{"id":663794,"date":"2022-11-27T12:00:13","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T17:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/?p=663794"},"modified":"2023-08-30T13:33:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T17:33:34","slug":"the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Hey there, savvy marketers! \ud83d\ude80 Ever felt like you&#8217;re throwing darts in the dark when it comes to your content marketing?<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;re not alone. But here&#8217;s the kicker: you don&#8217;t have to. Using a solid content marketing strategy template can guide your efforts so you can navigate through it. Otherwise, you may be grasping at where to start!<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s right, I&#8217;ve got your back with the ultimate <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/brand-content-marketing-strategy\/\">content marketing strategy<\/a> template. This isn&#8217;t just another &#8216;how-to&#8217; guide; it&#8217;s your GPS for navigating the complex landscape of content marketing. So buckle up, because we&#8217;re about to turn your content chaos into a well-oiled machine. Let&#8217;s dive in!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Quick Takeaways:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A content marketing strategy is the roadmap for all your content efforts.<\/li>\n<li>There are many aspects of a strategy, but they all need to work together to achieve the goals you set.<\/li>\n<li>Using a template provides an easy way to organize your strategy.<\/li>\n<li>With a template, you can put the strategy into action much sooner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Is a Content Marketing Strategy?<\/h2>\n<p>A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-top-b2b-content-marketing-strategy-ideas-to-consider-using-today\/\">content marketing strategy<\/a>\u00a0is the guiding document for executing how you\u2019ll use content to meet business goals. It sets the parameters for what you\u2019ll do, how you\u2019ll do it, and where you\u2019ll do it.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s get one thing straight: a content plan is NOT a strategy. It&#8217;s like confusing the recipe with the meal. The plan is your ingredient list; the strategy is the culinary genius that turns those ingredients into a Michelin-star dish.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also a living document that will change and evolve as your business, products, and target buyers do.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a trip down memory lane. The pandemic year of 2020 was a year that had us all rethinking our game plans, including content marketers. According to the Content Marketing Institute&#8217;s B2B report, a whopping 94% of us had to shake things up and pivot our strategies.<\/p>\n<p>Now, here&#8217;s the kicker: despite this massive shift, only 43% of organizations actually have their strategies written down. Yeah, you heard that right.<\/p>\n<p>And get this: 70% of organizations are pumping money into content marketing. So, it&#8217;s kinda mind-blowing that so many are still winging it without a documented strategy.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3369431 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Picture1.png\" alt=\"content strategy pivot visual\" width=\"688\" height=\"283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Picture1.png 1277w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Picture1-300x123.png 300w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Picture1-1024x421.png 1024w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Picture1-150x62.png 150w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Picture1-768x316.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px\" \/>Making an investment to consistently publish content that your target audience wants to consume to drive business outcomes (leads, sales, etc.) is impossible to sustain without a strategy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83e\udd2b<\/strong><em><strong> PS &#8211; I put together these 10 tips for optimizing your content marketing strategy. <a href=\"https:\/\/go.marketinginsidergroup.com\/tips_workshop?\/utm_source=link\">Watch Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Why You Need a Content Marketing Strategy<\/h2>\n<p>As noted, it will keep you organized and consistent. However, there\u2019s more to it than just logistics.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/how-to-sell-b2c-products-with-content-marketing\/\">Content marketing<\/a> is a way to shape thought leadership and earn trust.<\/p>\n<p>Content marketing isn&#8217;t just about churning out articles; it&#8217;s about shaping conversations and building a tribe that trusts you. It&#8217;s your ticket to becoming the go-to guru in your industry.<\/p>\n<p>Content is pivotal in driving target audiences to your website. The way B2B buyers make purchasing decisions is much different now. The typical\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.focusvision.com\/resources\/content-really-is-king-content-consumption-in-the-b2b-buyers-journey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B2B buyer consumes 13 pieces of content before making a decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Within that 13, 8 will be from the company. They find it most often directly on the website, through search, and social media.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 623px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a0fe7bd3fd2cedd98b78-c81b5f39a3b932e2153be28026f8e821.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com\/content%20source.PNG\" alt=\"\" width=\"623\" height=\"311\" data-image=\"86659\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image:\u00a0FocusVision<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n<p>Your company can\u2019t drop the ball on content to get found, which is the leading reason you need a strategy. If you don\u2019t have this foundation, you don\u2019t know critical things like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who your buyer is and what motivates them<\/li>\n<li>What topic clusters you should create content about<\/li>\n<li>The types of content you\u2019ll create<\/li>\n<li>Where you\u2019ll distribute the content<\/li>\n<li>How you\u2019ll manage content creation and publication<\/li>\n<li>How you\u2019ll optimize for search engines<\/li>\n<li>What and how you\u2019ll measure to understand content performance in relation to goals<\/li>\n<li>And so much more<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Without these things clearly spelled out in a strategy, you\u2019re just going to be reactive, no proactive. You\u2019ll be throwing the darts, but they won\u2019t hit the bullseye.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\ude1c <strong>PS &#8211; Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-builder-services\/\">weekly blog content service<\/a> to grow your website traffic and leads!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>The Benefits of Having a Strategy<\/h2>\n<p>If you do all the work to build a strategy, will it pay off? What kind of benefits can you expect?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/how-to-define-and-measure-the-roi-of-content-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Content marketing ROI<\/a>\u00a0will be easier to track: A strategy defines how and what you\u2019ll measure to analyze performance continuously.<\/li>\n<li>Your content will better align with your audience needs: An important part of your strategy will be defining your target audience. When you really know whom you\u2019re targeting, your content will resonate with them and create trust.<\/li>\n<li>A holistic view of all content efforts is possible: Content sits in lots of buckets \u2014 blogs, long-form, website pages, social media, email, etc. When you have a strategy, you can see how all those pieces fit together.<\/li>\n<li>Consistency in voice and tone: How your brand sounds should be consistent no matter how many content creators you have. A strategy makes this possible.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll drive more organic traffic: Your <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/how-to-create-execute-a-digital-content-strategy\/\">digital content strategy<\/a> will include SEO. When you target the right keywords and write high-quality content, you should see a boost in organic rankings and traffic.<\/li>\n<li>Distribution won\u2019t be haphazard: Creating the content and publishing it is the first part; distributing it through multiple channels is how you extend reach. A strategy will define your distribution methods. A <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/content-strategy-agency\/\">content strategy agency<\/a> can help you execute effectively.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll gain more leads: Content\u2019s primary goal is to generate leads, and it can do that in many ways \u2014 blogs, gated content, and more. In fact, companies with blogs average\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.demandmetric.com\/content\/content-marketing-infographic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">67% more leads than those that don\u2019t<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Your brand will earn recognition as an expert: Content with a thought leadership angle isn\u2019t about selling. It\u2019s about educating. The more you do this with your content, the more likely your audience sees you as credible and trusted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy<\/h2>\n<p>So, how should you go about creating a content marketing strategy? It\u2019s not a simple endeavor. It\u2019s also not something that only one person develops. All stakeholders should participate in some way.<\/p>\n<p>As a primer, watch this short video from SEMrush before we get into the weeds.<\/p>\n<figure><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_qbdACmZe3I\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<p>Next, let\u2019s go through the steps and exercises.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 1: Define <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/what-is-content-marketing\/\">What Content Marketing Means<\/a> for Your Organization<\/h3>\n<p>Content marketing is the consistent publishing of relevant content that drives business outcomes. That\u2019s the general definition, but what does it mean for your company?<\/p>\n<p>In this introduction to your strategy, you\u2019ll be formulating the goals of producing content. Such goals may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Generating more qualified leads<\/li>\n<li>Boosting credibility and trustworthiness<\/li>\n<li>Improving brand equity and awareness<\/li>\n<li>Ranking better on Google<\/li>\n<li>Supporting sales team efforts<\/li>\n<li>Driving more traffic to your website<\/li>\n<li>Building a community<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this section, you also want to define the tactics that will help you achieve these goals \u2014 consistent content production, more gated content, optimization of content to rank well, nurturing leads, and mastering amplification.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, you need to make the connection between content and revenue. This is for the stakeholders that aren\u2019t content marketing astute who make budget decisions.<\/p>\n<p>If you can\u2019t connect the dots for them, they\u2019ll continue to look at you as a cost center, not a revenue generator.<\/p>\n<p>That means you have to track efforts on the backend. For example, if you can attribute traffic and conversions to organic search, it demonstrates that optimized content delivers new customers.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 2: Determine Your <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/event-marketing\/7-types-of-content-thatll-make-your-event-marketing-even-better\/\">Content Pillars and Types<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Content pillars are the main categories from which all ideas originate. They keep your content creators focused. Once you begin to build your content calendar, tagging pieces with the pillar helps with auditing to see if you have gaps.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll also want to document the types of content you\u2019ll create. There\u2019s more to content marketing than just blogging, which is, of course, critical.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll also have long-form content, case studies, infographics, video, social media posts, webinars, and more.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 3: Create Your <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/personas-are-great-except-when-they-suck\/\">Buyer Personas<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Buyer personas are pivotal to your strategy. You are creating content for them, so you need to know them well. This goes beyond demographics and titles.<\/p>\n<p>You also want to define their pain points, assumptions, challenges, motivations, and objections.<\/p>\n<p>Buyer persona creation should be a group exercise that would include content marketers, product managers, sales, and other SMEs (subject matter experts).<\/p>\n<p>Revisit buyer personas at least annually to refresh them. If something big changes in your industry or company, that\u2019s also a good time to review them.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 4: Design Your Content Calendar and Workflows<\/h3>\n<p>In this section, you\u2019ll need to identify what your content calendar will look like and where it will live. Check out these\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/how-to-make-a-content-calendar-youll-actually-use-templates-included\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">content calendar templates<\/a>\u00a0for reference.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.53.34-PM.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-663868\" src=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.53.34-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2202\" height=\"714\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.53.34-PM.png 2202w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.53.34-PM-300x97.png 300w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.53.34-PM-1024x332.png 1024w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.53.34-PM-150x49.png 150w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.53.34-PM-768x249.png 768w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.53.34-PM-1536x498.png 1536w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.53.34-PM-2048x664.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2202px) 100vw, 2202px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A content calendar is a living document that provides visibility across all projects. That\u2019s where your workflows are as well. There are many tasks involved to take a content piece from ideation to publication to amplification.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 5: Develop a <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/how-to-create-a-voice-and-tone-brand-guide-in-7-steps\/\">Voice and Tone<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Brand voice and tone documents create parameters for content, attributes of the brand\u2019s voice, foundational language, and product language.<\/p>\n<p>Your brand voice should have at least three attributes. For example, one could be conversational. Then you describe it: it\u2019s not formal; slang is okay; it\u2019s benefit-driven, not feature-focused.<\/p>\n<p>Then, you can outline some dos and don\u2019ts. With the example above, a conversational voice doesn\u2019t use complex words and is friendly and personable.<\/p>\n<p>Then, you\u2019ll define parameters around:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Syntax, structure, and readability (e.g., keep sentences short, use confident statements and not finite ones, and don\u2019t use passive voice)<\/li>\n<li>Word choice: What do you call your buyers? What language is familiar to them?<\/li>\n<li>Phrases to avoid: A list of words you shouldn\u2019t use, like cliches<\/li>\n<li>Blog parameters: Minimum word count, sub-header usage, appropriate CTAs, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Foundational language: Includes your USP (unique selling proposition), value proposition, and elevator pitch<\/li>\n<li>Product language: A messaging matrix that\u2019s specific to each product<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Step 6: Develop Your <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/time-refine-seo-strategy-5-actionable-tips-2017\/\">SEO Strategy<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/10-seo-tips-boost-search-rankings-today\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEO<\/a>\u00a0is critical to content marketing. However, write for people first, Google second!<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll want to address:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keywords to target and track<\/li>\n<li>Technical issues that are causing crawling or ranking issues. This will probably include an audit. See the video below from Ahrefs on how to do this.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oJPGa0J6p5Q\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>SEO best practices for all your website content (e.g., internal links, meta descriptions, using image alt tags, etc.)<\/li>\n<li>Backlinking opportunities (guest posting, outreach, editorials, etc.)<\/li>\n<li>Site health and the issues impacting it (e.g., broken links, mixed content issues)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Using a platform to track your SEO efforts is a good idea. You\u2019ll get insights and discover issues immediately. Tracking your rank position is also critical.<\/p>\n<p>If you lose ranking, you\u2019ll want to understand why. Then take remediation steps to improve it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udd25 PS &#8211; Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/how-a-tech-media-agency-earned-2-3x-the-inbound-leads-with-migs-content-services\/\">latest case study<\/a> that shows how we helped one company double their leads!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Step 7: Outline Your <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/why-content-distribution-is-hard-and-tips-for-making-it-easier\/\">Distribution Strategy<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>You\u2019ve got content. Now you need to send it out into the world.<\/p>\n<p>Within distribution, you\u2019ll have several buckets:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Social media: Define the profiles you\u2019ll use, what you\u2019ll post, how often you\u2019ll post, and how social media engagement ties to revenue.<\/li>\n<li>Email marketing: What types of emails will you send to distribute content? Newsletters? Long-form content offers? Nurture campaigns?<\/li>\n<li>Amplification tools: There are many options for amplifying your content, including services like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usebroca.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boca<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.converge.today\/publish\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Converge<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gaggleamp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GaggleAMP<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.outbrain.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Outbrain<\/a>. If you have the budget and resources, check these out.<\/li>\n<li>Third-party distribution: This could be paid or organic. For paid, you can use sponsored content opportunities with trusted industry publications. Organic would be working with a partner to create mutually beneficial content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a template we use to measure the ROI of various distribution options (paid and organic):<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-663870 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.56.39-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1872\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.56.39-PM.png 1872w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.56.39-PM-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.56.39-PM-1024x201.png 1024w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.56.39-PM-150x29.png 150w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.56.39-PM-768x151.png 768w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Screen-Shot-2021-09-09-at-12.56.39-PM-1536x302.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1872px) 100vw, 1872px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Step 8: Illustrate How Content Marketing Supports Traditional Marketing<\/h3>\n<p>Content marketing can complement traditional marketing like trade shows, PR, and product launches.<\/p>\n<p>In this section, you\u2019ll outline how content can contribute to these areas. For example, you can create pre-event blogs about a trade show, promote an exclusive piece of content for registrants, and then deliver that post-show.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 9: Identify the <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/content-marketing-metrics-success\/\">Metrics That Matter<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>How will you determine content marketing ROI? What metrics do you need to measure to discern if you\u2019re meeting your goals? The most crucial content analytics include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Traffic to website<\/li>\n<li>Top pages<\/li>\n<li>Pageviews: blog pageviews are the most important<\/li>\n<li>Source referrals to the website: social media, organic search, third-party websites<\/li>\n<li>Average time on site<\/li>\n<li>Bounce rates<\/li>\n<li>Social media engagement (likes, shares, comments, clicks)<\/li>\n<li>SEO position rankings, visibility, and site health<\/li>\n<li>Conversions from content marketing efforts<\/li>\n<li>Email opens and clicks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/metrics-to-measure-content-performance\/\">content marketing dashboard<\/a> template we use:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-663867 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2002\" height=\"579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1.png 2002w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1-300x87.png 300w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1-1024x296.png 1024w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1-150x43.png 150w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1-768x222.png 768w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture1-1536x444.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2002px) 100vw, 2002px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Choosing a Content Marketing Template<\/h2>\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve explained the steps to developing one, you need to put it all together in a way that makes sense for all parties.<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone that views or uses it will be an expert in content marketing. Consider that when reviewing these content marketing templates.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a totally free <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1NxnEE-LQOfn1GRPRicyAaj3CDAO-Q7nLioMeg3XrFpk\/edit#gid=1491115289\">content marketing worksheet<\/a> (google sheet) I give away and use with clients in our content marketing strategy workshops.<\/p>\n<h3>DivvyHQ<\/h3>\n<p>Our tool of choice is <a href=\"https:\/\/divvyhq.com\/content-strategy\/the-30-day-content-marketing-strategy-template-use-it-as-a-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DivvyHQ<\/a> and they have a 30-day content marketing strategy template that offers lots of guidance on building a unique strategy that will support your business goals. It\u2019s 10 steps, but it\u2019s not overwhelming.<\/p>\n<h3>Backlinko<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/templates\/marketing\/content-marketing-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backlinko<\/a>\u00a0offers a content marketing template in three formats. It\u2019s fairly simple and doesn\u2019t include all the steps above, but it\u2019s a good starter version.<\/p>\n<h3>CoSchedule<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/coschedule.com\/blog\/content-marketing-strategy-template\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CoSchedule<\/a>\u00a0offers a more robust template and provides instructions on how to use it. It\u2019s available for download if you complete the form.<\/p>\n<h3>ContentCal<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.contentcal.com\/blog\/content-strategy-template\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ContentCal<\/a>\u00a0boasts its template is very flexible, and that\u2019s a good thing. They also offer direction on how to use the template. They even offer you a glimpse of their own strategy to inspire your own.<\/p>\n<h2>A Content Marketing Strategy Template in Action<\/h2>\n<p>Going through the steps and organizing the template is a great first step for your content marketing efforts. However, you\u2019ll need to put it into action. Implementation can often be a giant hurdle.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where we can help. We can help you develop the strategy and put it into action by being your content creators.<\/p>\n<p>If you are ready to get more traffic to your site with quality content published consistently, check out our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-builder-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Content Builder Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Set up a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/go.marketinginsidergroup.com\/free-consultation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quick consultation<\/a>, and I&#8217;ll send you a free PDF version of my books. Get started today and generate more traffic and leads for your business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Hey there, savvy marketers! \ud83d\ude80 Ever felt like you&#8217;re throwing darts in the dark when it comes to your content marketing? You&#8217;re not alone. But here&#8217;s the kicker: you don&#8217;t have to. Using a solid content marketing strategy template can guide your efforts so you can navigate through it. Otherwise, you may be grasping at<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/\">Read Full post<\/a>","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":3368913,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template - Marketing Insider Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Creating a content marketing strategy from scratch may seem overwhelming. Start with this content marketing strategy template.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Creating a content marketing strategy from scratch may seem overwhelming. Start with this content marketing strategy template.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marketing Insider Group\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-27T17:00:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-30T17:33:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Screen-Shot-2023-07-18-at-3.14.53-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"792\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Brenner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Creating a content marketing strategy from scratch may seem overwhelming. Start with this content marketing strategy template.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrennerMichael\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@brennermichael\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Brenner\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template - Marketing Insider Group","description":"Creating a content marketing strategy from scratch may seem overwhelming. Start with this content marketing strategy template.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template","og_description":"Creating a content marketing strategy from scratch may seem overwhelming. Start with this content marketing strategy template.","og_url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/","og_site_name":"Marketing Insider Group","article_published_time":"2022-11-27T17:00:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-30T17:33:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1500,"height":792,"url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Screen-Shot-2023-07-18-at-3.14.53-PM.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Michael Brenner","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template","twitter_description":"Creating a content marketing strategy from scratch may seem overwhelming. Start with this content marketing strategy template.","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrennerMichael","twitter_site":"@brennermichael","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Michael Brenner","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Brenner","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7ffa4c502128846aeaea288f21141550"},"headline":"The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template","datePublished":"2022-11-27T17:00:13+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-30T17:33:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/"},"wordCount":2451,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Content Marketing"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/","name":"The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template - Marketing Insider Group","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-11-27T17:00:13+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-30T17:33:34+00:00","description":"Creating a content marketing strategy from scratch may seem overwhelming. Start with this content marketing strategy template.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-ultimate-content-marketing-strategy-template\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/","name":"Marketing Insider Group","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#organization","name":"Marketing Insider Group","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/MIG-OG.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/MIG-OG.png","width":722,"height":369,"caption":"Marketing Insider Group"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/brennermichael"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7ffa4c502128846aeaea288f21141550","name":"Michael Brenner","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bfbf36cab7fc1fdf1ac5af1a38ccab9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bfbf36cab7fc1fdf1ac5af1a38ccab9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Michael Brenner"},"description":"Michael Brenner \u00a0is a Top CMO, Content Marketing and Digital Marketing Influencer, an international keynote speaker, author of \"Mean People Suck\" and \"The Content Formula\" and\u00a0he is the CEO and Founder of Marketing Insider Group, a leading Content\u00a0Marketing Agency . He has worked in leadership positions in sales and marketing for global brands like SAP and Nielsen, as well as for thriving startups. Today, Michael helps build successful content marketing programs for leading brands and startups alike. Subscribe here for regular updates.","sameAs":["https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com","https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrennerMichael"],"url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/author\/mbrenner\/"}]}},"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663794"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663794"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3369432,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663794\/revisions\/3369432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3368913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=663794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=663794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}