5 Tips for Setting Your Business Content Goals
A new year is upon us, and that means only one thing: time to set some goals.
I’m not talking about new years resolutions that we all know we’re going to break halfway through the month (I’m looking at you Dry January).
I’m talking about content goals that will help drive your business in the coming year and beyond.
If you’re looking at me and thinking content goals? Why do I need to set content goals? Sure I can just write my blog posts every week, and I’m done, then I have some news for you.
Creating content without setting goals first is pointless.
If you don’t know why you’re writing a particular blog post or creating a certain video, then there’s no way it’s going to be as good as it should be, or attract the people it should be attracting.
So read on for my tips on setting content goals that will bring in customers and help build your business.
1. Figure Out Your Overall Business Goals
Before you start to think about your content goals for the year, you need to know what your business goals are.
Do you want to generate more leads?
Build more authority?
Increase your social media presence?
Your content is what you’ll use to achieve these business goals. Coming up with content goals without business goals first is like looking for directions on a map without knowing where you want to end up.
Knowing your business goals will make sure that when you do start creating content, each piece will align with these goals and get you one step further to achieving them.
2. Set SMART Content Goals
If you’ve ever set goals before, then you’ll know they should be SMART.
Specific: Don’t just have a vague goal in mind like ‘I want to get more leads.’ Make it specific and clear, like ‘I want to generate X amount of leads in X amount of time.’ Being vague is just giving yourself an excuse not to achieve your goals.
Measurable: Make sure there’s a metric involved that you can measure to see if you’re meeting the goal. Google Analytics is your best bet for most metrics. If you can’t measure it, how will you know if you’ve achieved it?
Achievable: Don’t set your goals too high. Aiming to be number one on Google in 4 months for a keyword you’re on page 5 for now might not be achievable, so reign it in a bit. Setting goals that are too difficult to attain is just going to dishearten you when you don’t reach them.
Relevant: Like in my first point, you need to make sure your goals make sense in the wider context of your business. Otherwise, you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall.
Timely: Set yourself an achievable deadline to meet your goals. This is good motivation because you have something to aim for while also giving an end date, so you don’t feel like you’re working towards the same thing forever. Make your deadline realistic, and make sure you stick to it.
3. Write Your Goals Down
According to a study done by Dr Gail Matthews, you’re 42% more likely to achieve your goal if you write it down.
Writing your goals down makes them more concrete and real. Seeing it in black and white (or red or green, whatever colour pen you use) in front of you makes it much harder to ignore.
Having your goals written down is also a good way to motivate yourself when you’re flagging a little bit.
Not feeling that blog post you have to write?
Looking at your written goals will remind you why you’re doing it and push you to keep going.
4. Figure Out Which Types of Content Will Help Achieve Your Goals
There are a lot of different types of content out there. Blogs, ebooks, case studies, podcasts, videos, FAQs, the list goes on.
But not every piece of content is going to help you achieve your goals, so you need to make sure that you’re creating the right ones.
If your goal is to get more email subscribers, then blog posts and freebies such as ebooks will help.
If you want to build your authority, case studies showing how well your product or service has worked for others are worth investing in.
Make sure you use a mix of content rather than focusing on one type, so as to reach people on all stages of the buyer’s journey.
But don’t try to create too many types of content either (I know, it’s confusing, but bear with me). Trying to dip your toe into too many things will end up becoming haphazard, and the important content will end up suffering.
It’s best to create the content that your audience wants, which brings me to my last point.
5. Know Your Audience
Knowing who you’re creating content for is one of the most important things about setting your content goals. Without an audience, your content is pointless and has no chance of achieving its goals.
There’s no point in writing blog posts if the people your product is aimed at don’t read blogs. Or creating videos if they prefer words.
You need to know your audience, and what types of content influence their buying decision.
Do they want to be informed and educated and have their questions answered? Write blogs.
Do they want longer informative pieces? Write ebooks.
Do they want proof of what your product or service can do? Case studies.
Do they not want to read anything at all? Videos.
There’s a piece of content to suit every person, but not every piece of content will suit each person. So it’s important to know the person that’s most likely to buy from you and create content for them.
Setting realistic and achievable content goals will help set your business up for success in the coming year. Having clearly defined goals will mean you can start creating content that will drive your business forward and bring your customers joy.
Ready to set yourself up for success with your content?
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