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Content marketing plan: 4 simple steps to success

Author's avatar By Dave Chaffey 08 Jul, 2021
Essential Essential topic

Learn the 4 steps to creating a content marketing plan, with our content planning template and the RACE Framework

To help you develop a content marketing plan or review existing methods, I thought it could be helpful to share some of the planning techniques applied in our Content Marketing Learning Path. Take these 4 steps to create a content marketing plan today:

  • Step 1 Review current use of content marketing. This is a classic SWOT analysis where we have given examples of problems with content marketing programs that are often forgotten.
  • Step 2 Content marketing objectives and KPIs This uses an efficient planning table I have developed for summarising digital plans on one page. Here, as the example shows, it links objectives, strategies, and KPIs across the customer lifecycle shown as the RACE Planning approach.Planning Content Marketing Campaigns
  • Step 3 Content Gap analysis This uses a new visualization of the Content Marketing Matrix that you may have seen before developed by Dan Bosomworth of First 10 and Smart Insights.
  • Step 4. Create a content plan timeline. Don't forget the options for repurposing content assets during a campaign since often opportunities are missed where there is one central asset in a campaign such as a whitepaper, but it is not repurposed to give the campaign more momentum.

These 4 steps take you through the brief process of creating a content marketing plan. Join Smart Insights as an Individual or Business Member for access to the full Learning Path, including modules such as 'A planned approach to content marketing'.

Core Module
Define a planned approach to content marketing

Define a planned approach to content marketing

Part of the Content marketing Toolkit

Learn how to define an effective content marketing process for your business and market

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Use the RACE Framework to hone your content planning

Content marketing plays a huge role in many parts of your customers' experiences of your brand. The diagram below, based on our RACE Framework of reach-act-convert-engage, demonstrates just some of the typical marketing activities during the customer lifecycle.

Omnichannel life cycle

Our popular RACE Framework empowers marketers and managers to use data and key trends to inform their marketing strategy across their integrated customer touchpoints. If you're looking to optimize your strategy, the RACE Framework is a no-brainer

Need a plan to create a winning marketing strategy?

Get started today using a tried and tested step-by-step process to optimize your marketing.

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Author's avatar

By Dave Chaffey

Digital strategist Dr Dave Chaffey is co-founder and Content Director of online marketing training platform and publisher Smart Insights. 'Dr Dave' is known for his strategic, but practical, data-driven advice. He has trained and consulted with many business of all sizes in most sectors. These include large international B2B and B2C brands including 3M, BP, Barclaycard, Dell, Confused.com, HSBC, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, M&G Investment, Rentokil Initial, O2, Royal Canin (Mars Group) plus many smaller businesses. Dave is editor of the templates, guides and courses in our digital marketing resource library used by our Business members to plan, manage and optimize their marketing. Free members can access our free sample templates here. Dave is also keynote speaker, trainer and consultant who is author of 5 bestselling books on digital marketing including Digital Marketing Excellence and Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice. In 2004 he was recognised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing as one of 50 marketing ‘gurus’ worldwide who have helped shape the future of marketing. My personal site, DaveChaffey.com, lists my latest Digital marketing and E-commerce books and support materials including a digital marketing glossary. Please connect on LinkedIn to receive updates or ask me a question.

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