2023 is done and dusted.
2024 is here and now.
Q1 is on its way out.
What about your content marketing goals for 2024 and specifically Q1?
A goal without a plan is just a wish. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Have you completed the set of content marketing tasks set aside for Q1? I am sure you have broken down the content marketing theme for 2024 and categorized them as quarter-wise goals/tasks/focus areas. If not, please do so right away you still have a large chunk of 2024 ahead of you.
As budding, thriving, surviving, and scaling MSMEs it is so crucial to have an overarching content marketing theme for every year. This theme should be split into manageable portions quarter-wise with simpler goals that will eventually lead you up to accomplishing the bigger theme.
OK enough about that, I am sure you get the drift.
Let’s focus in this blog on the aspects that you ought to have ticked off for Q1 as part of your content marketing initiatives.
1. Retrospect and Introspect
Looking back and revisiting what worked well in the past year versus what did not is surely a powerful first step. A step that is essential as you plan for the year ahead with your team. Ideally, this should happen in the November – December timeframe of each year when teams are in a reflective and peaceful state of mind.
How you do this is left to you, brainstorming sessions or offsites or structured team meetings, whichever but do document your lessons, successes, client feedback, product/service gaps, market developments, competition behavior, demographic changes, government regulations, and others that have impacted your content marketing efforts for the year past. The documentation that emerges from this will be the guideline for the content marketing themes for the upcoming year.
So, let’s pause – do you have a documented list of hits and misses?
“If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on PR.” – Bill Gates
2. Chart & Plot
Now that this look-back exercise is over, take the documentation to chart your content marketing theme for the year ahead, and plot quarter-wise the goals that you need to accomplish. Everything needs to be written down, and shared organization-wide, and team members must be made responsible for the same. Everybody should be on the same page when it comes to knowing what quarter-wise goals are to be completed. This is best done in late December or early January.
Be as specific as breaking each month into two fortnights so that you know what needs to be done each month. The more drilled down your approach the more results you will get. Teams will have clarity on the specific tasks and leaders will have fewer slippages and be able to empower teams better. It could be website development, social media presence, video marketing, more blogs, webinars, or hosting events but make sure all of it is there on a calendar.
So, let’s pause – do you have a content marketing calendar?
3. Act & Move
Having completed the top two essential activities, it’s time to move forward with energy and enthusiasm. Mobilizing the right resources, contacting external partners, setting up social media accounts, launching a website, or creating marketing kits and customizing them for a select set of clients Q1 is all about swinging into action.
Make room for unforeseen delays or developments and always have a Plan B for all your crucial content marketing efforts to stay on track. Q1 is the pace setter for the entire content marketing game plan for the year ahead, as all that is launched now will have a lasting impact for the rest of the year.
If you never had a website, but got to launch it in Q1 imagine the digital footprint you will get throughout the year. And as they say, creation is the most challenging, maintenance and moderation can be done in the ensuing quarters.
So, let’s pause – what content initiatives have you ticked off?
4. Measure & Monitor
As important as it is to act and keep progressing, it is to analyze, look at metrics, and track your content marketing efforts. So don’t ignore the measuring aspect in the content marketing game. And don’t wait for the year-end to do it, keep measuring your content marketing efforts every quarter end. This will guide you to make course corrections and move forward smartly and purposefully.
If you aren’t getting enough leads through LinkedIn, search and see what’s not working instead of continuing on the same path. Tweaking and moderating now and then or quarter on quarter will help boost your content marketing efforts.
So, let’s pause – how are your content marketing initiatives fairing?
“Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed.” – Dan Zarrella
If you are reading this now, it’s the fag end of March and the perfect time to ponder on the above and compare to where you stand in the content marketing department. Even if you have not done all the above, it’s still a good time to start and ensure your content marketing is the reason for tangible business outcomes.
And yes, you can read more of my blogs on Branding and Content Strategy right here.
And would love to talk to you to discuss your content marketing goals for your organization – bhuvanarajaram9@gmail.com or + 91 98415 96366.
Header Image Courtesy: Pixabay
