How do you create a content marketing strategy that really works? Let me share an effective strategy that’s centered on your blog. Your blogging creates the core of your strategy. It’s the driving force behind it. In other words, without it, any strategy that you create has no direction and no purpose and no goal.
It’s like a donut. All you do is go around and round and round. But you never get to the center of what you're doing.
The word strategy means different things to different people. That causes problems of its own. Some people mean to plan. Others mean to plan and to implement. And there are some other definitions, but these two are sufficient for what we're doing.
Planning is fine as far as it goes. If you decide that you want to travel from Los Angeles to New York, you have to decide whether to fly, drive, take the train, or go on a very long cruise through the Panama Canal. You have to plan what clothing to take. When you want to leave and when you want to get there. You have to decide how long you intend to be there. Is it for a week, a month, or are you moving there? If you're driving, then you need a map. If you're flying, then you need to figure out how to get from your house to the airport. If you're taking the train, then you probably will need to go online to find out what's available. And if you're planning to take a cruise, then you'll need to contact the company that provides that service.
But, you won't be able to just sit there in your living room, close your eyes, and imagine getting there. Because when you open your eyes, you'll still be in your house, sitting there in your living room. So planning is key, but by itself it's not enough.
In order for your plan to work you have to implement it. You have to do what you decided to do. I know that sounds really obvious, but I wouldn't be saying it if most people did it. The truth is, they don't. They talk about how great it will be when they get there, but they never take the steps that are necessary to make the journey.
You can plan from now until the last day of your life, but if you don't do anything about it, nothing will change. You can have the perfect plan, but if you do nothing, you won't go anywhere. Will Rogers famously said "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
How could that possibly be? It's because there are others who are implementing their strategy and they'll walk right over you. You have to decide if you're going to get going, or become a doormat for those who do.