Are you spending too much budget and resources creating content for all your different channels and purposes? it’s time to rethink your content strategy.

An integrated content strategy is all about joining up the dots between the different touchpoints that your potential customers might see.

Not only is an integrated content strategy a way to ensure your messaging is consistent, it provides a better ROI and is a real time saver.

If you’re a new business then you have the benefit of starting from scratch. But even if you’re not, we highly recommend that you stop and integrate your content so that you’ve always got the bigger picture of your UVP and key message locked into every piece of work.

Once you’ve nailed your unique value proposition (UVP), key message, it’s time to think about the different touchpoints of your customer’s journey.

Connecting with your customer

• Organic social media – which channels are you on?
• Paid advertising (PPC)
• Remarketing campaigns
• SEO via your own website
• Influencers
• Blogs
• Whitepapers
• Email marketing (newsletters)
• Print marketing and direct mailers
• Sales team calls and follow-up emails
• Product & shipment packaging
• Signage, including POS and shop interiors
• In-person visits & calls
• Order confirmation and dispatch notes
• Feedback request and thank you forms

This list could go on and on and should be fairly detailed and specific. For example, if you’re in fashion retail it could include the clothes tags, hangers, and changing rooms signage. If you’re in travel, it could be itinerary options, and travel documents.

Let your brand speak for itself.

There’s a fine balance between cool and crazy, playful and informative – so think about how you want to position your brand. Hopefully you already have a Tone of Voice and style guideline in place.

Customer stages

Once you’ve got your list, try to cluster it based on the different stages of interaction your customer has with your brand, so that you can plan the right tone.

Cluster your content into three key stages:

• BEFORE: Pre-sales (Awareness & Consideration)
• DURING: Product and service experience (Decision & Purchase)
• AFTER: (Retention & Advocacy)

Base content

Then, create a base piece of content and test it with your audience.

When you find something that clicks, you can repurpose it in different formats, from website content, display ads, press releases, social media posts, email marketing templates, infographics, videos, slide decks, scripts for your sales and aftercare teams, forms, you name it.

Don’t try to do this in isolation – work with your company’s different teams and departments responsible for each business function to ensure it works for them and includes important and practical wording, such as terms & conditions, as much as the inspirational stuff.

Monitor your content’s performance by checking the performance of your engagement and conversions and tweak accordingly.

Schedule your campaigns

Once you’ve integrated your base content, you can repeat the same approach with all the marketing campaigns and projects you intend to run throughout the year.

One concept = multiple channels.

One single campaign can be utilised in multiple ways so you’re showing a united front in the digital and real world.

To make everyone’s life even easier, create readily designed templates that can be easily adapted by your team and if you’re using external contractors and agencies.

Be sure to update your brand and style guidelines to reflect your new integrated content strategy.

Seeking an integrated content strategy and execution at affordable value? Speak to us!