My relationship with content goes back a ways. Almost every position I’ve fulfilled has involved some sort of content-related responsibility, whether that be creation, planning, monitoring, or whatever it was that needed to be done. 

The what has always come fairly easy to me – a graphic, a sketch, a quick blurb. Despite this, it took me a while to fully understand and appreciate the why.

What is Content Strategy?

In her book, The Content Strategy Toolkit, Meghan Casey describes content strategy as a means to help “organizations provide the right content, to the right people, at the right times, for the right reasons” (2023).

During my what phase, I only focused on the “providing content” part of that definition (I’m purposefully excluding the word “right”). My content lacked purpose, and content should always have purpose.

More specifically, content should have a purpose at every stage of its lifecycle, from planning to maintenance. Content strategy is the guiding force behind this process; without understanding the why, meeting user expectations and achieving business goals becomes unattainable.

Brain Traffic Content Strategy Quad

What Do Content Strategists Do?

As outlined in the Simplilearn article, Content Strategist Job Description: Unlocking Success, a content strategist role “constitutes planning, designing, creating, editing, and publishing relevant content based on the company’s business objectives and users’ needs” (2021). While often focused on digital content like web and social media, strategic planning is essential for all forms of content, including physical.

Why Do You Need It?

Content strategy is the foundation on which all great content is built. While there are countless benefits, I’ll share a few reasons why it absolutely changes the game for businesses who use it:

Content strategy gives you a clear audience

I like how Julia McCoy illustrates it in her article, The Difference Between Content Marketing & Content Strategy, “imagine writing a letter to no one in particular. No matter how beautiful the words you use are, your letter will lack real feeling and substance” (2020). 

Your audience is a key stakeholder in the creative process, which means their pain points and expectations are a top priority. Locking in your audience means greater ROI.

Content strategy determines the right kind of content

There are countless types of content you can share online, from podcasts and YouTube shorts to websites, mobile applications, and blogs (such as this one). Content strategy examines your brand’s needs and objectives to identify the types of content you require, thus determining the best channels for distribution.

Content strategy is a team effort

Part of content strategy is making sure you have the skills and expertise necessary to set and execute your plan. Use this opportunity to figure out who in your organization has the relevant experience to take on the responsibilities.

Not every project needs involvement from every area, but some disciplines can include content designers, user research and testing teams, UX designers, UI designers, analysts, project managers, and more. Take the time to learn how each member contributes to the success of the project. Teamwork is a chance to expand not only your industry knowledge, but your collaborative skills as well.

Content strategy gives you your why

Let’s revisit that first definition of content strategy – “for the right reasons” is arguably the most important element. Every piece of content you produce should be goal-driven, and with the right strategy in place, each publication should get you closer to those goals.

Reflecting & Transforming

As I think back to my what days of simply creating content, I’m appreciative of the journey it took to find the why. Content is nothing without strategy. Per the Nielsen Norman Group, it’s an ongoing practice that ensures “every piece of content in the experience serves and sustains a legitimate purpose” (2022).

As a disclaimer, I’m still learning. There’s way more to content strategy than what and why. In fact, I’m excited to dig deeper into this topic over the next few weeks to grasp the nitty gritty of what makes a successful strategy. 

I’ll be back with further insights so stay tuned!

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Works Cited

Casey, M. (2023). The content strategy toolkit: methods, guidelines, and templates for getting content right (2nd ed.). New Riders.

Kaley, A. (2022, November 13). Content strategy 101. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/content-strategy/

McCoy, J. (2020, March 1). The difference between content marketing & content strategy. Search Engine Journal. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/content-marketing-vs-content-strategy/349392/#close

Simplilearn. (2021, June 3). Content strategist job description, role, and responsibilities in 2023 | simplilearn. Simplilearn.com. https://www.simplilearn.com/content-strategist-job-description-article#:~:text=A%20content%20strategist%20job%20description