Stage 1: Develop a Content Marketing Strategy

Let’s talk about promoting through content, or “content marketing.” It’s important to write blog articles and share them so that many potential customers can see them. Here are the things we’ll consider to make a content strategy:

• Blog Goals: This can include making a profit, attracting traffic to the site, getting applications from the blog, increasing brand awareness, and building customer loyalty. A blog can solve these problems, but the customer should decide what they want to achieve first.
• Product Analysis: The blog needs not only informational articles but also product articles – instructions for use, descriptions of services, and case studies. To write them well, you need to study the product and understand it.
• Target Audience Analysis: Knowing our audience helps us choose interesting topics – what readers really want to know about.
• Competitor Analysis: We’ll look at our competitors’ content, especially their blogs. If there are few, there’s a great chance to make ours much better. If the topic is highly competitive, we’ll have to figure out how to stand out. We can also look at popular topics.
• Amount and Types of Content: Without analyzing competitors, target audience, and business topics, we can’t say how much content to write. It also depends on the customer’s budget. But even with a strict budget, we can choose the best solution for everyone.
• Distribution Channels: We’ll decide where it’s best to share our blog materials: on social media, in the media, through a newsletter, etc.

Stage 2. Collect semantics

Search algorithms now prioritize expert, high-quality content. This means that when you search for a topic, you’re likely to find good articles at the top, instead of spammy or low-quality ones.

But, to get more people to your blog, you still need to collect semantic data. Here’s how:

• Make a list of important topics and break them down into subtopics.
• Identify important search terms and what users want to see in your article.
• Decide what to write about to address each term – article, commercial page, case study, etc.
• Plan which topics to write about. Use popular topics for articles, and include less popular topics to cover all bases.

In addition, the gathered semantics can be used to update the current site content. It’s important to verify whether the queries that the texts were based on at the time of writing are still relevant. It’s possible that there was no semantic analysis previously and copywriters simply wrote articles.

I suggest updating the current content on the site prior to starting a blog, or simultaneously. This includes optimizing meta tags and structure, removing outdated information and replacing it with new content, and adding internal links to other pages.

Stage 3. Create a blog page

This section is for site owners who do not yet have a separate blog section. To create one, it will be better if you work with web developers and SEO specialists.

Creating a page is not difficult, but it is more important to consider commercial factors that will increase article conversion. These factors may include:

• Creating lead forms that lead to commercial pages or collect reader data. This could include information about services, a newsletter subscription, an invitation to a presentation, and more.
• Installing CTA buttons such as “Write to Us” or “Order a Service”.
• Installing callback widgets, online chat, quizzes, cost calculators, and other interactive elements.

Important behavioral factors include:

• Sharing content on social media, and leaving comments and reactions.
• Adding a block with other useful articles and “Read also” sidebars within the article.

Step 4: Finding Blog Writers

To start the blog, we need a team of writers. The number of writers we need depends on how much content we plan to publish. If we plan to publish many articles, we will need a remote editorial office. If the blog is small, we can hire one or two copywriters and an editor. We may also need a designer to create branded images and a layout designer to publish the articles.

Where can we find writers? We have a few options:

• Ask colleagues and friends for recommendations of content specialists they trust.
• Place an ad in special groups and channels on Telegram.
• Contact a content agency that can handle everything for us.

What should we look for in writers?

• Expertise in the subject: We recommend hiring writers and editors who are knowledgeable about our topic, so they can write authoritatively and with precision.
• Marketing Skills: It is important that writers understand how to sell products and services through content. The editors must ensure that the articles have commercial value.
• Portfolio and Case Studies: We should examine writers’ previous work to see if it matches our style and tone. It would be even better if they can show us how their work has made a difference for other clients. For example, if they increased blog traffic or conversions.

Stages 5 and 6: Organizing Business Processes and Creating Content

To start work, the project team must:

• Decide on a workspace, such as a Asana.
• Establish editorial guidelines, including terms, article volumes and formats, design features, tone of voice, fees, and payment terms.
• Distribute topics and assign tasks to team members.

Once the tasks are assigned and a clear system is established, it’s time to start creating articles. If working with an agency, they handle everything. If hiring authors, oversee their work.

To make the most of the written and published materials, consider:

• Writing a catchy social media announcement with a link to the blog.
• Sending an email newsletter to your customer base with a link to the blog.
• Partnering with other pages or channels to post based on an article with a link to the blog.
• Recording a webinar or video based on the article and posting it on your YouTube channel.
• Publishing on websites like Medium and other sites where non-unique publications are allowed.
• Getting your article placed in media outlets, industry blogs, or blogs with a similar audience.

We suggest checking your analytics system’s indicators at least once a month to see if your blog’s traffic and conversions are growing. If they are, then your blog is working. A blog can help boost your site’s search engine ranking and attract more traffic, which can lead to more sales.

You should also review your most popular articles, the number of bounces, and the depth of views. Based on this data, adjust your strategy and content creation processes accordingly. For example, if your analytics show that people prefer to read guides and long-form articles instead of short ones, then focus on creating more of those formats. If people are leaving after only 20 seconds, then it means that the article is not relevant to their needs, uninteresting, or poorly designed. In other words, there are plenty of opportunities to analyze and improve your content – it’s an ongoing process.

Why Blogs Fail

Site owners and inexperienced content creators often make these mistakes:

• Wanting to get sales immediately through contextual advertising instead of using content marketing to warm up the client and form trust in the brand.
• Creating a blog just because competitors have one, without first deciding on goals and objectives and discussing with experts what and for whom to write.
• Trying to save money by hiring cheap copywriters through content exchanges, resulting in poor quality content that requires extensive proofreading and correction.

Avoid these mistakes and focus on creating high-quality content that builds trust and positions your brand as an expert in your field.