What Your Content Marketing Strategy is Missing 

1. Content Pillars

When developing a content marketing strategy, starting with a clear structure is key. At the heart of any effective plan are targeted categories that ensure your messaging is both varied and strategic. We like to call these content pillars. 

Content pillars make creating content much easier. Instead of starting with an endless realm of possibilities, you can narrow your ideas into a certain category. It makes coming up with ideas easier and it helps you really hone in on certain topics with your content. Without pillars, you’re more likely to just aimlessly post content that doesn’t necessarily resonate with your audience.

Plus, content pillars help you set up a simple structure that you can then break down into more specific categories if you want. They provide a solid foundation that you can then build upon as you get more comfortable with your strategy. 

When we begin working with a client, there are four basic content pillars that we like to start with. While these aren’t the only categories that you could work within, these are a great place to start–regardless of your brand’s industry. But remember that these categories can expand as you learn more about them and your relationship with your client or audience progresses.

Let’s take a look at the four content pillars that we normally use to set up a solid foundation for our clients because they’re effective regardless of their industry, space, or brand. 

Brand

The first pillar is probably what your mind naturally gravitates to when you think of marketing. This is content that promotes your brand, mission, products, services, story, etc. Brand-centered content is exactly that–content whose entire goal is to share the brand with your audience. 

This category lays the groundwork for your audience’s understanding of who you are. It’s your opportunity to:

• Define your mission, vision, and values.
• Highlight your services or products.
• Showcase the company culture through behind-the-scenes videos, team spotlights, or workplace stories.
• Share why you started your business. 
• Promote your brand. 

As much as this pillar is necessary, for most brands, it should also be featured the least. Branded content is great… in moderation. If all your content says “me, me, me!” then your audience is going to get tired of it. You don’t want to be overly salesly or you’re going to lose your audience’s attention. Finding a balance between brand content and your other pillars is necessary. 

Education

This pillar somewhat depends on what industry you’re in, but education is important for pretty much everyone. If you’re a consultant or a service-based business, educational content is a must. But even if you have say a consumer product, education is still necessary. 

If your audience doesn’t know why they need your product or service, why would they ever buy from you? 

You need to educate your audience on what you provide, why you provide it, and how they will benefit from it. However, educational content is also a great way for you to reach new people. A lot of audiences discover new brands and accounts because of the education they provide. 

Plus, by educating people with your content, you are establishing yourself as a trustworthy resource who knows what you’re talking about. People need to trust that you can help them with their problems before they commit to buying from you. 

One way to do this is to share resources and other relevant information from trusted sources in your industry. This could be peers, organizations, and other indirect competitors. 

Thought-Leadership

While curating and sharing content from others builds credibility and is necessary, establishing yourself as a thought leader goes a lot further. Thought leadership is a more advanced version of the education pillar. 

Your voice matters. When you share your unique perspective on various topics and trends, you’re proving that you (or your brand) know what you’re talking about. You can share your past experiences and other expertise you’ve gained throughout your career. It positions your brand as an authority in the industry. Original content—whether in the form of blogs, downloadable guides, or videos—is the highlight of this category.

If you’re a consultant, thought leadership is an absolutely essential part of your content strategy. You need to establish yourself as a subject-matter expert and an authority in your industry. 

Thought leadership content is the best way that you can directly connect with your audience while also showing them that you’re qualified to help them. 

Success Stories 

People trust people. When you have past customers give testimonials, reviews, and share their experiences they had with your brand, potential customers are more likely to believe them. Success stories highlight real experiences people have had with your brand. These real experiences from customers add authenticity to your marketing efforts. Social proof not only builds trust but also motivates others to take action.

Think about when you make purchases. We’d be willing to bet that you’ve read and watched your fair share of reviews. These days people truly rely on reviews to guide them when making purchasing decisions. It’s the best way to guarantee that you’re getting a good deal. It goes back to people trusting people. 

So make sure you occasionally share social proof so that people know what you bring to the table. 

2. Consistent Metric Tracking

Numbers don’t lie. Tracking metrics consistently allows you to understand what’s working and what needs improvement. It’s not just about gathering data; it’s about analyzing it and using insights to refine your strategy. 

Metrics are your roadmap, providing insights into what’s working and where you can improve. But tracking is more than just collecting data—it’s about interpreting it to alter your strategy.

By tracking metrics, you can really see the impact of your strategy and adjust accordingly. If certain parts of what you’re doing are lacking or not showing much success, you can use metrics to really hone in on what’s going wrong. Then you can try something else out to fix it. 

The most important part of consistency tracking metrics is to set goals. Without proper goals, you won’t have a guide to follow to know what to track. Analytics are only useful if you know what you’re using them for and how to apply them to your goals. 

Key Metrics to Monitor

Depending on your goals, your focus will vary, but some universal metrics include:

• Engagement rates: Comments, shares, likes, and saves across platforms.
• Traffic sources: Where your audience is coming from (e.g., social media, email campaigns, organic search).
• Conversion rates: How often your audience takes a desired action (like signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase). 

Efficient Tools for Tracking

The easiest way to track data is to use the analytics platforms provided internally. For example, Instagram has various metrics you can look at within their app. The same goes for most other platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Also, whatever system you used to create your website likely has various analytics you can look at. 

However, if you want to get even more insights, you can use external tools. There are a lot of resources you can use that will easily mesh into your already existing process. Some popular options include Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Sprout Social.

3. Flexibility

After tracking metrics, it’s time to implement the changes that need to be made. Analytics tell you what’s working and what could use some improvements. But, you have to be flexible enough to actually make those adjustments. 

No content marketing strategy is perfect. 

A lot of content marketing is trial and error. You need to be flexible and willing to learn and make changes as you go. Maybe something that works with one company isn’t a good fit for another, and that’s fine. To find the best method that works, you have to track your data, watch what your reports say, and shift your efforts. 

Embracing Trial and Error

Think of your strategy as constantly changing. Experimentation is key to discovering what resonates with your audience best. A/B testing headlines, experimenting with different content formats (e.g., video vs. carousel posts), or shifting posting times can create new opportunities. 

Trends come and go, and audience preferences shift. Flexibility means staying nimble enough to pivot when necessary. It’s important to have a solid foundation, but you can always improve your methods as you go. 

Learning From Feedback

Never underestimate the power of audience feedback. Whether it’s direct input from surveys or indirect signals from social media engagement, listening to your audience is the best way to refine your approach. You’re making your content for them, so if they’re not relating to it, then it’s probably time to change something. 

Take note of how people interact with your posts, what they’re commenting on, if they’re sharing it, etc. All of these engagements can tell you what’s going right and what’s going wrong. 

Feedback can be one of the most helpful resources if you use it correctly to your advantage. Listen to your audience and make changes if necessary.