Planning in content marketing: the structure is crucial!

Planning in content marketing is very often based on channels, formats or "simply filling the editorial plan". However, a solid structure for topic planning is extremely important. In this article, I would like to explain why this is the case and what structure you can / should use to approach planning...

This post originally appeared on Mael Roth's blog in November 2016.

During the (highly recommended) "Content Marketing Practice Days" event, I was asked if I would like to hold a workshop on topic planning." My answer? Of course! After all, it's one of my favorite topics!

I always preach that we shouldn't let ourselves be pressured by a channel, just as little as by a publication rhythm that is quickly established or the format mindset ("we have to do a whitepaper sometimes")... But how do you manage that as a company? It's largely a question of structure.

In my earlier days as a project manager (of various channels and initiatives), I remember this way of thinking very well. And it's completely normal! Everyone wants to do their job well, and if the job is to "set up a blog" or "manage a Facebook page", then you think first and foremost about your task and your channel...

What can contribute to a paradigm shift is a basic structure for addressing the topics that a company wants to cover, or at least have a say in. That is exactly what I wanted to convey in my workshop.

A strategic approach is—as the adjective suggests—long-term planning. If you want to fill a mix of channels, you quickly find yourself chasing an editorial calendar that you fill either spontaneously or during editorial meetings. But often the big picture gets lost in the background. How do our topics fit topics ? Does it all contribute to a big story? What major topics are we actually talking about? How often/regularly?

With the right structure in content planning, you can topics prioritize entire topics and create clarity... Structurally, it is considered best practice to approach planning with the following framework: Core story/mission/vision > subject areas > topics stories > posts.

Stephan Tiersch has visualized this as follows in a blog post that is well worth reading:

Yes, that sounds very abstract at first. I have therefore come up with an example for the workshop participants that I would like to share here:

Experience has shown that planning your content (in whatever form it is created) with this structure has many advantages:

1. Finding ideas is much easier.
2. You think in terms of topic story rather than the channel or format (and thus have better control over the "story").
3. With good tagging and the right tools, it is much easier to look at performance (in terms of the goals defined for the content) qualitatively rather than quantitatively.

Gradually, the roles of team members should also be topics on topics rather than channels or traditional, often "obsolete" departments. I have made the slides from my workshop available on Slideshare and, at the end, I have also shared some lessons learned from past projects. Enjoy browsing through them.