Take control of 2017 and make a commitment to your marketing ROI.

Follow these 3 simple steps to make your content marketing measureable, consistent and accountable:

• Create a written document of your plan
• Establish measureable goals and KPIs—use analytics to evaluate
• Be consistent. Your plan will guide the natural cadence of content 

Content marketing remains a key focus for marketers seeking to increase traffic,leads and sales. A recent Smart Insights poll found that for the second year in a row Content Marketing was rated the top digital marketing technique thought to give the most commercial benefit.

The real challenge for most businesses is staying committed to a consistent, well thought out written plan that charts the course for the year. It’s a proven fact that marketers who have a written, documented content strategy are more effective than those who simply have a verbal one.

Navigating a content strategy without a plan makes calculating ROI a big challenge. This results in a lack of clarity around both the goals and KPIs the plan is triggered to achieve---and, it’s impossible to know if a digital marketing investment is on track or not.

To help you build a framework for a written strategy, start with a SWOT analysis of your content performance. Here’s an example of a Content Strategy template to help you get started.

“Every facet of successful content marketing has its own blueprint. The blueprint for evaluating content marketing ROI is exception, but it remains a holy grail for most marketers. My advice to marketers struggling with implementing successful inbound marketing is simple: Start planning, and stop feeling that you’ve got to get your next piece out”

Stephen Bateman, Concentric Dots, @ConcentricDot

        As the saying goes, TIME IS MONEY.      

The big challenge with content development & planning is not only getting the initial investment allocated but also sustaining that support as results take time. Try to right set expectations. Many senior managers and/or business owners are influenced by the quick wins received in “paid campaigns” (PPC). However, results from content marketing take longer, but, also have a more sustaining impact on branding. The other challenge for content marketing is often in the Boardroom. The fear of sharing too much knowledge can be a threat to content creation.

To get content marketing right, there are multiple variables to be considered. It’s important to get really good at forward planning, execution, promotion and measurement of the ROI for each campaign. Many marketers do have success with familiar content tools such as blogs, articles and eNewsletters, but there may be a hesitancy to try other tools. It’s more than OK to experiment with new formats such as webinars, infographics; fun competitions; industry or consumer research reports; games, and/or quizzes. And, Video is more than a flash in the pan; it’s a bona fide winner.

 Try to think outside the content formats everyone else is doing.

As more companies invest in content strategies, it’s going to become even more challenging to stand out from the crowd. It’s also a best practice to test what topics and formats work best for your audience.

Companies with a clearly defined content marketing strategy or plan are still in the minority. Many struggle with the following challenges:

• Measurement- ROI on Content Marketing Investment
• Content Strategy-choosing quality content
• Content Frequency-Developing sufficient content
• Budget and making the case-insufficient buy-in
• Skills- lack of specific marketing skills

All of the perceived hurdles to executing a smart and effective content marketing strategy can be overcome with a bit of planning, a written document and a commitment to executing the plan to produce measureable and accountable ROI.

In short, plan for success and success will follow.