan is a detailed process containing a generalized guide of your content strategy, what you hope to accomplish, and how you aim to work toward those goals. It includes a clear roadmap of the kinds of content you need to produce, why they should be created, who is responsible for it, how it will be structured, where and when it will be created, and for whom.

Think of a content plan as a documented business strategy highlighting your content marketing goals and plans for achieving them. It also outlines a company's content distribution and promotion tactics and the timeline and key staff responsible for those goals.

Stage one of any great content strategy is the plan. Without it, the chances of success are slim.

Why is content planning important?

1. It helps you clarify your content strategy goals and provides actionable steps to accomplish them.

2. It helps you implement your content strategy in a goal-oriented way rather than in a loose form of responding to issues with no clear plan.

3. It helps you see areas that can help you achieve your goal and stumbling blocks that can hinder you so you can work out what to do about them.

4. It helps communicate content goals with team members, stakeholders, clients, and others involved in the project.

5. It helps team members stay on track and be accountable for their roles.

6. It helps you stay organized, track progress, and ensure a project's success.

7. It is an excellent reference to revisit at the end of a content project/timeline, which can help you determine what was successful and discover room for improvement.

A simple example of a content strategy could state that you will publish four articles per month.

Your content plan for this might be that you’ll publish a 1000-word blog article on October 11. The task will be assigned to a content writer, and the article will be promoted via link building and distributed via social media and email newsletter.

With that said, your content strategy sets the stage for your content plan.

Now that we know that a content plan brings a content strategy to life, here are some essential components it must include:

1. Content strategy: An outline of the overarching content strategy and the big picture the brand desires to achieve with content.
   

2. Content format/structure: Here, you’ll need to determine the content your audience needs and the best way to display it. Will yours be an article, a social media post, a podcast, or a paid advertisement? Depending on the chosen format, the content will take on distinct styles.
   

3. Content workflow: You must clarify the processes for content production, revision, approval, publishing, and any other procedures, tools, or human resources required to implement the content strategy. Concerning content creation, do you have an in-house content writer, or will you entrust the task to a freelancer? Who is accountable for reviewing and publishing it? It should also contain guidelines for creating content, like brand voice and style.

4. Content promotion and distribution plan: This includes strategies for promoting and distributing content across various channels, including social media, email marketing, and third-party platforms.
   

5. Associated costs: Whether it involves compensating a graphic designer or subscribing to premium tools, your content plan should estimate the potential expenses or payments required for each content piece.

After all the effort you put into creating a content strategy, you need a roadmap for your content creation, distribution, and engagement. That’s what a content plan helps you do; it ensures that your efforts are purposeful, targeted, and aligned with your goals.

Let’s look at how to create a solid content plan.

1. Have a solid SEO content strategy

Content is the backbone of SEO, and to have a content plan, you first need a content strategy. A content marketing strategy is developing and distributing content to draw consumers and impact your target audience's purchasing decisions. It answers questions like who you’ll create content for, what type of content, and where you’ll distribute it.

Assume you're developing a content marketing strategy for a SaaS company; it will consist of the following;

• Content purpose: Your why, which includes your overall purpose for content marketing itself.

• Target audience: Your who could be an enterprise company (as they need to automate their processes).

• Content format: Your what could be articles, like the importance of automation.

• Content platform: Your where could be organic search (i.e., ranking in Google).

A content strategy outlines your objectives, target audience, distribution methods, and other critical factors guiding your content marketing efforts. A content plan, on the other hand, lets you establish how you'll manage and execute this strategy.

2. Discover the best content topics

The web is an ever-evolving encyclopedia; that’s why Google’s mission is:

“To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

So, whenever you’re creating content, it has to fit Google’s definition of usefulness. Here’s how you can do that.

1. Keyword research

To discover the best content topics, you need to do a thorough keyword analysis for a search phrase.

Keyword research involves search queries that your target customers insert into search engines like Google when they need products, services, and information.

To get even more in-depth insights into these keywords, I’d advise you to use a tool like Moz Pro to have a general overview of the query.

If you have a brand new website, I advise you to pursue lower-volume keywords. These are usually less competitive, and you can quickly get some traffic.

2. SERP Analysis

Analyzing search results helps you understand the user's intention or need behind the search query they type in the Google, Bing, or other engine search bar.

For example, by inserting the search phrase “content writing”, you can note the results displayed on search.

I love looking at the ‘People Also Ask’ section because it’s a treasure trove of insights into the questions people ask when they type a search.

The ‘Related Searches’ section is provided further down the page. These may serve as a fantastic starting point for further analysis.

Other areas you can note when doing a SERP analysis are the Knowledge Panel, Images, Videos, AdWords, featured snippets, etc. Everything you can see on the search engine results page (SERP) when you insert a search phrase.

Pro tip: Record the phrases and topics you encounter when conducting this research. You can take notes and capture screenshots for context in a spreadsheet or Google Doc.

3. Develop topic clusters

Topic clusters are a great way to prioritize your content and achieve alignment because they are collections of related content that cover an extensive subject matter.

Here are some reasons you should consider topic clusters for your content marketing plan:

• Build topical authority: Topic clusters help establish your website as an authority in a particular niche by consolidating related content, which can improve search engine rankings.

• Improved user experience: Clusters make navigating and finding relevant information easier, enhancing their overall experience on your website.

• Search engine visibility: Topic clusters can increase the likelihood of ranking for multiple related keywords, broadening your content's reach and driving more organic traffic.

4. Map your keywords

With keyword mapping, you can outline the creation of highly relevant and targeted content for specific keywords. It improves internal linking and ensures content relevance.

This will help you avoid duplicate content so each page serves a unique purpose, reducing competition for keywords and improving overall content quality.

5. Competitor Analysis

How do you start competitor analysis? You can begin this by looking at direct competitors (businesses that offer similar products/services) and indirect/partial competitors (companies that serve the same target audience as yours but offer different products or services). You can also look at businesses whose approach to content strategy you admire, even if they don’t do what you do.

Clearly state what you plan to examine, whether it’s their social media profiles, website, blog, or all of the above.

List the top three to five in your niche. Answer the following questions for each of these:

• What are their business goals?

• Do they have a solid content strategy?

• How good is their brand strategy?

• Is their audience the same as yours?

• What is their advertising strategy?

• What are their strengths and weaknesses?

• What opportunities can you take advantage of?

For instance, can you target that group if they're slacking in serving a crucial audience? Figure out the key features or advantages you have that they don’t have.

Pro tip: Analyze your major rivals every six months to see whether their strategies have changed

6. Create content briefs

Like the brand guideline, a content brief helps ensure consistency in content production. Here, every piece of content must align with the overall content creation purpose; it specifies the key message for each piece of content.

A content brief can contain;

• A description of the content project

• The target audience

• A content objective

• Internal and external links

• A delivery deadline

• Additional resources

The goal of having a content brief is to set expectations for the team to produce and deliver work of a high standard in terms of quality and format. Furthermore, it guarantees that the content is planned and produced according to strategy.

Content creation requires a collaborative team effort. That’s why aligned autonomy is essential when planning a content strategy. This concept came from Spotify and was further expounded by Neil Perkin.

Aligned autonomy means that each individual responsible for content (in our example) recognizes everything your business desires to accomplish with your content strategy and is readily available to use their skills to support your goals.

Here are some questions you can consider when deciding the team members you’ll add to your workforce:

• What criteria do you use to decide what content to publish?

• How much content will you post each day, week, month, quarter, and year?

• Who will produce content and provide feedback to content creators?

• Who is in charge of ensuring that the content is accurate and up to date?

• Who will create and update editorial calendars for content distribution via marketing channels?

• Who will oversee content management and train business partners to evaluate their own content?

• Who will establish and improve content principles that will guide all content efforts?

• Who will validate content ideas and requests outside the content strategy, categories, or themes?

• How will content ideas and proposals that do not fall under specific categories be handled?

Here is a core set of roles and responsibilities that apply to most of the content we create:

Pro tip: You don’t need to have ALL these roles on your team at the early stage of your content strategy. You could start with internal folks or bring in outside experts (like freelancers or contractors) to support your team.

More effective methods for growing a blog than creating one-off blog posts exist. You need a strategy for content production if your goal is to develop a blog with consistently updated, high-quality content. An editorial calendar can help with that.

Editorial calendars help you publish content at the appropriate time for the proper audience. Consider it in the same manner that you might consider an editorial schedule for a top fashion magazine. They develop and share content based on the period or season of the year, anticipated trends, current events, and other factors. Most likely, your business should follow suit.

A good editorial calendar should have the following:

• Tailored content for specific channels and audiences

• Content initiatives and themes planned in advance

• Outline the editorial workflows, such as content creation, approval, and revision processes

When you can have a bird's eye view of all the upcoming content in your spreadsheet at a glance, along with essential details of each — like the timeline, the writer, the content type, the topic, and so on — you’ll find it much easier to make sure your content covers the suitable content themes and topics.

The editorial calendar can cover the following:

• Project timeline: This should contain the start date, submission date, publishing date, and other deadlines

• Content inventory: The target audience, content type/format, topic, content objective/goal

• SEO information: Keywords, meta description, tracking information

• Staff/Team members: Writer, editor, graphic designer, copyeditor, and so on

• Metrics: Sales, leads, clicks, pay-per-click

• Special/recurring events: Holidays, annual events, organization events

Your editorial calendar should fit your business and projects at your level. Everyone on your team should have access to this calendar to check and update their assignments.

Have an editorial checklist

Editorial checklists can help content creators check their work and remind content reviewers what concepts to look for when providing feedback.

Content creators can use editorial checklists to evaluate their work, while content reviewers can use them to provide feedback.

Here’s an example of a checklist I give to writers whenever I create a content brief;

Using a checklist ensures content is on-strategy before publishing or distributing.

One way to promote your content is via link building. It involves getting other websites to link to your website.

But before rushing to develop a link-building strategy, ask yourself:

• What would make other websites want to link to mine?

• How can I create link-worthy content?

• Which content pieces within my website are deserving of links?

With that said, here are some link-building tactics you can consider:

1. Publish stellar content: This is the first step for building links. Ensure you use a data-driven approach to create valuable content that addresses the target audience's pain points.

2. Analyze your competitor’s backlink strategy: You can identify potential link opportunities by analyzing your competitors. For example, if you find a top-ranking article, you’ll discover one of the reasons it ranks that high is because it contains more backlinks than the others.

3. Outreach: You can pitch your ideas to journalists or bloggers. When you’re warming up contacts or trying to get their attention, it’s also important not to just use email or phone — try to follow them on social platforms like Twitter to learn more about their interests and topics of coverage.

Other content promotion tactics include:

1. Translating website content to other languages: You can reach a larger audience by translating your content into the reader’s regional language. For example, if a reader comes to your blog from France, then the content shown will be French.
   
   

2. Participating in forum sites: Participating does not mean spamming others with your link. Forum sites are very stringent about spamming and barring users when they engage in activities like promotion, placing links, or providing erroneous information. However, people will notice and visit your profile if you add genuine value to these websites. Question-answer forum platforms like Reddit, Quora Stack Exchange, and Yahoo Answers are great for content promotion by answering questions related to your niche. Ensure you take note of the policies stated in these platforms and do not violate them.
   
   

3. Social media: You can use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Pinterest (here, you can add your blog’s infographics, images, and GIFs).
   
   

4. Guest posting: This helps expose your brand to a new audience, establishes you as a thought leader, and potentially gets backlinks to your website.
   
   

5. Paid Ads: You can use many platforms to run different advertisements. Google, Bing (for pay-per-click ads), Facebook and Instagram (for any type of ads), and YouTube (for video ads).

The goal behind content creation should not just be creation itself but distribution. In marketing, distribution channels are the methods of getting content to its intended audience.

That’s why, before you choose a content type and format, you need to take note of what your brand offers and what your audience wants to see.

Here are some content distribution avenues you should be aware of:

1. Paid content distribution: Involves brands paying to reach more people. Examples include social media advertising, sponsored content or promoted blog posts, display ads, and AdWords.

2. Earned content distribution: Involves customers, peers, and the media, recognizing a company’s effort. This is brand credibility and trust. Examples include social media, user reviews, traditional media, and non-sponsored blog posts.

3. Owned content distribution: This is content distributed over companies’ channels. Companies have maximum control over their content ownership, although they can only reach people following them on these platforms. Examples include website and blog, email marketing list, and followers on social media (reach varies depending on the platform).

You can repurpose blog posts into email newsletters to increase engagement and retention. You can design graphics for social media and put your brand in front of new audiences. When you play your cards well, the knowledge you gain from continuously refining your content can help your business succeed.

Any business strategy or tactic aims to support the organization’s business goals and metrics, allowing you to measure, manage, and improve your content strategy.

The concept is straightforward.

In simple terms, analyzing your metrics makes you realize if your marketing efforts are worth the investment. It also helps you identify areas you might need to tweak or adjust.

Taking calculated steps and measuring your content marketing success help you detect patterns in customer preferences, discover what you’re doing well, and ensure your efforts are paying off.

For example, KPIs you can track for an SEO article include:

• Bounce rate: How many people left your site without interacting with the page content?

• Conversion rate optimization: Did most organic visitors complete a desired action on your website? Did they fill out a form, subscribe to an email, or take the required action? If not, what can you do better?

• Click-through rate: How substantial is the percentage of users who click on your website from the search results? Are there ways you can make your site more attractive and relevant?

• Customer lifetime value: How good is your CLV? What improvements can you make?

For emails, essential KPIs you can track include conversion rate optimization, open rate, bounce rate, unsubscribe rate, etc.

For social media, you can track KPIs like engagement rate, pay-per-click, audience growth rate, and follower count, amongst others.

You can download and access your FREE content plan template here, as promised.