Is your communication strategy the same as content marketing? No, it’s not. This article will examine the difference and why your content must complement your comms strategy.
In an ideal world…
…after agreeing on your communication strategy, you’ll have a content marketing calendar ready at the start of the year. It will set out all the topics you’ll be covering on your company blog. Of course, it will be flexible to allow you to switch topics in and out depending on what major events happen throughout the year. But, overall, it will give your copywriter a twelve-month plan of what needs writing and when.
However, it’s important not to confuse your content calendar with your comms strategy.
What is your communication strategy?
Your communications strategy is a plan for communicating with your target audience. It includes:
- Whom you’re talking to
- Why you’re talking to them
- How and when you’ll talk to them
- What form of communication will the content take?
- What channels should you use to share the content?
The point of your comms plan is to keep everyone on the same page so that company-wide, your content (in all forms) reaches the right people in the way you want them to hear it.
Your target audience could be customers, employees, or the media, and each audience will need a different approach and want to know different things.
Your strategy will also cover various channels, such as social media, email marketing, blog posts and video content. And finally, who will take responsibility for each channel?
Doesn’t that mean my communication strategy is the same as my content marketing calendar?
No, it’s not.
Your content marketing calendar is channel-specific and is designed to complement your overall comms strategy.
Let’s take your blog as an example. If you want to launch a series of videos highlighting various fact-based aspects of your business, these can be strengthened by informative blog posts. For example, let’s say you’re in the waste management industry and want to produce videos highlighting your green credentials in the energy from waste field. By creating a series of blog posts that explain the energy from waste process and how it supports renewable energy, helps reduce carbon and generally helps save the planet, which then links to your videos, you are:
- Raising awareness of energy from waste as a concept
- Showing how the waste management industry is working towards achieving a more sustainable lifestyle
- Highlighting your company’s green credentials
- Potentially attracting new investors
- Using though-leadership to showcase your work by funnelling readers to your video content
Do you see the bigger picture?
The only way to create an effective comms strategy is to look at it as a tree fed by different content marketing areas that work together to achieve your over-arching goals.
Then all you need to gather an A Team of specialists that will make the magic happen:
- A professional copywriter – for all your written content (i.e., blogs, reports, articles, emails, internal comms, case studies and press releases)
- A social media expert – who can amplify the power of written materials by creating a social media strategy
- A video genius – who can create powerful, eye-catching video content
Sally Ormond is a professional copywriter who has worked with corporate giants by creating original content to feed their communication strategies. Find out how she can help you by calling 07905 273252 or dropping her a line at sally@briarcopywriting.com.