If there is one person qualified enough to predict the future of content marketing, it is Joe Pulizzi. Joe is the founder of the Content Marketing Institute, author of Epic Content Marketing, and is considered the godfather of content marketing.
Pulizzi was kind enough to share his theories and knowledge content marketing, focusing in on the workflow for a streamlined process.
Essential Steps to Becoming an Efficient Marketer: Workflow
- Concentrate on the Audience: First, a company must focus on their target audience and the niche content within that audience’s scope. This includes identifying who your audience is, what you need to talk about, and the goal you’re trying to achieve with content. Think of your corporate goals, such as driving more sales or getting more email subscribers.
- Define Your Content: Next, you define the content. Do you plan to write blog posts? Are you creating an email newsletter? Will you have a podcast? You need to identify the types of content you plan to use then create a schedule for each type of content.
- Create a Consistent Plan: Decide how many days or how often you will blog, use a podcast, and more. If you plan to blog twice a week, for instance, you may want to consistently publish new blogs on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Create the Calendar: Next, you must create an editorial calendar, which is critical for workflow. Pulizzi says you can start with something as simple as an Excel spreadsheet or a Google sheet to keep everyone connected. Calendars should include topic, keywords, and the point of the content – the goal that should be achieved through that content.
- Content Creation: You must identify who will create the content – someone you’ll have to hire or do you already have a writer in-house?
- Editing: You need an editor somewhere in the workflow, even if that editor is the CEO of the company. Pulizzi says that content takes at least two weeks to complete and publish, so plan to get posts written well before their publishing due date to go through the full editorial flow properly.
- Bring in Marketing and Sales: Marketing teams and sales groups can then help bolster the visual appeal of content. They can assist in determining what metrics will determine the success of the campaign, but also deliver insights from a PR perspective.
Pulizzi is an innovator and the most qualified resource today on content marketing. For those looking to expand their content marketing opportunities or jumpstart a new content marketing plan, implementing these tips from Joe Pulizzi is the perfect starting point.
