Make the Most of Your Next Content Workshop
Each day, more businesses are turning to B2B content marketing in order to promote their products or services. This is because content marketing strategies are beneficial in a number of ways. But simply deciding that you want to start content marketing is only the first step!
In order for this new marketing strategy to be successful, you’ll need to meet with your team and run a content strategy workshop. Here are the things that this session should include:
#1: Define The Goals of Your Content Planning Workshop
Content strategy is a plan of action for your B2B content marketing campaigns. It includes:
- How you’re going to write your content
- Where you’re going to post it
- How often you’ll post
- How you’ll measure success
It’s this last item that your content planning team should focus on first. Are you trying to gain more visitors to your website? More sales? More social media followers?
Take some time at the start of your content strategy workshop to clearly define what it is you’re after and how to track your success. Setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) during the content session will help keep everyone on track and accountable.
#2: Identify Your Target Audience(s)
Next, think about your content’s target audience. For instance, does your company mostly cater to other businesses? Analyzing data insights to determine who your audience is will determine the voice that you need to use throughout your B2B content.
You’re not going to speak to a lab equipment manufacturer the same way you’d talk to a software engineer. So, it’s important to define your audience early. Understanding who your target audiences are will help guide your content planning workshop.
Here’s some key information you’ll want to know about your target audience(s):
- Age
- Gender
- Income range
- Location
- Job title
- Industry
- Most-used platforms
- Interests/hobbies
- Anything else relevant to your business
Note that while you can have multiple target audiences, you’ll want to limit yourself to avoid spreading your content marketing efforts too thin. Try to focus on just 2-3 target audiences to start.
#3: Determine the Format of Your Content
With your audience(s) and brand voice nailed down, your content planning workshop participants can decide on the style of content you want to produce. Here are some different formats you can try:
- Articles/blogs
- Templates
- Guides
- White papers
- Podcasts with transcripts
- Videos with transcripts
- Infographics
- Webinars
- Checklists
- Case studies
Is your content designed to promote a certain product? Or to simply provide valuable information to your customers? Would your visitors find how-tos useful, or would they prefer articles made up of lists?
Again, think about your audiences here and what they’d like to see. One of the best ways to figure this out is by looking into your website metrics. Your most-visited content topics and formats will give you insights into what your audience wants to read.
#4: Make a Content Distribution Plan
So, you have a good idea about what your content is going to say and how you’re going to say it. Now, where is this content going to go? This is a key topic for any content strategy session.
For many businesses, the answer is on their blog or resource center. This is a great option, but it’s only a starting point. If you want maximum reach, cross-channel promotion is essential. Here are some channels to consider:
- Blog
- Social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
- Third-party websites for backlinking
- YouTube
- Podcast sites
- Email marketing campaigns
- Paid ads
The best content strategy will include all of the above. But you’ll likely need to prioritize some over others. Where does your audience typically go when they look for information? Are they more active on LinkedIn or Facebook? Prioritize active channels first, and then consider broadening your reach.
#5: Create a Content Calendar During Your Workshop
During your content workshop, you’ll need to decide when you’re going to post your content. It’s a good idea to develop and communicate a posting schedule. That way, your customers can come to rely on a steady stream of content.
How often you post content will depend on the medium and how quickly you can produce content. For instance, producing an in-depth blog article every day is not feasible for most companies. But posting to your Facebook account once a day is a great way to keep people involved.
Go over all the different mediums you plan on using. Then, build out a content calendar for the next few months. Remember that this calendar isn’t meant to be set in stone. As trends evolve and your business grows, you may need to move topics in your calendar to accommodate more timely content.
Download our user-friendly content calendar for the months ahead. Get ready! Get set! Because too much planning is never enough.
#6. Meet With Your Content Strategy Team Regularly
Once your content workshop is done, you aren’t out of the woods yet. When it comes to B2B content marketing, you can’t create everything you need in a week and then let it run for a year. You need to keep having these meetings so that you can fine-tune your approach and make adjustments.
We hope this guide was able to shed some light on how to run a successful content planning session with your team. Keep the above items in mind the next time you meet, and you’ll hopefully find that you’re able to cover everything you need for a successful campaign.
Run Your Workshop with a Proven B2B Content Marketing Agency
One last bonus tip! As a B2B content marketing agency in Philadelphia, we approach content creation and dissemination with intensive planning focused on attracting the right audience.
Learn some of the results you can expect with valuable, targeted content that’s consistent in style, tone, and appearance. If you’d like to learn more about running a successful B2B content strategy session, contact us to get started.