“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the internet.” Bill Gates wrote this prophetic statement in an essay in 1996, almost 26 years ago – and this has now spectacularly unfolded and come true in our digital world. But what even he couldn’t foresee was how quickly our world will shift towards mobile-friendliness in content creation – especially blogging. So is all this hype about the mobile blogging software truly worth it?
These mobile blogging software and platforms are where your convenience will meet your creative spirit. Though they come with the flexibility to draft, edit and even publish the content directly from your smartphone, they also have a set of considerations and even cons that you simply shouldn’t miss looking at.
Join us in this blog to learn more about the pros and cons of mobile blogging software and how they might just be the thing you never knew you needed.
What are the Key Features of Mobile Blogging Software & Platforms?
These mobile blogging platforms or digital notepads as we like to call them, have evolved generously over time to give you more options, convenience and also indepth insights. And why shouldn’t they when around 60% of searches are now coming from mobile devices.
But what exactly makes them so useable and beneficial for bloggers like you and what do most of them provide you on the go?
Here are some of the most common features that make them stand out.
Drag-and-Drop Interface
There was a time when every piece of content that you had to upload required some complex coding, which naturally translated to spending more time, skills and efforts. But today’s mobile blogging platforms offer you simple-to-use drag and drop interfaces to arrange your text, images and multimedia content with just the flick of your finger. No complex coding anymore.
This simplicity has now allowed the bloggers to design their blogs as they like, no matter what their skill levels are.
Customization Options
For your blog to stand out in this competitive digital world, it has to have a separate identity, one that makes it unique and individually yours. According to HubSpot, the content you have personalized will perform 42% better than non-personalized content.
Today’s mobile blogging software have recognized this requirement and hence offer you a lot of customization options to make sure you can set up your blog to match your personal or brand identity.
Themes, widgets, plugins and whatnot, you will be able to use them all to make your blog match your own aesthetics and vision.
Integration with Google Analytics
The success of your blog can only be determined on the basis of the insights and metrics Google Analytics provides you. It serves as a bridge between your blog and the behavior and preferences of your audience. Most of the mobile blogging software have added this Google Analytics feature that will allow you to track visitor engagement, page views, demographics and even the bounce rates.
With this data, you can then customize your content strategy to meet the needs of your audience and optimize your blog to increase its engagement and as a result create more loyal followers.
How to Choose the Best Mobile Blogging Software or Platform?
When the time comes to choose a mobile blogging software, you’ll feel like choosing a new coffee shop to be your next favorite spot. You would want something that’d make you feel welcome, sparks the creativity in you and also as a most important feature, does not complicate the process of content creation or upload more than it needs to be.
So how would you choose a platform for mobile blogging to reach out to more than 5.4 billion people who can access the internet?
Here’s what you should always look for before making your ultimate choice:
Ease of Use: This Is Your First Milestone to Success
You should look for a platform or software that gives you an ease of use and has a very user-friendly interface. Every new content should be uploaded with ease. Some features that you should never compromise on are a straightforward content editor, a quick access to support (if you ever need it) and an interface that’s less cluttered and easy to understand quickly.
Why It Matters: A recent research has shown that customers are usually more loyal and satisfied towards softwares that exhibit an ease of use and a friendly interface. If it constantly feels like you have to battle with the interface every time you upload a blog, chances are you are less likely to keep your blog updated. Hence, your digital presence will be affected.
How To Test It: Before you finalize any platform, try to take advantage of the free trial if available. Write a demo post and check out all the editing tools. If they don’t feel like you are solving a puzzle or finding your way out through a maze, check this box.
Template Options: Follow Your Brand Identity & Mobile Responsiveness
The next feature to look for in mobile blogging software should be the templates it offers. Select the one that offers a large variety to choose from. More specifically, see if the platform has any templates that exactly match your identity or brand’s persona.
In addition to that, those templates should also be responsive, which means they should be able to change their UI based on the device they are being viewed from.
Why It Matters: Templates that don’t match your blog’s content or your identity may not be able to attract more readers due to the obvious conflict or inconsistent branding. Plus, Google is now going to follow mobile-first indexing so your blog has to look good on mobile devices as well with responsive designs.
How To Test It: Written a blog already? Plug it in and preview it in all the templates that you see fit for your brand. This is the best way to know whether a template makes your blog shine or takes it down the drain.
Free Plan Availability: Make It Your Low-Risk Starting Point
This is especially for you if you are just going to start a blog. You should not have to pay to play right in the beginning. So the next feature you should consider is pricing. A platform or software with a free plan will help you start your dream without any financial pressure.
Why It Matters: A free plan on any mobile blogging software will help you invest more in your content creation and less in just building the interface which comes lower in the priority list of SEO rankings.
How To Test It: You should understand that there are certain limitations that come with free plans. How much storage you’ll get? Can you remove the platform branding from your uploaded blogs? Know what you are working with even with the platforms that don’t charge initially.
Make The Right Choice – Choose The Best Mobile Blogging Software
All of this comes down to your brand’s identity and your preferences. Try to find a balance between user-friendliness, the ability to show your style and the freedom to grow your blog without spending thousands. The platform you choose should be a place where you feel confident to share your thoughts with the world and not a burden that you carry with disdain.
Pros and Cons of Using Self-Hosted Mobile Blogging Platforms
In your treasure hunt to find the best blogging platform, one path leads to the world of self-hosted mobile blogging platforms. Self-hosting is a practice where you run and maintain your own website using a private web server instead of using a third-party service.
If you are not able to find a good hosted platform, then a self-hosting mobile platform may be the best choice for you due to various benefits that simply outgrow as compared to the hosted platforms.
So here is a quick overview of the pros and cons of going self-hosted.
Pros of Using A Self-Hosted Mobile Blogging Platform
Full Control over Content Management System
To have your own space on the internet feels empowering, right? And rightly so, because with a self-hosted blogging platform, you become the captain of your own ship. You get to decide how your blog operates, you choose your own plugins, you code everything yourself and you select the interface.
This kind of autonomy will allow you to customize it to improve your blogging experience with each tool and feature. You will have full control over the content management system and be able to modify it however you like.
Potential Search Engine Optimization Benefits
“Visibility equals opportunity,” as the old digital marketing saying goes. That is exactly what the self-hosted platforms offer – a goldmine of SEO advantages. The hosted platforms are limited and have a lot of constraints one of which is not being able to optimize its backend.
With a self-hosted platform, you can develop the backend of your site yourself and then optimize it for search engines in ways that were previously unimaginable. You can customize your permalink structure, improve your website speed and even access the advanced SEO plugins to help you take your blog’s visibility to the top of Google’s rankings.
Custom Branding and Domain Freedom
Imagine your blog as your own digital real estate you have on the internet. In the self-hosted world, you will have the freedom to construct it as you see fit. You can implement a custom branding that makes your blog unmistakably yours and only yours. And with custom themes and a unique domain name will give you the ability to stand out in the crowded blogosphere. These benefits are simply invaluable.
To be able to choose a custom branding and domain names will make your blog a proper landmark of your niche or business.
More Scalability and Flexibility
As your blog grows, so too will your ambitions. Self-hosted platforms are the fertile soil in which the seeds of your blog can sprout and expand without any limitation at all.
You want to integrate an online store? Go ahead. Wanna add forums or expand into multimedia content? Be your own guest. Your platform will scale with you. This scalability will help you make sure that the sky’s the limit for what your blog can become and offers the flexibility to evolve as your audience and content strategy grow together.
Enhanced Security and Backup Options
This is an era where digital security is everything. So being able to have a control over your blog’s security is an opportunity that should be grabbed with both hands. Self-hosted platforms allow you to introduce advanced security measures with specific plugin installations. Some services even provide comprehensive backup solutions.
This control means you can protect your content and your readers’ information from digital threats and offer them a peace of mind in the unpredictable online world where scamming and phishing have now become rampant.
That’s it with the benefits, now let’s know about the disadvantages as well.
Cons of Using A Self-Hosted Mobile Blogging Platform
Additional Costs for Web Hosting
“Everything has its price,” as the saying goes. And in the world of self-hosted blogging, this couldn’t be truer. For all the hosted platforms, hosting is part of the package when you sign up with them. But with self-hosting, you’re on your own with web hosting costs.
These can vary widely and mostly depend on the hosting provider and the level of traffic your blog usually receives on average. The average cost of web hosting ranges from $2.95 to $24.95 per month and this price depends on the provider and services you have chosen.
One thing to note is that your budget will not only include the initial costs but the potential increases as well as your blog grows with time.
Technical Maintenance and Updates
When you start your self-hosted blogging journey, you’ll also sign up to be the caretaker of your site. This will include regular maintenance, updates and then troubleshoot any issues that come up. No doubt this gives you total control but it also demands a level of technical knowledge or at least the ability to learn.
For some, this can be a rewarding challenge; for others, a hurdle. It’s up to you how you’d handle this technicality.
Time And Efforts To Learn About Features
“Knowledge is power,” Francis Bacon had stated and with self-hosted blogging platforms, this can sometimes come with a learning curve.
You’ll have to understand the backend of a website, know about the SEO details and also select the themes as per your brand identity. All of this will require your time and effort.
Responsibility for Security and Data Backups
With great power comes great responsibility. This particularly comes into effect when it comes to the security of your website and the safety of your readers’ data. Self-hosted platforms don’t have any inbuilt security features so you’ll have to implement security measures yourself and make sure that data is being backed up regularly.
One slip can set your website and blog way back if you don’t stay vigilant. This responsibility can become a significant concern especially now when digital threats are ever-present and are getting stronger.
“Do what you love, and the money will follow.” Marsha Sinetar basically couldn’t have said it better especially for the bloggers in our digital world. This is what your ultimate should be, to turn your passion into profit. Let’s know about the avenues through which you can make your blog a very profitable venture.
1. Explore Affiliate Marketing Strategies
Affiliate marketing is where you use the product recommendations in your blog’s narrative in a way that feels natural and genuine. You match the products you love and use them with the content your audience values.
When a reader clicks on one of your affiliate links and makes a purchase, you earn a commission – the process is that simple. Affiliate marketing is simple, relevant and helps make a lot of money if you do it right. In US alone, affiliate marketing is going to hit at least $8 billion by the end of 2024. Huge potential, right?
To go with affiliate marketing, you should join affiliate programs that match your blog’s niche. But you have to be transparent with your audience, let them know how you intend to use affiliate marketing and then integrate those links into your content.
2. Use Advertising Networks
With ads, you can turn your blog into an advertising panaflex and earn every time somebody clicks on them while reading your content. Advertising networks such as Google AdSense, let you set up the ads into your blog.
The best part here is that they find the advertisers while you provide the space. The challenge here is how you’ll be able to balance your ad placement with user experience to make sure that your blog remains reader-friendly.
3. Offer Sponsored Content
Sponsored content makes storytelling meet marketing. You can make money this way if your blog brings in significant traffic every month. Companies then pay you to write articles, reviews or features about their products or services which are then posted on your blog.
This monetization strategy is great to earn quick bucks but you should always maintain a balance between your actual voice, authenticity and marketing the product.
The best way to do it is to partner with brands that resonate with your audience. Sponsored content can help you boost your blog’s revenue significantly.
4. Create and Sell Digital Products
Your expertise and creativity can help you earn via your blog as well. The answer is; selling digital products. eBooks, online courses or downloadable guides, such content that explores the depths of your niche can open new revenue streams for you.
The key to success in digital products is to understand the needs of your audience first and then come up with solutions that address those needs. So when you promote these products through your mobile blogging platform, it will ultimately improve your blog’s value as well.
Comparing the Top Hosted Mobile Blogging Software & Platforms of 2024
Which mobile blogging software or platform you want to choose will ultimately depend on which features you prefer to have in your blog’s journey. And choosing the right hosted platform will eventually become the key reason for the success of your blog.
Let’s go through the best mobile blogging platforms of 2024 that can help you take your blogging experience to the next level with their unique features and benefits.
Best For: Bloggers, especially if they want complete control and lots of customization options.
Features & Interface: WordPress says that it constitutes about 36% of the web. That’s how popular it is. What makes it even more special is that you don’t need a domain name or hosting to start. Simply sign up and choose your blog’s name. In regards to its features, you will get an unlimited bandwidth, password protection, dozens of themes and SEO friendly content structure.
It also has a plugin store with an extensive plugin collection that will help you add almost any functionality to your blog.
Pricing: WordPress.com platform is free. However, if you want your own .com domain without any ads, you’ll need to pay for web hosting. The Starter Plan is $4 per month with a custom domain name and 6 GB storage.
Ease of Use: You’ll have to learn how to add themes, switch between editors and how to get a few other tasks done especially if you are new to website management. However, the interface is not that difficult and you’ll be able to upload your first blog with ease right away.
Best For: Creative people who want design freedom without any complex codes or technicalities.
Features & Interface: Wix is a very decent blogging platform that goes above and beyond with its drag-and-drop interface and makes website designing an extremely simple process for everyone. It has some of the most visually stunning templates that have been customized to match different niches.
What’s more, you can further edit/change them as per your needs to make sure your blog looks exactly how you want it to be.
You can visit this link to start your blog and sign up via your Facebook or Google account as well. Its features include a drag-and-drop website builder, monetization (however, this feature is for paid plans only) and up to 500 MB of data with the most basic plan.
Pricing: Wix offers a free plan for blogging with a Wix-branded domain and ads. Website plans start with the basic level at $4.5/month where you can simply connect your domain and create your website with Wix’s templates. Other plans have more features that include ads removal, free domain for 1 year and custom domain connections.
Ease of Use: It’s an exceptionally user-friendly blogging platform and is especially for you if you prioritize design and simplicity over technical control. However, the content editor does not have the drag-and-drop ability.
Best For: Bloggers and small business owners. Best for you if you want to set up a blog with a simple design and straightforward functionality.
Features & Interface: Squarespace is usually known for its beautiful, designer-quality templates and clean and intuitive interface. It is already a hosted service so you won’t need a server or domain name. Squarespace has built-in tools for SEO, social media integration and e-commerce capabilities along with content scheduling and multiple users.
It also provides the ability to send email campaigns and gives you a comprehensive performance feedback with its site analytics.
Pricing: Squarespace has no free plans, sadly. But its premium plans start from $23/month and offer different features and the scale you need, but it has a 14-day free trial as well.
Ease of Use: Squarespace is very user-friendly. Simply sign up and pick a design to start your blog. A simple interface means you don’t have to make a fuss with plugins or external tools.
Features & Interface: LinkedIn’s blogging platform integrates directly into its social network. This makes LinkedIn stand out from the rest and gives you a way to publish articles directly to your professional network. However, on the downside, it does not have all those customization options that other dedicated mobile blogging software or platforms have.
LinkedIn blogs are absolutely killers are growing your network and to build an industry awareness about any of your products.
On the downside, the blogging interface does not give you the SEO benefits so no optimization options.
Pricing: Free to use. You just have to create your LinkedIn account.
Ease of Use: Incredibly straightforward. No fuss at all with content creation. A simple editor and interface will let you do everything you want with your content.
Best For: Mainly for writers. Should be your top choice if you want to engage your audience while using a straightforward platform.
Features & Interface: Medium is kind of like a social platform. It has a clean and distraction-free interface that makes you focus your energy on writing and reading only. However, you won’t get any personal branding or design options but on the upside, it has a built-in audience that may be eager to know about your stories and insights.
It has a rich editor and provides unlimited bandwidth. You can also monetize your blog if you are a part of Medium Partner Program. Simply start blogging by signing up with your Google, Facebook or Twitter account.
Pricing: Free to publish. But you’ll have to sign up for a partner program to earn money for engagement.
Ease of Use: Perhaps the most straightforward platform if you just want to write and engage with a community. Medium helps you avoid all the complexities of website management.
So now we know which platforms may be the best choice for your blogging needs, now we come to another and equally crucial part – making sure that your content finds its way to readers. So how would you drive traffic towards your content? Let’s find out.
How to Effectively Drive Traffic to Your Mobile Blog?
This part of the blogging journey is what requires your utmost efforts and right strategies if you want to make your writings rewarding and effective. Here’s how you can drive traffic towards your blog using your preferred mobile blogging software:
Implement SEO Strategies To Increase Visibility
The digital world is a sea of content and you have to have a lighthouse of your own to guide the readers towards your own website. Hence, to make the search engines find your blog and rank your content, you’ll have to SEO optimize it first. The top 3 results get 55% of all the clicks, hence SEO is a crucial part of your blogging journey.
Keyword Research: Identify and use keywords into all of your blog posts. They should be relevant to your topics.
Mobile Optimization: In 2023, mobile devices made up 59% of global website traffic. So make absolutely sure that your blog is responsive and mobile-friendly for the audience who use cell phones.
Quality Content: Create valuable and informative content. It should directly address you’re the needs of your audience.
Use Social Media Marketing Tools
Social media is a marketplace where you can find a lot of ideas and content all around. You can use the right techniques to sell your blog and make it shine brightly.
Choose the Right Platforms: Try to focus only on social networks where your target audience is active. If any of the platforms is not bearing fruit, quickly move on to another without wasting any time.
Engage Your Audience: To stay relevant in the rankings, you have to post regularly. Also interact with your followers as much as you can to build a community.
Share Visually Appealing Content: Images and videos are the new norm, so use them to increase your post engagement and shares.
Go For Guest Blogging and Collaborations
Neil Patil says that you’ll earn $6.5 for every dollar you spend on influencer marketing. Guest posting on your favorite and reputable blogs in your niche will help drive traffic back to your website via the backlinks and make your blog earn more. And not only that, it also helps increase your credibility in your field.
Expand Your Reach: Write guest posts for other blogs in your niche to attract a new audience.
Collaborate with Influencers: Work together with other influencers to create content This will attract their followers towards your own content.
Write Engaging Content and Use Interactive Features
Lastly, remember that you have to create compelling content to drive traffic. And if the content is attractive, it will compel your readers to interact with your content. Here’s how you can increase it:
Use Interactive Elements: Use quizzes, polls and infographics. This will make your content more engaging.
Encourage Comments and Feedback: Invite your readers to your content every time you publish your blog post to share their honest thoughts and suggestions.
Update Content Regularly: Keep your blog fresh and interesting. You can do it by consistently adding new posts or updating the previous ones.
FAQs
Can I do blogging from mobile?
Absolutely and now probably more than ever as over 60% of web traffic is from mobile devices. To make use of such an opportunity, many mobile blogging platforms like Medium and WordPress have their Android and iOS apps that make it easy for you to blog directly from your phone.
What is the best app to start a blog?
WordPress and Blogger apps would be a great starting point for you if you prefer comprehensive features and ease of use for your blogs.
Which mobile app is free for blogging?
Blogger and WordPress offer free versions that are perfect to build your blog if you are a beginner.
What blog platform has the most traffic?
WordPress is among the best and most extensively used mobile blogging software that is free to use. You simply have to sign up to start using it.
Does my blog need a domain name?
It’s not something that’s strictly necessary to build a blog. However, a custom domain name would definitely improve your overall professionalism and brand identity.
Which mobile blog platform is best for making money?
WordPress.org (the self-hosted version) gives you a flexibility to monetize your blog content with different options like ads, affiliate marketing and product sales. It also has the ability to integrate many payment platforms.
What is the best free blogging platform for beginners?
Blogger and WordPress are the best choice for beginners to create their own blogs. Both of them are user-friendly and introduce the newcomers to blogging fairly quickly without having them face any complexities.
Can I use my iPhone for blogging?
Yes, many blogging platforms, like WordPress and Blogger, have iOS apps so that you can make your mobile blogging experience seamless and straightforward on iPhones.
Where can I start blogging for free?
Our top choice to create a free blog is Medium if you only want to focus on content instead of designs. However, you can also sign up on other platforms like WordPress.com, Blogger to start a blog for free.
Are blogging platforms secure?
Most reputable blogging platforms have some very good security features like SSL certificates, backup options and even spam protection. But we would recommend that you also follow the best practices for online security like using strong passwords and avoiding unknown third-party plugins.
Yes, mobile blogging software like WordPress and Blogger have Android apps as well which have been designed specifically to help you with mobile blogging.
Which phone is best for blogging?
Phones that have a reliable performance, long battery life and a good camera can be ideal to use for blogging purposes. A good battery life will help you research and write content for your blog website without running up and down to charge it every now and then. A good camera may help you take HD images and videos to use in your content.
The latest models from Apple (iPhone) and high-end Android phones from Samsung and Google Pixel are common preferences for bloggers.
Conclusion
The internet is a web where your blogging site is going to be a thread that weaves through your readers, pulls them towards your brand and provides them with the insights, solutions and information they are looking for. So the right mobile blogging software is the very first step of your creative journey that you’ll take to express your brand or your thoughts. Your choice will affect how you write your blogs, engage with your audience and then eventually turn your passion into profit.
Be it the flexibility of WordPress or the simplicity of Squarespace, each platform gives you a set of features and tools to help you make your blog flourish. It’s up to you now to choose the ones that are suited to your needs and preferences the best.
In the end, always remember that the true essence of blogging lies in expressing yourself in an authentic way so that your words can actually transform the lives of your readers.
Looking into the world of digital branding, it legit feels like a vast digital ocean from the shore. There’s a lot to explore, storms to face and destinations that you have to find. It’s this exciting, yet rewarding journey that will make or break your business in our hyper-connected world. But what will be your ultimate guide on this journey? That’s where a good digital brand strategy and digital branding come in.
The question then isn’t whether digital branding is important but how can a business afford not to prioritize it. So let’s go through this blog and learn how you can create a digital brand strategy for your business for an optimal and exponential growth.
What is Digital Branding and Why is it Important?
Digital Branding Definition
Imagine every piece of content you produce, every interaction you have online, every visual you create. Now group them all together to create a persona, an image or a collective representation. That, right there, is the digital “you” or the online identity of your business, commonly known as digital branding.
It is basically a collective persona of the visuals, content, interactions, and experiences that will ultimately define your brand in the digital realm.
Digital branding has now become the heartbeat of your online presence and is how your brand makes people feel, think and react when they come across your content during their morning coffee ritual.
Digital Branding Significance
It’s common to think of a logo a name or a tagline whenever the word “branding” is mentioned. But digital branding is much more than just a logo, it is a signpost that guides the emotions and psychology of your audience with your business.
The significance of a top-notch digital branding and brand awareness becomes evident by the fact that over 80% of the consumers now go online and conduct a quick research about the product they want to buy to know about its reviews and any competitor products.
This number is only growing with time and hence makes the digital branding the ultimate lifeline of your business.
Impact of Digital Branding On Business Growth
A good digital brand strategy forms the basis of an unforgettable brand for your business that people keep returning to and talking about. And with a solid digital branding, you can drive visibility, improve credibility and start increasing loyalty which in turn pushes your business towards success and achieve its goals.
A study by Lucidpress has shown that a strong digital brand that is coherent and has a consistent branding across all its digital platforms can increase its revenue by up to 23%. And not only that, a well created digital brand helps your potential customers differentiate you from a sea of competitors out there.
A powerful digital brand strategy tells you exactly where you are, where you want to be, and how you’re going to get there.
Key Components of a Digital Brand Strategy
Understanding Your Brand Inside and Out
Before you start your content creation online, you need to know your business and the brand. What are your brand’s core values? What’s your mission? The answers to these questions will set your compass and guide every decision, every campaign, and every piece of content you create.
Your brand’s identity, voice, and personality will slowly but eventually become your flag bearers and tell the world who you are and what you stand for.
Knowing Your Audience like Your Family
Your audience is your best friend on this tedious journey. You have to know who are they and what they need or love. Answers all such questions to know about them.
If possible, and we’d highly recommend it, create buyer personas as they can help you understand the desires and challenges of your audience. That will, in turn, guide you to customize your content and messages to meet them where they are.
Mapping the Final Goals of Your Digital Brand Strategy
Haven’t set any clear, measurable goals yet? Well, you are leaving your home without having any destination in mind which will get you nowhere. So create your goals for your business – concrete, practical goals. Is it increasing brand awareness? Or driving sales? Or just as simple as boosting engagement? No matter what, your goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Steps to Create an Effective Digital Brand Strategy
Well, you won’t be surprised to know that around 60% of the consumers who have internet access simply prefer to buy from the brands they are already familiar with. See how small a window of opportunity becomes for a new entry?
To make full use of it, you have to create an effective digital brand strategy and here’s how you can:
1. Conduct a Digital Audit
First of all, you should know exactly where your brand stands in the digital world. Go through your website, social media, content and online presence. This audit should be your first starting point and should tell you about your strengths to build on and gaps you have to bridge.
2. Define Your Unique Value Proposition
Do you know what makes your brand unique? That’s your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and is the reason customers will choose you over your competitors. It should be clearly evident through every aspect of your digital presence be it the homepage of your website or your social media posts.
3. Craft a Content Strategy
Content is your currency in the digital world, something you use to buy more visibility. A good content strategy goes along with your brand identity, the needs of your audience and business goals you have set for yourself. It should have all the details about what type of content you’ll create, who it’s for and on which platforms it’ll be shared.
4. Optimize for SEO
Visibility is the key to your business being discovered. That means no visibility, no business. So your digital brand strategy should make sure that the content you create and your business website are optimized for search engines as much as possible. Your brand won’t be able to shine like a beacon otherwise.
5. Engage and Grow Your Audience
Building a community around your brand is what your ultimate aim should be. But how would you achieve it? Well, with your digital brand strategy, which should also include how you will increase your engagements, conversations and connections. Utilize social media, email marketing, and other digital channels to foster this community.
Utilizing Digital Channels for Brand Strategy
Choose the Right Platforms
Not all social media platforms are created equal and not all will be right for your brand. So select platforms where you see that your target audience is most active and engaged. Customize your strategy for each platform separately and audience preferences to help increase your brand’s voice and reach.
Use Data and Analytics
Data is your only compass in the vast digital sea. Collect data as much as you can to have an idea about your competitors, market and more.
In addition to that, the analytics tools can provide you the feedback about the behavior of your audience, their content performance and more. Gather and analyze this data to refine your strategy, optimize your campaigns and achieve your goals more effectively.
Stay Consistent Across Channels
Consistency is perhaps the first step you take to build trust and recognition for your brand. Your brand’s visual identity, voice and messaging should stay consistent across all your digital channels. Why because this consistency will help you reinforce your brand identity and create a really strong connection with your audience.
Digital Branding vs. Traditional Marketing: Which is Better?
Let’s break it down, shall we? Well, each one has its magic, its challenges and its features. But as the digital age unfolds, it’s clear that one of these worlds is able to offer paths and possibilities the other can simply never provide.
Let’s settle the eternal debate and explore the basic difference between digital branding and traditional marketing.
Differences between Digital Branding and Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing is the grand old highway of the past. Do you remember those billboards, TV commercials, print ads? They used to reach a wide audience really quickly but without much precision or the effectiveness you wanted them to have.
And then came the era of digital branding. It became the network of streams and rivers that flow into every nook and cranny of our digital lives. It’s personal, it’s direct and most importantly, it allows you to get engaged at a personal level that the old highways and radio can’t match.
The key difference? Connection.
Digital branding doesn’t just shout your message from the roadside. It starts a conversation, builds a relationship and invites your audience on a journey.
Benefits of Adopting Digital Branding Over Traditional Methods
Making use of the digital branding over traditional methods will feel like you’ve traded in your old map for a GPS. It offers real-time insights, precise targeting, and the flexibility to navigate the changing tides of consumer behavior.
There are over 64% of the consumers who want brands to connect with them on social media for them to become more loyal. Right there is the proof of how fast the marketing and consumer world is shifting towards being digital.
Targeted Reach: Digital platforms will allow your brand to target their marketing efforts to specific demographics, increasing the relevance of their messaging.
Engagement and Interaction: Digital branding helps you and your audience with a two-way direct communication. This is what makes them feel valued and heard.
Measurable Results: Online analytics provide instant feedback on campaign performance without any delays so you can tweak your strategies in real time for best results.
Cost-Effectiveness: Digital campaigns are usually much less expensive and more flexible as far as budgeting is concerned when you compare them to traditional marketing methods.
Influencer Marketing in Digital Branding: How Does it Work?
With the rise of digital branding, influencer marketing has also emerged to reshape how brands connect with their audience. This approach uses the credibility and reach of influencers to help your brand’s message reach far and wide and create more authentic connections.
Let’s explore how influencer marketing has now become a crucial part of digital branding.
The Role of Influencers in Digital Branding
Influencers now play a key role in digital branding because they are able to humanize a brand. They bring a personal touch while promoting a brand and share their genuine experiences and opinions with their followers.
They’ve built their followings on being relatable, engaging and trustworthy and hence when they recommend a product or service, their audience listens and accepts their opinions.
This authenticity eventually becomes an invaluable asset for your business and creates a solid trust and credibility for your brand.
Strategies for Implementing Influencer Marketing in Brand Strategy
Choosing Influencer marketing is a carefully taken step that involves planning and execution. Here are some steps to consider:
Identify the Right Influencers
Not all influencers are a fit for every brand. The fit between your brand and the influencer should feel as natural as it can get. Never choose simply on the basis of numbers and reach only. The real difference will be made if the values and aesthetics are shared between the two of you.
An influencer whose persona aligns with your brand can convey your message more convincingly.
Define Clear Objectives
What do you hope to achieve? Have you finalized some goals already? Is it increased brand awareness, an improvement in sales levels or perhaps a more engaged community? Set precise goals as that will helps tailor your campaign for impact. Remember, what you measure is what you can improve.
Collaborate on Authentic Content
Work closely with influencers to create content that resonates with their audience. But during all this time, you have to stay true to your brand message. Authenticity should be at the heart of all content you create to maintain trust and engagement.
Never try to dictate terms. Instead, coordinate and create content that aligns with both the influencer’s style and your brand’s message.
Use Multiple Platforms
Depending on your target audience, use different social media platforms and marketing tactics. Each platform has some unique advantages, like Insta loves to show you the visual appeal. On the other hand, Twitter’s conversational and much more professional in nature. Different platforms serve different purposes and reach varied audiences.
A multi-platform approach can help amplify your message and engage with audiences where they spend most of their time.
Foster Long-term Relationships
Instead of one-off campaigns, try to go for a long-term partnership with your influencers. When influencers become genuine fans of your brand, their endorsements will carry even more weight.
Measuring the Impact of Influencer Collaborations on Brand Growth
The next part is to understand the effectiveness of influencer marketing and measure its impact on your brand growth. But how to do it? This can be done through:
Engagement Metrics: Track likes, comments, shares, and overall engagement on the content your chosen influencer created. High engagement rates would usually mean that the audience liked the content.
Traffic and Conversions: Use analytics tools to measure the traffic that those influencer campaigns have driven to your website. Conversion rates can also show how effective these campaigns are.
ROI Analysis: The last part is to do an ROI analysis. Compare the investment in influencer marketing to the revenue that you generated and calculate the overall return on investment. If the ROI was good, the collaboration was a success.
The Importance of Brand Awareness in Digital Marketing Campaigns
A study says that digitally mature companies make 23% more profit than those who aren’t. And to achieve a high level of digital maturity, digital brand awareness is the first and significant step. It helps you build a relationship with your audience.
Strategies To Increase Brand Awareness Through Digital Campaigns
Use Content Marketing: Create valuable and relevant content that addresses the needs of your audience. Blogs, infographics and videos can help you draw more attention to your brand and make you a leader in your industry.
Optimize for SEO: Make sure your content is seen by search engines. For that, you have to make use of the best SEO practices. Keywords, meta descriptions and backlinks can improve your visibility on search engine results pages where new audience will be able to find you easily.
Engage on Social Media: Use social media platforms to show your brand’s personality. Post regularly and interact with followers to increase your brand’s visibility. Encourage sharing as well as this will extend your reach.
Utilizing Social Media for Brand Visibility
Social media marketing is a powerful tool for to increase your brand awareness in a drastic way. Each social media platform has some very unique opportunities that it provides to help connect with your audience:
Instagram: Great for visuals and behind-the-scenes content.
Twitter: Ideal for real-time engagement and to share industry news.
LinkedIn: Perfect for establishing your brand through professional content.
Facebook: Offers extensive reach. Create community through groups and pages.
FAQs – Your Common Questions
What is Digital Branding?
Digital branding is the process where you use online platforms and digital marketing techniques to build and promote your brand’s identity, values and products.
The main aim is to create a strong, positive perception of your brand among all the online audiences.
What Are Digital Brand Strategies?
Digital brand strategies are plans you make that tell you how your brand will establish and increase its online presence. Developing a digital brand strategy may include content creation, social media engagement, SEO and the use of digital analytics etc.
What Are the 4 Elements of Brand Strategy?
Brand Purpose: Why the brand exists and what it stands for.
Target Audience: Who the brand is intended to reach.
Brand Promise: The commitment the brand makes to its customers.
Brand Personality: The set of human characteristics attributed to the brand.
What is an Example of a Digital Strategy?
An example of a successful digital strategy is Nike’s. They have used social media and apps to engage with their customers. By creating the Nike Training Club app, they offer personalized workouts now and connect with their audience on a personal level. This in turn increases their customers’ brand loyalty for them.
How Global Brands Are Implementing Digital Engagement Strategies?
Global brands like Starbucks for example, have some quite strong and effective digital engagement strategies for their brand recognition. They offer something valuable in return for the personal data of their audience.
Starbucks uses its mobile app to offer personalized rewards for its users to simplify purchases all while gathering valuable customer data.
How Lead Magnets Power Digital Brand Strategy?
Lead magnets, such as ebooks, webinars, or free trials are some of the most powerful tools in digital branding. They attract potential customers and offer them valuable content in exchange for contact information.
This helps you a lot in building an email list as well as improve the trust and loyalty between you and your customers.
What Entails a Brand’s Digital Marketing Strategy?
A brand’s digital marketing strategy includes various components that usually include content marketing, social media strategy, email marketing, SEO and digital advertising.
Each strategy has to be created in a customized manner to reach the brand’s target audience effectively and then convert them into loyal customers.
How to Develop the Digital Strategy for a Luxury Brand?
To develop a digital strategy for a luxury brand, you should create an exclusive online marketing experience that perfectly reflects the brand’s high-end appeal. You can achieve it with high-quality visual content, online services that are personalized for your audience and any exclusive online events or releases.
Conclusion
In our ever-expanding digital marketplace, creating a successful digital brand that resonates with your audience is now much more crucial than ever. And it’s not just crucial but also pretty difficult to achieve because of the stiff competition that’s increasing day by day.
But the solution lies in a strategic digital campaign and an effective social media use. With a strategic approach, you can improve your brand awareness and pull your audience closer for lasting relationships.
Remember, in the digital world, your brand doesn’t just have to be seen – it has to have a good brand experience, be remembered, valued and chosen by your audience. With a solid digital brand strategy, you won’t just compete but set a standard and a space where your brand lives in the hearts and minds of your audience.
The digital world has now become more of a real estate – an extremely valuable space where the content creators are building their own properties of trends and thoughts with every post, video and tweet. So how would you make your own content not only survive but thrive among this plethora of clicks in the content creation industry? The secret, which you may often overlook in a quick rush for likes and follows, lies in having the best business plan for content creators.
This might tempt you to make creating a formal business plan for yourself your very first task. So before you go grab your pen and paper, you should know why a business plan is absolutely crucial for you and how to create a business plan for content creators that makes you innovate, succeed and grow your business. This article will tell you exactly what you need to know to create a successful one, so let’s get started.
What is the Importance of a Business Plan for Content Creators?
You might wonder “Why do I, a creator of videos, blogs, or podcasts, need a business plan to make money online?” We hear you. Because it enables them to have a clear direction, an approach with a proper structure to turn their passion for content into a successful career. Because it actually pays. The University of Edinburgh has found out that entrepreneurs who have their formal plans written down are 16% more likely to achieve success than those who don’t.
Understanding the Importance of a Business Plan for Content Creators
You can imagine your business plan as the heartbeat of your creative journey in the world of content creation. This plan is what keeps you on the right track and pushes your journey forward and makes sure that every piece of content you create takes you a step closer towards your larger goal.
A business plan is the answer to your burning question, “What do I want to achieve with my content?” and gives you a blueprint of how you’ll get there. Without a business plan, you’ll not be as sure enough about what your true objectives are and how exactly to achieve them.
Key Elements to Include in Your Business Plan as a Content Creator
Before starting a content creation business, let’s talk about what goes into this plan. It’s not a one-size-fits-all template but something that demands your creativity. You have to consider several key elements:
What is Your Vision? What’s the big, audacious goal that you want to achieve? This is your mission and the unique value you have to offer.
Who Are You Talking To? One of the most important steps in your content creation journey is to identify your audience. You’re not just creating content for these 7 billion humans, are you? You’re speaking directly to someone. Who are they? What do they care about? Do they even want to consume your content? This understanding will help you shape everything – from the content you produce to the platforms you use.
What’s Your Story? Every content creator has a unique value proposition and you should too. Maybe it’s your unfiltered honesty, your incredible storytelling or your detailed tutorials. This is your ‘why’ – the reason people will come back for more.
How Will You Reach Your Audience? Be it through SEO, social media marketing, or email newsletters, you have to know how you’ll connect with your audience. Your business plan outlines the channels you’ll use and also how you’ll use them to engage and grow.
What’s the Plan for the Money? Let’s be real: creativity doesn’t pay the bills unless you plan for it. Right? So what’s your plan for your business to generate revenue with successful content creation? Will you use ads, sponsorships, merchandise, products and services or something else? Your business plan will tell you how you’ll turn your passion into a livelihood.
See how these factors build the framework to achieve your success? This is what a business plan for content creators actually includes to turn a simple project into your personal achievement.
How Can a Business Plan for Content Creators Help Achieve Your Goals?
A business plan will help you define your unique niche very clearly in the content universe, which is crucial in today’s saturated content market. A business plan pushes you to have a focused approach and create targeted content that your specific audience really wants to consume, rather than creating something that appeals to many and also faces a very fierce competition from others.
This specific content creation will turn your casual viewers into loyal followers and your business plan is what enables you to outline who your audience is, what they care about and how you can uniquely serve them.
Moreover, a well-defined business plan helps you set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Whether it’s reaching a certain number of subscribers, generating a specific amount of revenue or even achieving a particular level of brand recognition, your business plan helps measure your success metrics and change your content strategies as needed.
Without a business plan, you won’t know what to achieve and how exactly to achieve it.
Now let’s get to know how you should create a business plan for content creators and what it should include.
How to Create a Business Plan Template as an Influencer or Content Creator?
Creating a business plan for content creators is just like finalizing the map, the blueprint of your dream house. And you do it before the foundation is poured, right? Similarly, a business plan is made before even you get into blindly creating any sort of content.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail,” Benjamin Franklin’s words sound so true in the context of content creation. So, here is how you can create and map out a business plan that will set your course for success and help in content creation with a lot of finesse and foresight.
1. Conduct a Market Research
Can you imagine starting your journey to a new location without a compass, a map or any guidelines on how to reach there? Well, that’s exactly what diving into content creation without market research is like.
It’s absolutely crucial for you to understand the digital world: who else is driving on the same roads (your competitors), the length of these roads (your market share), and the new lands waiting to be discovered (opportunities). Conduct a thorough market research to find your space in the ecosystem.
What are your competitors good at? More importantly, what do they lack? These gaps are your gold mines and will tell you what else your audience needs in a new content.
2. Identify Your Niche
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in,” is a famous anthem by Leonard Cohen. And in content creation, your niche is that crack. It’s where your unique light shines through and makes you stand out in a crowded room.
Your niche is the specific topic or area of interest that your content will revolve around. Identify it by finding the intersection between your passions, skills and what the audience requires from your content.
If you are able to find a good niche with gaps that you can cover, you have found the big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a vast ocean.
3. Get to Know Your Audience
To know your audience is just like knowing your friends and family. You actually understand their likes and dislikes and you know how to connect with them on a deeper level. So to know your audience, start with demographics, their values, interests, lifestyles and even try to go beyond.
To get the best results, try to engage with your audience, get some feedback and monitor their interactions with your content or on other public forums etc. Remember that the heart of your content SHOULD beat for them, not for you.
4. Define Unique Value Proposition
You have to have something that makes you stand out, right? So your unique value proposition (UVP) is your battle cry. It’s what makes you heard in the noise and becomes the reason people choose you over countless others.
So define your UVP and know what you offer that no one else can. It can be your storytelling style, your expertise or the unique way you engage with your community – could be anything.
With a good USP, you can make a promise to your audience that every piece of content you produce will be well worth their time.
5. Create a Budget and Financial Projections for Your Business
Let’s talk numbers now. A creative project without a financial plan is always going to be a gamble because you won’t know otherwise how much to spend on creating content, advertising it, collaborating with others etc. So map out your budget and financial projections to give yourself control over your content creation journey.
Your planning should include a profit and loss statement, a cash flow statement and also a balance sheet.
6. Plan Your Content Strategy & Content Style Guide
A content strategy and style guide basically outlines what you’ll create, how you’ll create it, when you’ll release it and where it’ll go live. A good strategy helps you avoid throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks and is a crucial part of a business plan for content creators.
So create a content strategy that should have a thoughtful and strategic approach to match your business goals, audience needs and market trends.
7. Write a Marketing & Networking Plan to Promote Your Content
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nobody would even know it fell, right? Similarly, if you create content and no one sees it, does it have an impact? Again, a no.
This is where your networking plan and marketing strategies come into play. Now write down a good, practical and financially viable networking and marketing plan with an actionable table of contents to promote your content and reach new audience. Create a comprehensive plan that should include using social media platforms, collaborations with fellow creators and creating guest posts etc.
These marketing goals can literally amplify your voice in a crowded marketplace and will help you build a community instead of just an audience with good content marketing efforts.
8. Track and Analyze Performance
The only way to know if you’re on the right path is to keep an eye on the map – that is, to track and analyze the performance of the content you have created.
Which posts had the most effect? What times are your audience most engaged? Depending on the performance, you should then edit, change and adapt your content creation and marketing efforts.
Don’t think of this data as just numbers because in actual, it’s the feedback that should shape and change your future strategies and how you make content.
9. Continuous Learning and Growth
The digital landscape, as we have it now, is constantly evolving and so must you as your business grows. Continuous learning and growth should be a significant part of your business plan for content creators. Include some room to master a new social media platform, follow the latest content trends or even improve your storytelling skills because your journey as a content creator will always be about evolution.
Always keep in mind that a comprehensive business plan is not set in stone. It’s a living document that grows as you grow, adapts as you learn and evolves as your content creation does.
Essential Components of a Successful Content Creator Business Plan
Establish Very Clear Business Goals
“Goals are dreams with deadlines,” Diana Scharf once very famously said. For content creators like you, a successful career can only be accomplished if you have set some clear, measurable, and achievable goals. So establish very specific and clear business goals as they will help you measure progress, make informed decisions and keep your content strategy in line with all the modern trends and requirements.
Define Revenue Streams for Your Content
This digital era has unlocked a lot of ways for you to monetize your content. Sponsored content, affiliate marketing, subscription services, digital products, there are so many revenue streams you can now choose from. According to a report by Kajabi, the most successful content creators have on average 3-5 streams of income.
So define your revenue streams in your business plan as they will make sure that you know how your content will generate income and how you can improve it further.
Key Steps to Take Care Of In a Business Plan for Content Creators
Choose the Right Type of Content for Your Business Plan
For all the influencers and content creators out there, content is never one-size-fits-all. The right type of content for your business plan will primarily depend on your strengths, the interests of your audience and the current market demands and trends. So choose the right type of content for your business plan for content creators that your audience will like and engage with.
It could be long-form articles, funny content for social media, quick tutorials, in-depth video content or even some engaging infographics.
Use Social Media Platforms in Your Content Marketing Plan
Social media platforms are the perfect stages for you to perform and attract your audience quickly. Plus, there are more than 5.1 billion active social media users in the world right now.
Each platform has its unique audience, language and content preferences. For example, Instagram is perfect for visual content, Twitter is great at witty, concise tweets in a few words. So use them to your advantage to grow your audience and understand how they work. This can increase your reach and engagement and play a huge part in your success.
Include High-Quality and Engaging Content in Your Business Plan
In the end, the quality of your content is what sets you apart. High-quality content that is also engaging is what your audience is always, and we mean ALWAYS looking for. Content that resonates turns viewers into followers, followers into fans and fans into customers. So create content that helps reach your target audience, captures attention and also adds value to your community. This commitment to quality should be and actually is a top priority in a business plan for content creators.
FAQs – Your Questions about Business Plan For Content Creators
Q: How do I create a business plan for content creators?
To write a business plan, start with a clear understanding of your goals, know your audience clearly and what makes your content unique. Research your market, finalize your revenue strategies, content plans and marketing approaches. This is all that your business plan should include.
Q: Are content creators and influencers the same thing?
Influencers mostly have a huge following and the power to affect purchasing decisions. They may also have a different business plan as an influencer. Other the other hand, content creators focus more on the art, education, or entertainment part of their content that is not affected by their follower count.
Q: What to study to become a content creator?
No, formal qualifications are not a prerequisite for you to become a content creator. All you need to have is passion, creativity, consistency (a crucial trait) and the ability to connect with your audience. That’s what will ensure your success.
Q: Do content creators need an LLC?
It’s generally not required and most of the content creators don’t have an LLC. However, an LLC can provide you a legal protection and potential tax benefits. It separates your personal assets from your business and gives your brand the security as it keeps growing.
Q: How do I write a content creation plan?
A content creation plan tells you what you’ll create, for whom and how often you will create it. It includes content themes, formats, distribution channels and the metrics of your success.
Q: How much do content creators make?
Profitability is never hard and fast but varies a lot. How much content creators can earn depends on their niche, audience size, engagement and above all, monetization strategies. Most of the content creators make a modest income that can go up to $10k to 50k per year. On the other hand, others generate significant revenue that can go beyond millions of dollars per year.
How Can ContentERP Improve a Business Plan for Content Creators?
ContentERP is our groundbreaking and pioneer content management software that provides you a suite of tools to help you manage your niche blog website and streamline your entire content creation process, from brainstorming to generate ideas to publication and analysis.
Here’s how ContentERP can make a difference in your content creation business plan:
Get Insightful Analytics: Unlock the secret to what your audience loves with in-depth analytics.
Streamline Your Scheduling: Plan and then schedule your content in a very effortless way.
Track Your Performance: Measure your success with real-time data.
Save Time: Automate tasks and focus more on creating new content.
See how ContentERP simplifies your process and helps you understand your audience better, and boosts the impact of your content? All these factors will push you and your team to become much more productive as well.
ContentERP leads the list of the best content collaboration tools. So are you ready to take your content creation to the next level? Sign up today and start your journey towards ultimate success.
Conclusion
Coming to a conclusion, we have now seen that creating a business plan for content creators is never just about posting your favorite videos, tweets or blogs creatively. It also includes a lot of strategic planning and a very careful execution of those plans.
So identify your niche, find your audience, plan your content strategy and start firing away. Make sure that you have included your marketing plans and room for growth and evolution in your business plan as well.
With ContentERP, you can say goodbye to the complexities of planning, analytics, scheduling and financial management. It will give you the freedom to focus on what you do best – create amazing content that your beloved audience really likes.
It’s time for you to move beyond just creating content. With ContentERP, you will be able to build a content empire very efficiently with solid planning. Let’s start this journey together and turn your content dreams into an ultimate success.
“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything,” Dwight D. Eisenhower once said. And that’s exactly how crucial the “planning” part is for each journey. And this is especially true in the digital world of content creation. 2024 is becoming more and more competitive so content planning is now not just a necessity but has become a cornerstone of success. How, then, can we create a winning content strategy? The answer lies within a well-structured blog content calendar.
Imagine having a crystal ball that not only predicts the future but also allows you to use it to your advantage. A blog content calendar is just that because it helps you create the type of content that your audience actually wants to watch and listen to.
Let’s reinforce the art of content planning with our top 5 secrets to create an irresistible blog content calendar that’ll bring a revolution in your content strategy. Ready? Let’s get started.
Why Is a Blog Content Calendar Your Strategy’s Backbone
The content creation process is never random. You have to plan and organize it properly for it to make the desired impact. Nothing’s more suitable and helpful for content distribution and execution than a well-crafted blog content calendar.
Here’s how it help you in your digital marketing journey:
Strategic Vision
A blog content calendar acts as a strategic map that guides your content creation with precision and a solid goal you want it to achieve. It helps you make sure that every piece of content has a specific purpose and is not thrown at your audience out of the blue without any aim. Hence, it is what perfectly aligns your content with your overall business objectives.
Consistency & Relevance
“Consistency is the hallmark of the unimaginative”. In the blogging world, Oscar Wilde’s quote relates directly to retaining your audience and improving your SEO. A blog content calendar helps you to stay consistent, avoid missing your deadlines and maintain a steady flow of content that then keeps your audience engaged and your blog relevant in Google’s eyes.
The Statistical Advantage of Having a Blog Content Calendar
Consider this: 73% of B2B companies use content marketing, but only 40% have a documented strategy. Those with a developed content marketing plan are more effective. So why are the rest of the 60% companies failing to achieve their digital marketing targets? The answer is simple and straightforward: they don’t have a well-crafted strategy aka a blog content calendar.
In a world where content is king, a content calendar is the throne upon which it sits. It is what helps you take your strategy from ordinary to extraordinary.
5 Secrets to Create an Irresistible Blog Content Calendar
With each passing day in 2024, the art of content planning is becoming more and more critical for the success of any blog. So how to create a blog content calendar that will ultimately help you build a blog that not only ranks high on SERPs but also resonates deeply with your readers?
Let’s tell you about some proven secrets that’ll help you create an irresistible one.
1. Get to Know Your Audience
Imagine you’re crafting content or a product not just for the masses but for someone specific, a friend even. To get it across the line of sales/engagement or whatever your marketing objectives are, you have to hit the sweet spot where what you offer and what your audience seeks align perfectly.
For that to happen, you have to know exactly who your audience is. But how would you identify them?
Dig into the Data
Have you ever sat down and caught up with an old friend? Using the past data you have on your audience to know about them is almost similar. What do they like? What have they engaged with in the past? For instance, a whopping 56% of bloggers see social media as their top traffic source.
This stat is a game-changer, right? It tells you what you have to do and which platforms to target and mediums to use to know your audience.
Feedback is Gold
Direct feedback, be it surveys or social media interactions, can give you insights no amount of guessing ever can. You have to ask, listen, and then act on what your audience tells you. That’s the only way to succeed in your objectives when you are about to create a blog content calendar.
If they want funny content, give them something hilarious to remember. If they want data driven podcasts, cater to that need.
2. Set Your Content Goals & Style Guide
Now, just like you plan for a journey before you undertake it, you finalize your content goals and style guide in a similar way. You wouldn’t set off without knowing your destination, would you? So here’s how you come up with specific goals and style guide that your blog content calendar will help you achieve:
Be SMART About It
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound – these are what your goals should follow. Be very specific about what you have to do, how and when. SMART goals will help you achieve at least 10 times more than any generic goals. Don’t just shoot in the dark without any set objectives as it would only frustrate you while your resources go to waste in failure.
For example, a casual goal could be to increase your blog traffic. However, setting a target to increase it by 505 within the next 6 months would be a SMART goal. Notice the difference in how the SMART goal is more specific, measurable and bound by time?
Align with Audience Needs
Your style guide and goals should reflect exactly what your audience is looking for in your content. Your content should solve the problems of your audience, answer their questions and provide them with some real value. By doing this, you will make sure that your content attracts their attention and keeps them loyal to your brand.
Your style guide should have a similar tone, quality and consistency across all your content types for your audience. That way, they will know what to expect from your content.
3. Conduct a Content Audit
“Audit” might sound like a really tedious task but it’s actually a kind of treasure hunt. In a content audit, you have to see what content gems are still working and which of your past pieces don’t reflect your current strategy or audience’s interests. The main purpose of auditing is for you to identify the areas in which your content can improve
Make a Spreadsheet List
First of all, create a spreadsheet and list all your content pieces there that includes the URL, title, publish date and other info. This will give you a clear view of what you have. Catalog your content as much as you can. What topics have you covered? Which ones have never been updated?
Analyze and Refine Your Content
Look at how each piece performed. Did it engage your audience? See which posts have the most engagement or conversions. Use your findings to refine your content strategy. Identify the content that you should update/evolve.
Delete the irrelevant ones if you don’t need them. Maybe there’s also a topic that you have never written about or a content format your audience loves, so follow them to create something new.
Your audit will tell you what you have to do at present and in the future for your content to remain relevant and engaging. Here’s our tip: Keep auditing your content regularly over its whole content management lifecycle to keep it fresh and relevant.
4. Brainstorm Content Ideas: With Your Audience Feedback
Did you ever simply sit down for coffee with a friend and just… talked? Well, that’s exactly how brainstorming any new content ideas for your blog content calendar should feel like. Now is the time to come up with something that your audience needs, almost as if they’re right there with you.
Use Public Platforms to Know Your Audience’s Needs
Start with what’s already out there. Platforms like Quora, Reddit and even the comments section on your blog or social media can tell you a lot about what your audience likes or not. What are the problems that they’re facing? What challenges are they trying to overcome? Put all of these pieces together to help you see the bigger picture and then create content that addresses these pain points.
Conduct A Good Keyword Research
One of the best ways to generate some new content ideas is to go for a keyword research about topics you have in mind. Tools like Ahrefs or Google’s Keyword Planner will help you understand what your audience is searching for.
Did you know, for instance, that long-tail keywords can improve your conversion rate and relevance to your target audience? So by using such keywords, you can attract more traffic to your site and sell more.
Find Content Ideas on Social Media
Social media isn’t just for scrolling, mind you. It’s a goldmine for content ideas for those who are willing to explore it. Keep an eye out for trending hashtags or topics that can tell you about your next topics. A thread or a trend that matches your content goals and brand can be converted into a blog post or video to attract more traffic towards your website.
5. Create an Editorial Blog Content Calendar
An editorial calendar is a tool that will help you plan and organize your blogs and their topics/keywords well in advance. It works as a scheduler and your content roadmap. It includes the title, publish date and the outlines of the content you have to publish and when.
Here are the steps you should follow to create one:
Start with a blank calendar
For this purpose, you can simply use a spreadsheet, a dedicated editorial calendar tool or even a physical calendar to create your editorial calendar. Just make sure that you have enough space to add all the details about each post, such as the title, topic, author and due date.
Add key dates
Now add all the important dates without leaving any behind. Include all such days like public holidays, events etc. This way, you will be able to make sure that you don’t miss any important deadlines.
Brainstorm topics
Remember the ideas you collected from your audience research and content audit? Now is the time to create a list of new blog topics using them all. And while you are finalizing your topics, you’re your focus primarily on what your audience wants to read about, what’s currently trending and what topics you haven’t covered yet.
Assign topics to dates
Once you have created some new topics, now is the time to assign them specific dates on your editorial calendar when you will create content on them. Here’s a pro tip: try to balance the topics so that you have a mix of evergreen and timely content.
Fill in the details
Now add all the remaining details that you had left behind earlier such as the author, target keyword, and due date for each post on your editorial calendar.
Pheww… There you go with how to create an irresistible blog content calendar. But wait, there’s more – much more. We have saved the best for the last. Keep reading.
Make Content Creation Feel like a Breeze with ContentERP
Content creation is much more hectic and time consuming than you think. Endless spreadsheets, messages being sent on various communication channels, keeping up with your team while you follow your blog content calendar – it’s nothing less than mental exhaustion. That’s why we came up with an ingenious solution: ContentERP.
ContentERP is your all-in-one content management tool. It simplifies your workflow and brings everything from keyword research to content publication all in one place. With ContentERP, you can organize and assign tasks to your team in real time without wasting hours and hours. This will help your team become more productive and achieve a smooth and uninterrupted content flow.
Some of the key features of ContentERP include:
Streamlined content creation process – from keyword research to publishing.
Team management with role assignments.
A “Drip-Fed” content system for a steady production.
Centralized management for multiple niche sites.
In-built keyword research tools.
Insights and analytics for tracking team performance and financial metrics.
Chrome Extension for easy time tracking and payroll management.
So, say goodbye to the mess and hello to organized, stress-free content management with ContentERP. It’s less of a tool and more of a partner that will help you on your way to success in the content world.
Conclusion
Your creativity and consistency are the foremost qualities you’d require to succeed in the digital world with a top-notch blog content calendar. It should be a very strategic approach that’s supported by good planning, detailed analytics and an understanding of your audience’s needs.
This is exactly where ContentERP shines. It gives you the clarity and efficiency you so need to achieve those content marketing goals. With ContentERP, you will be able to optimize your content production process and succeed in your industry like no one ever did before.
This blog shows us that the path forward is clear: you have to fulfill the needs of your audience in order to achieve your marketing goals with a blog content calendar. And the power of ContentERP is what will help you to face the challenges and make use of all those opportunities of content marketing in 2024.
Have you ever wondered why most of the bigger brands keep thriving for decades? No? Well, it’s never just the quality or innovation that keeps them on top – it’s a well-organized, well-crafted marketing plan. In this era, simply writing a good marketing plan table of contents and being done with it is never enough. Instead, you have to have a proper roadmap and a plan to tell a story of your brand in a way that you can achieve your goals.
Imagine sitting down for coffee with your audience, listening to their pain points, understanding their needs, and only then creating a plan that feels like a conversation with them, not a sales pitch. That’s what we’re aiming for in this guide – create a solid table of contents for your marketing plan.
Ready to take a look at how success works? Let’s get started.
How to Create an Irresistible Marketing Plan Table of Contents in 2024
Did you know that in the last year, businesses with a clear, data-driven marketing strategy outperformed their competitors by almost 20% in customer engagement and sales? You see, they didn’t just have a marketing plan with some shiny table of contents. Instead, they had a plan that spoke to their audience in a language they understood and appreciated.
So, let’s get the cameras rolling for a persuasive executive summary, one that actually sounds practical – the first part of your marketing plan’s table of contents.
1. Executive Summary: A Quick Overview of Your Plan
Think of the Executive Summary as the handshake that introduces your entire marketing strategy. It’s where you make a strong first impression and set your tone for the detailed narrative that’s about to unfold. Here’s what it should include:
Give an Overview of Your Business and Product
Begin with a quick but engaging overview of your company. With businesses spending an average of 11.4% of their total company budget on marketing in 2024, you have to position your company’s role and offerings in this competitive business world right from the start.
Define Your Goals and Strategies
Here, outline your primary marketing goals for the year. For instance, the ad spending of just three industries (retail, consumer packaged goods, and financial services) will be expected to account for over half of the digital ad market.
So you also have to highlight how your digital strategy goes along with this trend – will you be following the same trend or have your own strategy?
Address the Core Problem
You should also be able to clearly define and know the main challenge that your marketing strategy aims to tackle. Considering that 73% of consumers are looking for a personalized shopping experience (Salesforce), your plan could focus on how you intend to meet this demand.
Show Your Unique Value Proposition
What makes your product or service stand out? You should clearly know that. Companies that focus on their customers’ experience grow and make 60% more profit than companies that don’t. See the stark difference? So stress on how your product or solution focuses on this customer-centric aspect.
Summarize Budget and KPIs
A concise overview of your budget and KPIs is extremely essential here. We’ve seen that ROI remains a top priority and KPI for most of the marketers and many of them measure the success of their campaigns through this metric. Will you also use this to track the efficiency of your strategies? The budget also needs to be finalized and costs be mentioned.
Mention Outline of the Plan
Offer a brief overview of each section of your marketing plan. It should just be enough to create the reader’s appetite for the detailed strategies that follow.
And now, onto the business overview.
2. Business Overview: Understanding Your Business Landscape
Imagine your business as the main character in the story of your marketing plan. The Business Overview section is where this character comes to life. It should not just be a dry description of what you do, but instead should tell who you are, what drives you, and how you fit into the larger market of 2024.
Focus On Your Company
Start by setting the scene. What’s your business about? What’s the mission driving your brand? 89% of consumers stay loyal to brands that share their values so it’s very crucial that you define what stands at the core of your business too. Your customers should know about your values.
Explain Your Product/Service
Here, throw some light on your products or services. How do they meet the needs of the current market? From what we have seen, personalized customer experiences are going to be the norm by 2024 so also show how your products or services go along with this trend.
Clarify Market Position and Competitiveness
Where does your business stand in the grand market scheme? The digital marketplace is quickly becoming very crowded and e-commerce sales are projected to hit $6.9 trillion by 2023. Hence it is important for your business’s success that you understand your position and your competitors’ weaknesses.
Describe the Historical Context and Evolution
Tell your customers about the business’s journey. How has it evolved and met the changing market demands? Technology and consumer behaviors are changing quickly, which will push you to show your adaptability in your marketing plan table of contents.
3. Target Market: Knowing Your Audience
When you step into the world of your target market, you enter a new city. You need to understand not just the layout but also the culture, the people, and what makes them tick. In this crucial section, you dive into the art of identifying your audience, going beyond mere demographics to the psychographics that truly define them.
Identify Your Audience
Traditionally, businesses are known to have almost always focused on demographic data – age, gender, income. But in 2024, you have to dig much deeper and understand the lifestyle, interests, and values of your audience.
Why? Because 63% of customers say they only buy products and services that matches values, or ideals. You won’t want to miss out on those 63% then, right? So who is your ideal customer? What are their daily challenges and their digital behavior?
Know the Persona of Your Target Market
This is where you get into the psyche of your market. It generally covers various aspects like attitudes, interests, personality types, and more. For instance, Salesforce found out that 57% of consumers are usually more than willing to share any personal information if they get any personalized experiences in return.
So do you intend to use this important information for your target market’s expectations? How do their values match with your brand? Understand your target market in this detailed manner as this will help you to customize your marketing strategies perfectly so you could connect with your audience.
4. Marketing Objectives: Defining Your Goals
And now we dive into one of the most crucial aspects of your marketing plan table of contents; your clear, achievable goals and objectives.
Set Clear, Achievable Goals
In 2024, you should expect digital marketing to dominate even more. So you have to set clear goals to guide your marketing ship to the shore in the right direction. According to a study by CoSchedule, marketers who set goals are 376% more likely to report success.
Hence, your goals also need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For instance, instead of having a vague and confusing goal like “increase brand awareness,” set it to “achieve a 20% increase in brand mentions on social media by Q3 2024.”
Create Compelling Content
Content is basically the vehicle that will carry your marketing plan to the top of success. So your content should serve your goals no matter what, be it funny, engaging, informative, professional or whatever. As per the Content Marketing Institute, 72% of successful B2B marketers focus on creating content that builds audience trust. Hence, it’s the content that’ll convince your audience more than anything else.
So ask yourself; does your content drive engagement? Does it inspire your audience to take action? Is it boosting your SEO efforts?
To create a very practical and sound marketing plan table of contents in 2024 is in itself a challenge. Effective marketing strategies feel like you are putting a puzzle together. Each piece of that puzzle will represent a different aspect of your brand in the market so they all have to be cohesive and effective. Here’s how they should be created:
Accept the Digital Progress
The digital world is seeping more and more into our daily lives so your strategies need to take advantage of that. For instance, video content continues to be king. And a HubSpot report says that more than 50% of consumers want to see videos from brands. How can your brand use this to its advantage?
Improve Personalization and Customer Experience
Personalization is not just a luxury but a necessity now. We’d already mentioned that 65% of customers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations so how will your marketing strategies fulfill this demand for any personalized experiences?
Go For Sustainable and Ethical Marketing
Consumers are slowly and steadily becoming more and more conscious of their impact on the planet. According to a Nielsen study, 73% of global consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce the impact on the environment. Are you going to follow that growing trend as well in your marketing plan table of contents?
So all of these practices will give you a somewhat vague picture about how you should be sculpting your marketing strategy. There are no hard and fast rules but at least base your steps around your customers and keep the futuristic trends in mind.
And now we move on to what’s going to drive those strategies: finances.
6. Budget: Planning Your Finances
Remember this forever: budgeting is the lifeline of your marketing plan. “Budgets are not financial constraints but rather a reflection of strategic decisions”, and this is so true when you see bigger brands getting something fruitful out of their marketing efforts while smaller businesses keep burning cash fruitlessly just because of their ineffective marketing plan table of contents.
In 2024, your budget is what’s going to clearly indicate your priorities and goals. A budget for your marketing plan will dictate the scale, scope, and potential impact of your marketing efforts.
So, how do you allocate your budget wisely? When deciding on your budget, consider factors like:
Revenue-Based Allocation
Make sure that your budget is a percentage of your revenue. This method will let you grow quickly and see to it that your marketing efforts scale with your business growth.
Goal-Oriented Budgeting
Your budget should follow some specific marketing objectives. What’s your exact goal? Do you want to break into a new market or solidify your position in an existing one? Your financial commitment should follow and reflect these ambitions.
Competitive Benchmarking
Keep a very keen eye on your industry’s standards. Try to get to know much your competitors are investing in marketing and then use this data to form your budgeting decisions. Remember, a well-planned budget is always kept flexible. That’s because it has the ability to adapt to market trends, unexpected opportunities, and all other inevitable factors.
7. Implementation Plan: Putting Your Plan into Action
“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” as John Steinbeck put it. The same is true for the marketing plan table of contents. A top notch strategy on paper would mean very little if it is not implemented properly.
This section of your marketing plan is where you turn your strategy into actions. Consider this a checklist to bring your marketing plan to life:
Assign Responsibilities
Clearly designate who does what. Assigning specific roles and responsibilities will help you dish out a sense of authority and accountability and keep your plan on track.
Establish Timelines
Always, and we mean always set realistic deadlines for each stage of your plan. Never go for something that’s downright or at least obviously unachievable. This will help you keep your momentum going. Moreover, it will also provide a clear roadmap for your team.
Develop a Budget
Assign resources very wisely across various marketing channels. In 2023, digital channels saw a significant budget increase that basically showed how their importance is increasing. So make sure that you are also following those trends and your budget allocation is right on point.
Identify Metrics for Success
Define what success would look like for your brand. Is it increased website traffic, higher conversion rates, or improved customer engagement? What is it? Once you have decided, then choose KPIs that align with your goals.
Create a Communication Plan
Keep everyone in the loop. A good communication plan makes all stakeholders stay aware of progress, changes, and results.
The implementation plan is more of a living document than a simple journey. Be prepared to change it and adapt as you gather data and insights. In the words of Bruce Lee, “Be like water.” Your ability to adapt will ultimately decide the success of your marketing plan.
8. Evaluation and Control – Improving the Strategy
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results,” Winston Churchill once wisely said. And look at how true he is when we see that results are probably everything that actually matters in a marketing strategy.
The Evaluation and Control section of your marketing plan makes sure that your compass (your KPIs) is working perfectly well and you’re still on course towards your destination (your marketing goals).
How do you know if your marketing plan is working? It’s all in the metrics. So include:
Regular Performance Reviews
Try to evaluate your strategy and your marketing activities on a regular basis. Are they yielding your set or desired results? Are your content collaboration tools working in unison as well?
KPI Tracking
Keep a close eye on your Key Performance Indicators. Do they follow any of the success metrics you had set?
Feedback Loops
Create channels for feedback from all stakeholders. This could include (but is not limited to) customers, team members, and partners.
Remember that the goal of evaluation and control is not just to measure success but also to identify areas for improvement.
Examples of Success with Great Marketing Plan Table of Contents
“Success leaves clues,” Tony Robbins famously said. So when you are creating your marketing plan table of contents, one of the best ways to succeed is to learn from those who have already mastered the art.
Let’s look at some real-world examples of effective marketing plan structures.
Handled’s Growth with HubSpot
Handled is a company that specializes in moving and home services. They experienced remarkable growth by using HubSpot’s CRM from zero to 121 locations. Remarkable, isn’t it?
But there was a solid reason behind it all – a customer-first strategy. Handled focused their marketing strategy and plans on solving customer problems efficiently with the help of HubSpot’s tools and that’s what took them to the pinnacles of success.
The case study shows us the value of having a strong goal and then achieving it by using any suitable system or roadmap to manage customer interactions and streamline operations, hence resulting in a huge success in a short period.
Converse’s Instagram Engagement
Converse is an iconic shoe brand. They also achieved an extraordinary engagement rate on Instagram that was significantly higher than its competitors, including Nike.
Specifically, they had an organic engagement rate of 1.79%. This was over 15 times higher than Nike’s.
Woahh, right?
And this success was all due to their strategy that included collaborating with influential creators and artists, such as Tyler, the Creator. One of their posts promoting a new collaboration shoe got over 183,000 likes in just a few weeks.
Converse’s approach shows us how effectively they used influencer marketing and creative collaboration as the focus of their marketing strategy on social media platforms.
So you see, most of the success stories we see are based on having solid plans and revolutionary SaaS softwares to complement those efforts.
Now, we are going to introduce you to another groundbreaking and innovative content management software that’ll help your marketing plan table of contents to be much more effective and practically viable.
ContentERP – Your Personal Assistant and Guide to Ultimate Success
Creating a killer marketing plan feels like putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle, right? It’s delicate, detailed, and you really need to see the big picture to make it work. This is where ContentERP shines. It’s like that friend who jumps in and helps you sort the puzzle pieces – in this case, your content.
But how exactly?
Well, with ContentERP, all those bits and pieces of managing content – from brainstorming ideas to searching for keywords to hitting the publish button – come together seamlessly.
You’ll be in the pilot seat of the control tower for your content strategy, have a clear view of what’s happening and know exactly where you’re heading.
Streamlined Workflow: Organize everything from keyword research to publication in one intuitive platform.
Enhanced Team Collaboration: Easily assign tasks and monitor progress, keeping your team perfectly aligned.
SEO Mastery: Leverage advanced tools for keyword research and analytics to elevate your content’s search engine ranking.
Customized for Niche Sites: Specifically designed for managing multiple niche websites with ease.
If you’re ready to improve your marketing plan and transform the way you handle content, ContentERP is waiting to be your partner in this journey.
Conclusion
So in our journey through the art of creating an irresistible and a practically viable marketing plan for 2024, we’ve seen that setting clear objectives and then implementing those strategic actions is all that matters the most. Each element plays its crucial role in shaping a responsive marketing plan that’s bound to deliver results sooner or later.
As we’ve also noticed, the success of such a comprehensive plan often revolves around effective content management. And this is where ContentERP becomes an invaluable ally.
So, as you’re plotting out your marketing plan table of contents and thinking about how to make your content stand out, remember ContentERP not just as a tool but your strategic partner in bringing that plan to life.
Think less chaos, more clarity. Less stress, more success. That’s the ContentERP way. So sign up today and start running towards bigger accomplishments.
Imagine scrolling through your feed, and there it is – a post that makes you chuckle. That moment of laughter? You are going to remember that for some time. But how to create funny content for social media that sticks and why should we even care about creating it? Well, it’s all about making connections and leaving your brand’s lasting impression.
Laughter, they say, is the best medicine, and in the world of social media, it’s also the secret sauce for your brand going viral. So if you want to use that laughter on social to improve your brand’s appeal and reach, you are in for a treat as in this in-depth guide, we’ll explore the top 20 strategies and techniques that experienced content creators, like us, use to create absolutely hilarious social media content.
Let’s get your audience smiling now, shall we?
Why Create Funny Content on Social Media: Here Are 6 Main Reasons
Humor is like that person at the party who knows just what to say to break the ice. It’s approachable, relatable, and, most importantly, memorable. When you include it in your social mediacontent, you’re not just posting; you’re engaging. So as a digital content manager or creator, here’s why you should know why to create funny content:
• Laughter Is Your Free Marketer
It’s simple. People love to laugh. Humor can turn your brand from just another name in the crowd into someone’s go-to for a good time. And when people find something funny, they want to share the joy. Research shows that humor can increase content sharing by up to 43%. That’s absolutely free marketing, folks!
• Funny Posts Are an Engagement Goldmine
Let’s be real, who doesn’t want more likes, shares, and comments? You must have noticed that most of the content your friends or family share in the groups is humor, right? So humorous content is like a magnet for engagement. It’s the kind of content that makes people hit ‘share’ and say, “You’ve got to see this!”
• Humor Helps You Stand Out
You would hate your audience to scroll past your posts without any interactions. In the vast ocean of social media, being funny is like having a bright, colorful sail and floodlights all around your ship (your social media page). It makes you stand out. When your content is funny, it sticks in people’s minds, makes them stop and induces an emotional response as well. That’s the kind of brand recall we’re all chasing after.
• Funny Posts Humanize Your Brand
Imagine your brand as a person at a party. Would you rather it be the one standing awkwardly in the corner or the one everyone’s gathered around, laughing with? Humor adds that approachable, relatable human vibe to your brand, making it feel more like a friend with true emotions. Nobody wants a robotic brand that follows a specific marketing guideline without any emotional input.
• Humor Grabs More Attention
In a world where our attention span of 8 seconds is competing with goldfish, being funny is like having a secret weapon. It’s the thing that makes people pause mid-scroll and think, “Okay, this is interesting.” Your funny social media content can have the capacity to capture that attention in this narrow window to make your message stick.
• More Engagement = Increased Brand Awareness
When your content is funny, it’s not just seen; it’s shared. When people share your funny content, they’re not just sharing that specific content but also sharing your brand. Every chuckle and share has a ripple effect and spreads your brand further into the vast ocean of social media. This makes humor a key player in improving brand awareness.
So, let’s keep this light and fun as we explore how to sprinkle some fun into your content and watch your brand’s popularity soar. Ready to tickle some funny bones? Well, the very first step is to know your audience.
Understanding Your Audience Is the Key to Go Viral
Let’s talk about getting to know your audience. The legendary comedian George Carlin once said, “The caterpillar does all the work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity.” In social media, your audience is the butterfly. You’re the caterpillar who is working hard to create content they’ll love.
Understanding your audience is absolutely crucial because, according to McKinsey’s research, 71% of consumers prefer personalized content so you’ll have to match their preferences to hit the right spots.
1. Know Their Preferences
Find out what your audience laughs at and research about their interests. Are they into dad jokes, puns, or maybe satirical humor? Note it down in your content style guide.
Pay attention to the comments and shares. What type of humor are they reacting to on your and other similar pages (like your competitors or any closely related services)?
2. Age Matters in Humor on Different Platforms
Different age groups always have different humor preferences, keep that in mind. This study by Pew Research Center shows how people of different ages use all these social media platforms. This could give you a clue about the type of humor that resonates with each type of audience on each platform.
3. Cultural Sensitivities
Humor can be a slippery slope so always mind your boundaries. Keep yourself aware of cultural sensitivities and avoid humor that might offend any group in your audience.
Understanding your audience’s humor preferences helps you not just get more likes but also create a deep, understanding connection. When you hit that sweet spot of humor that your audience starts liking, your brand will become a part of their daily dose of joy and they’ll keep returning to you for more.
Next, we’ll explore the art of how to create funny content for social media and then easily and seamlessly integrate it with your brand message.
Here’s How to Create Funny Content for Social Media: 20 Practical Tips
Alright, let’s dive into the world of creating funny social media content with some examples and facts, the human way. Here are our tried and tested 22 tips to help you create funny content for your social media. You can also integrate it in your YouTube content strategies as well.
1. Ask Yourself WWJD? (What Would Jerry Do?)
Think like Jerry Seinfeld. He’s the king of finding humor in daily life. For instance, ever noticed how people talk louder on their cell phones? It’s like they’re trying to project their voice into space! That’s pure observational gold. Your social media could do the same – pick up on these everyday twists and then create something funny out of them in a very intelligent manner.
2. Keep It Clean
Clean humor has wide appeal. So you have to make sure that your content is inclusive and doesn’t alienate any part of your audience. This approach will ultimately make your brand more approachable to a wider audience.
Take Oreo, for example. They keep it light and family-friendly, and it works! They gained massive attention with their quick-witted “Dunk in the dark” tweet during the Super Bowl blackout in 2013. It was simple, clean, and brilliantly timely.
3. Poke Fun at Yourself
Self-deprecation is a charm. KFC’s “FCK” apology campaign in 2018 after running out of chicken is a classic. They acknowledged the blunder in a way that made everyone chuckle and sympathize. And that happened during the time when #KFCCrisis and #KFCClosed were among the leading trends on Twitter.
4. The Best Humor Comes Naturally
Don’t force the funny. You have to let the humor flow organically from your brand’s personality and messaging. Avoid forcing jokes. They might come off as insincere otherwise. All big brands that connect with their audience use humor that feels effortless and genuine, not scripted.
5. Write With Your Audience in Mind
Plan and then execute your humor to your audience on social media. You first have to understand your audience’s humor preferences. What do they find funny? Tailor your content to match their sense of humor.
6. Avoid Offensive Humor
Keep it respectful. Remember, what’s funny to one person could be offensive to another. Stay sensitive to cultural, racial, and gender sensitivities. Inappropriate humor can damage your brand’s reputation. Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” campaign is a great example of using humor thoughtfully. It shows us a classic example of how you can convey a positive message without crossing any lines.
7. Use Observational Humor
Ever noticed how everyone becomes a parking expert when there’s a tight spot? Observational humor is all about noticing and commenting on everyday life’s issues and happenings like that. For your brand, this could be about any industry-specific twists or general life truths that everyone can directly relate to.
8. Keep Your Jokes Short
In the social media world, conciseness is our best bet and a sure short way to success. So short, snappy jokes tend to perform better. Think of Twitter’s character limit as a challenge: how can you make someone laugh in 280 characters or less? Think of it like a tweet-sized stand-up routine. Look at the success of different brands that often use quick, witty comments to engage their audience.
9. Embrace the Impossible
Don’t be afraid to be absurd, normal, or even unreal. Sometimes the funniest content is the most unexpected. Old Spice is a great example. Remember their ad (from 13 years ago that has accumulated a whopping 60 million+ views.. woahahh) where a man’s background transforms from a bathroom to a boat to a horse? Absurd, yes, but it caught everyone’s attention. And I can see people commenting on the video even now.
10. When in Doubt, Use Memes
Memes are a universal language on social media. They’re relatable, timely, and easily shareable. Look at how brands like Netflix use memes (like this one. Made you chuckle, right?) related to their shows to engage with audiences in a light-hearted way.
11. Include Surprise Humorous Elements
Unexpected humor can be highly effective. This could be a twist in a story, an unexpected punchline, or a quirky take on a common situation. The element of surprise can make your content more engaging and shareable. Think of a plot twist in a movie but in a tweet or a post.
12. Turn Cliches into Something New
Recreating and giving the cliches a twist can make for great humor on your social media. This usually involves taking a well-known phrase or concept and giving it a unique twist that aligns with your brand voice. For example, you can take “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” and turn it into “An apple a day keeps anyone away if you throw it hard enough.”
13. Edit Videos for a Funny Impact
The way you edit can significantly improve (or degrade, for that matter) the humor of your content. Fast cuts, unexpected transitions, or humorous captions can make a big difference but only if you have done them right. Look at how trending TikTok videos often use quick edits and visual effects for comedic effect.
14. Define Your Type of Comedy
Imagine if your brand were a comedian. Would it be more of a dry, witty Stephen Colbert or a slapstick, a physical comedian like Chris Farley? This will help you set a specific tone for your humor and not wander around looking for bits and pieces for ideas.
15. Write an Amusing Video Script
Think of a short script where your product solves an unexpected problem in a hilariously exaggerated way. For instance, an automobile brand could show how a driver, who’s feeling sleepy while driving, could use the car’s comfortable reclining driver seat to stop and take a nap and then start racing like Formula 1 drivers (now don’t implement this one). Think of any similar scenarios to have an out-of-the-box post.
16. Don’t Oversell the Comedy
Subtlety can be your best friend, so don’t oversell anything. If your humor feels forced, it’s less likely to resonate. So don’t keep focusing regularly on just a few points and diversify your ideas to give a new angle to your funny content.
17. Stay on Top of Social Media Trends and News
Everyone loves to jump on the bandwagon nowadays (or to stay updated if we say it in a civilized manner). Imagine taking a chunk off a popular meme or challenge but with a twist that relates to your brand. For example, doing the #BottleCapChallenge but with your mascot struggling hilariously to unscrew the cap.
18. Add Voice Over to Streamline Video Production
Think of a video showing regular office life but with a Morgan Freeman-style voiceover narrating it as an epic adventure. That’ll give your audience not just a regular idea of your work life but also convey it in a way that will make them remember it for a long time.
19. Try Different Ways to Make Funny Content
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different formats, whether it is memes, videos, or witty text posts. Play around with formats. Videos not working? Try creating GIFs. Not working either? Go with witty polls.
20. Edit Videos for a Funny Impact
Fast-forwarding ordinary, dull tasks, or adding humorous sound effects like boings and pops to regular actions can create a comedic effect. Imagine a video of a tech hardware company who are showing someone typing furiously with typewriter sounds escalating to absurd speeds to show the sturdiness of their new keyboard, or a new restaurant showing its customers having meals with loud, appetizing crunching sounds to reinforce their classic, popular taste.
Each of these strategies will help you understand your audience and what makes them tick. You can then use that knowledge to create social media content that’s not just funny, but also engaging and shareable.
Now let’s see how timings and trends can affect your funny content creations on your social media.
Uploading Funny Content on Social Media: Timings & Analytics Are Everything
The world of social media is fast-paced and ever-changing. To create funny content that your audience will actually like, it’s crucial for you to understand the dynamics of timing and following trends.
• Monitor Any New Trends and Cultural Updates
How would it feel if you were the cool kid who always knows the latest dance craze? That’s what you’ll become for your audience if you are following and using the latest trends to your advantage while creating funny social media content. However, the trick is to do it in a way that feels natural and not like you’re trying too hard to simply jump on the bandwagon.
• Take Care of Timing in Uploading Funny Content
This is about knowing not just what to say, but when to say it. For humor, timing is crucial – a well-timed joke can be the difference between a viral hit and a dud. Recall how you’d tell your jokes at a party. You’ve got to read the room and deliver it at just the right moment instead of whispering it when nobody’s listening or the topic has changed.
• Analyze the Metrics & Engagement to Go Viral
This is where you become a bit of a detective. Look at how people are responding to your jokes. Are they sharing it? Are they tagging their friends? This feedback is your gold. It tells you what’s working and what’s falling flat. Start focusing more on what’s more engaging and extracts more likes and shares.
• Keep Refining Your Humorous Content Strategy
Based on your findings, tweak your approach to perfection. Maybe your audience loves dad jokes, or perhaps they’re more into sarcastic humor. It’s like adjusting your recipe based on taste tests – a little more of this, a little less of that, until you get it just right.
Noted it all down? Let’s now get to know what you should NOT do while creating funny content for social media so your brand avoids any stumbling blocks along the way.
The 6 DON’Ts of Creating Funny Content for Social Media
Navigating the world of humor on social media can be a bit like walking a tightrope. It’s thrilling, but you’ve got to be careful not to lose your balance. So, let’s chat about the ‘don’ts’ of funny content creation:
1. Avoid Offensive Humor
Offensive humor is like inviting people to a party and then insulting them – not cool. You want to make people laugh, not make them uncomfortable or upset. Offensive humor can backfire spectacularly. It can turn your brand from ‘hilarious’ to ‘insensitive’ in no time and damage your reputation beyond repairs.
Remember, it’s not about what you think is funny but only what your audience will appreciate without feeling disrespected.
2. Steer Clear of Dark Humor Unless…
It fits your brand and audience. Dark humor is a ghost pepper – not everyone can handle it. Telling stories with dark humor at a campfire can be fun for a friendly crowd. But you can’t expect all of your online audience to behave and react in the same way.
Dark humor needs to fit your audience and your brand, or else it could just come off as grim or off-putting.
3. Stay Away from Blue Humor in Most Cases
Blue humor, which includes dirty jokes, is risky for most brands. Unless your brand is in a space where adult humor is the norm, blue humor in your posts will be like serving a steak at a vegetarian party. You have to know your audience and what they’re comfortable with before going forward with it.
4. Be Careful with Irreverent Humor
Never juggle with fire on social media. Yes, it’s eye-catching, but you risk burning yourself. Approach subjects like politics, religion, and serious global issues with extreme caution, or better yet, avoid them altogether. One wrong step and down you go.
5. Be Mindful with Call-Back Jokes
These are great for your regulars but you have to think about the new audience as well. You simply can’t refer to an inside joke in a room full of strangers. Use them, but make sure that your audience is familiar with the context, or provide a quick refresher to bring everyone on board.
6. Avoid Stale Jokes and Overly Narrow Targeting
Reusing old jokes again and again would feel like serving leftovers for a week straight. Would you like to consume it yourself? No? Your audience won’t either. So keep it fresh, and make sure your humor appeals to a broad enough audience. You don’t want to be the comedian that only one person in the room finds funny.
The goal of your social media humor is to make people smile and connect with your brand, not to push them away with humor that misses the mark.
How ContentERP Elevates Your Social Media Humor
Well, what if we tell you that you can have a perfect partner to guide you on your journey to go viral (for the right reasons, of course)? ContentERP can significantly improve your content creation process with its amazing features, like:
Workflow Organization: Streamline your content creation process for consistent, timely humor on social media.
Trend Analysis: Utilize ContentERP’s keyword tools to tap into trending humor, ensuring your content stays relevant and engaging.
Insightful Analytics: Measure the impact of your funny content and refine strategies based on audience engagement data.
Conclusion
The secret sauce to winning hearts (and likes) on social media isn’t just related to cracking jokes blindly all the time. Instead, you have to create content that resonates, that makes your audience laugh and say, “Hey, these guys get me.”
And if you’re thinking, “This sounds great, but where do I start?” – don’t worry, ContentERP has got your back. With it, you’ll have a backstage crew while you’re out there in the spotlight. From organizing your content calendar to keeping track of what’s trending, ContentERP is the sidekick you need in your comedic journey on social media.
So go ahead, give ContentERP a try, and let’s add some more laughter to the world, one post at a time.