The very purpose of having a web presence has changed drastically over the past decade. From being a mere extension of the promotional strategy of a business, a web presence has blossomed into becoming the core promotional methodology for enhancing brand recognition and promoting sales. IAB Europe President Alain Heureux said in a statement in June 2008, “Despite a slowdown in ad spend on some traditional media, the rise of online advertising in Europe continues unabated.” The growing importance of the Internet is also revealed by the survey conducted by Nielsen Monitor-Plus in the US market. The survey reflects that while US advertising spending was up merely 0.6% in 2007, Internet ad spending grew 18.9%.

 

Why Formulate a Content Development Strategy?

Most people are attracted to the Internet as a source of information. This information is mainly available in the form of content. Content has the power to:
Attract Visitors: Most people use search engines to look for information and websites. Search engines look at the content on various websites to identify whether they are aligned with what a person is searching for and throw up relevant links as results. One of the most powerful ways in which to attract visitors is through content that uses appropriate keywords.

Increase Visitor Footprint: While drawing people to your site is important, what’s critical to your business is how much time they spend on the site. For this, it is important to have well-written, useful, unique and informative content.

Repeat Visitors: High-quality content encourages visitors to return to the site, enhancing the return on investment (ROI). Moreover, your site begins to receive word-of-mouth publicity and recommendations. The ultimate result is the development of trust and bonding, which often leads to the formation of a loyal customer base.

 

What Should a Content Development Strategy Entail?

While framing a sound content development strategy, it is important to bear the following in mind:

Have a Plan: Lay down your business goals and then plan your content development strategy in alignment with these.

Theme: Of course, the ultimate goal of a content development strategy is to draw traffic and maximize hits. However, the content that appears on your site must have a common thread or a theme. The particular domain could be travel, jewelry, eco-friendly merchandize, gardening or any one of the millions of themes that one can think of. Whatever the theme, it should be predefined.

Purpose: Determine the purpose of your content development strategy. Would you like your website to be a platform for people to share experiences or a place where they can seek guidance and tips?

Target Audience: Clearly define your target audience in terms of location, age, gender and/or economic status, as this would greatly influence the content.

Choose the Kind of Content: Identify what your site would include, such as company history, case studies, videos and/or photographs.

Choose the Forms of Content: Identify what you’d like to include, such as blogs, articles, newsletters, testimonials or press releases.

Add Value: Publish content that is informative, unique and engaging.

Be consistent: Update your site regularly. Whatever may be the frequency of the updates, whether daily, weekly or monthly, ensure that you do it consistently.

Formulating a content development strategy with a conscious and strategic mindset can strengthen your competitive position. Striking the perfect balance between value-driven, high-quality content and quantity will help you achieve higher results.

 

About us: We are a content development company and the post is written by Priya Nigam – the Chief Content Development strategist in the organization.