Top Tools & Templates Every Digital Marketer Needs

Top of the morning, Leaguers!

Whether you’re a marketer or a small business owner, if you wish to survive and flourish in this ever-changing economic landscape, you need to build a strong marketing foundation.

“How’s that possible?” you may ask.

Well, you need to have moxie: a never-say-die attitude. You’re also going to need a Batman-like utility belt full of tools, templates, and guidance so that you can break down barriers and thwart any obstacle set before you.

One key component in your utility belt must be a content marketing strategy.

You will hear a lot about content marketing, but it won’t always be called “content marketing.” If you are having discussions about social media, blogging/vlogging, podcasting, or developing videos, just to name a few, you are actually talking about content marketing.

Truth be told, content marketing isn’t new. It’s all about telling stories, and now that we are in what I am coining a “digital age,” telling stories is done through technology and mostly in the palm of people’s hands.

Don’t take my word for it; check out this video on the history of content marketing:

I told you! Nevertheless, at the end of the day, content marketing is like Robin, a necessary sidekick to your overall strategic marketing methods that focuses on crafting and sharing valuable stories to drive profitable customer action.

In this blog, you’re going to learn how to create a fool-proof content marketing strategy. We’ll also explore the top tools and templates that you must have in your arsenal to win the battle on all fronts.

To begin, let’s set a foundation. Below is a quick infographic outlining a basic content marketing strategy that follows 3 guiding principles:

1. Create
2. Promote
3. Convert

Source: https://neilpatel.com/what-is-content-marketing/

Now that you have a basic framework for a content marketing strategy, here are 5 things to include in your content marketing stash:

First things first, there aren’t any definitive tools or templates for developing a solid content marketing strategy. That’s because each template is unique to the business that creates it. However, there are a few common things, including:

1.  Goal Plan

A goal plan documents the goals you have for your content marketing strategy, the distinctive value you’re seeking to offer through your content, and the specifics of your business model.

It should cover clear objectives and goals at each stage of the customer lifecycle. You can find a goal plan template here to help you get started.

2. Empathy Map

Imagine creating Snoop-Dogg-kind-of content for Keith Urban fans. Are they going to love it? We’re not too sure!

It’s important to describe the specific audiences for whom you’ll create content. That’s what Empathy Map helps you with. It’s a tool that uncovers your ideal consumers and helps you connect with users who’ll consume your content. You can download the free empathy map template here.

3. Content Map

Now you know what goals to achieve and what your customers want. The next step is to map out content you can provide throughout the customer’s journey to bring them closer to the goals you have set forth.

A content map is a plan to offer the right content to the right audience at the right time. It considers the characteristics of the user who’ll be consuming the content and their lifecycle stage. HubSpot’s downloadable Content Mapping Template is a great guide to create targeted content.

4. Channel Plan

A channel plan includes all the platforms (such as website, social media, podcasts, etc.) that you’ll use to share your content.

It also covers your criteria, methods, and goals for every platform and how you will connect them to create a unified brand conversation. You can download a multichannel planner here.

5. Editorial Calendar

An editorial calendar is a visual workflow that helps you schedule your content on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. You can easily track content types, marketing channels, creators, and most significantly, publishing dates.

Here’s a great 2-step editorial calendar template that can skyrocket your content marketing productivity. You may also check out different editorial calendar templates on HubSpot.

My Final Word

Although some components should stay consistent even as your content marketing program evolves, consider revisiting your strategies regularly to ensure that your content marketing stays on target.

If you’ve got questions about any of these content marketing tools or templates, feel free to reach out!

Until next time, stay moxie my friends!

The Marketing Moxie League is the official blog of Marketing Moxie, LLC., where we dare to be daring! We love to hear from you. Please comment, like, and share below.