Why Your Content Strategy Matters: A Copywriter's Thoughts
You know that old saying: 'A failure to plan is a plan to fail'? That's exactly what happens when businesses create content without a strategy. As a professional copywriter and content creator, I've seen what happens when businesses simply throw content at the algorithms and hope for the best. Spoiler alert: It’s not great!
Content without a plan is like a classroom without a teacher. Things can quickly get out of control, and nothing productive happens. Let me tell you why having a content strategy matters, and why it makes my job as a word-wrangler so much better.
What Happens Without a Content Strategy
Picture this: You're telling a joke, but you forget the punchline. Everyone stares at you, waiting for the funny part that never comes. Awkward, right? That's what content without strategy feels like!
When businesses don't have a plan for their content, they end up posting random stuff that doesn't make sense together. One day they're talking about their awesome product, the next day they're sharing cat videos, and then suddenly they're posting recipes for chocolate chip cookies. Their audience gets super confused!
As a copywriter, for me, working without a strategy is like trying to pack for vacation when you don't know where you're going. Should I pack a swimsuit or a snow jacket? Who knows! It's impossible to write good stuff people actually want to read when you have no idea who those people are or what they’re interested in reading about.
The Big Benefits of Having a Plan
A content strategy eliminates all that guesswork. Think of it as a map when you're on a treasure hunt. You know exactly where to go and what to look for. Here are some more benefits of having a content strategy:
Having a plan makes writing way easier. When I know who I'm writing for and what they care about, I can create stuff they'll actually want to read. It's like heading to the store to buy a birthday present when you know your friend loves Taylor Swift and days at the beach. Shopping is more enjoyable because you know what you’re looking for, and the recipient loves the present because it’s something they’re actually interested in
A good strategy helps your words find the right audience. Think about it: if you write a super cool story about skateboards but show it to people who only care about baking cupcakes, they probably won't care much. With a well-designed strategy, it’ll help your skateboard story reach the skateboard fans!
Having a plan saves a significant amount of time and money. Without a strategy, you risk creating content no one wants and no one will read. Then you’ll have to start all over again until you find an idea your audience might want to read about. It’s sort of like baking a cake, realizing nobody likes that flavor, throwing it away, and starting again. What a waste of cake!
How Content Strategy Works
Content strategy isn't as complicated as it sounds. You essentially need to answer a few key questions before you begin creating.
Here is a list of questions to make creating a content strategy easier:
Who's your audience? Who do you want to connect with – B2B decision makers? Working moms? College-aged students? This will make all the difference in how you write.
What content will they enjoy? What types of content does this demographic enjoy consuming? Some people are super interested in long-form content like blogs, whereas others want short and to-the-point video content.
Where will you publish your content? Where does your target audience tend to hang out online? Posting on LinkedIn is going to get you in front of a different audience than making a TikTok video or writing a blog on Substack.
When should you post your content? Is there a certain time that your audience tends to be online? Sending an email on a Saturday afternoon isn’t going to have the same open rates as sending it first thing Monday morning.
What's the goal of your content? What do you want your content to do – sell something, invite the reader to join your email list, or bring awareness to your mission? Not every piece of content is going to elicit the same end action.
For example, if I'm writing for a company that sells silly socks, our strategy might be to create funny sock stories for kids who love colorful clothes. I wouldn’t suggest posting long-form blog content on LinkedIn during business hours. Instead, we'd probably share these stories after school hours on social media accounts popular with families and kids. The goal would be to make kids beg their parents for our crazy cool socks!
Tips for Better Content Planning
Want to make your content work for you? Whether you’re writing an industry blog or an Instagram caption, here are some easy tips to plan better content:
Know your audience. If you're writing for third-graders, you should know their favorite games, what makes them laugh, and what words they think are cool. The more you know about them, the better your content will be!
Make a content calendar. This is just a fancy way of saying "plan what you'll talk about each day." Without one, you might end up posting five pictures of your lunch in a row, and nobody wants to see that many sandwiches!
Check if it's working. Ask people if they like your content! It sounds simple, but many businesses never take the time to ask. It's like never checking if your jokes are funny. How will you know when to stop telling them?
Here's what happens with good planning: Before strategy, a toy company might post random product pictures that get ignored. After designing a data-driven strategy, they share fun stories about toys going on adventures that kids love and share with friends! It showcases their toys and explains why families love them so much.
What I've Learned as a Copywriter
As someone who writes words for a living, I can tell you that content strategy is like having a superpower. It turns ordinary words into extraordinary messages that people actually care about!
Without a strategy, I'm just throwing words at a wall and hoping some stick. With a strategy, I'm carefully placing each word where it belongs – like pieces in a puzzle.
The best part is seeing how good strategy helps businesses connect with real people. When we plan our content right, it's like making new friends who actually want to hear what we have to say!
The Bottom Line on Content Strategy
So here's the deal: Content without strategy is like a sandwich without bread – just a messy pile of ingredients that nobody wants to touch!
A good content strategy helps businesses say the right things to the right people at the right time. It makes my job as a copywriter way more fun, and it makes content way more effective.
Next time you're creating content for your business, take a minute to plan it out first. Ask yourself who you're talking to and why they should care. Your content will be a million times better, I promise!
And remember: even professional writers like me need a map sometimes. Nobody creates perfect content by accident!
What kind of content are you going to plan next? The world is waiting for your awesome ideas. Just make sure you have a strategy first!
And if you need some help, sign up for my free monthly newsletter! It’s short and sweet, with just enough business and content tips to keep you motivated and inspired to create quality content your audience will love!
