Creating content for your business and having a kid is surprisingly a lot alike. Both help you grow, and both don’t turn out as imagined if you don’t put in the right effort during the most important parts of the life cycle. 

That’s right, content has a life cycle. It just doesn’t include diaper changes.

Breaking down the content lifecycle into manageable phases makes the entire marketing initiative easier and more effective. Let’s take a look at what to expect when you’re expecting ( 😆 ) a solid content marketing campaign.

Marketing Content Life Cycle in Four Phases

Phase 1: Planning

If you want your content marketing strategy to come to life, you must create a written and organized execution plan. So many business owners want to skip this step, and for good reason: It’s challenging and front-ending most of the work, but that’s exactly the point. Do this and it’s all downhill.

It’s easy to talk about creating content — but it’s another thing to produce quality, engaging pieces for your targeted audience regularly. A plan provides guidance and a handbook. What new parent wouldn’t want that?

Figure out what you want your content to look like. Options include, but aren’t limited to:

  • Blogs
  • Videos
  • Infographics
  • White papers
  • Case studies

Make sure whatever is decided fits with your brand and can be posted online in a strategic way. Set measurable goals for gaining brand awareness, generating leads, or increasing sales. Then plan — well in advance — the topics to cover.

Phase 2: Defining the Workflow

Once those big decisions are complete, it’s time to break them down into manageable tasks. One person can’t do everything themselves. It takes a village! 

There needs to be a process for assigning certain responsibilities so the team can work together. That’s the best way to reach targeted goals. Along with delegation, there needs to be a timeline set to make sure everything runs smoothly. Don’t forget the budget, either.

Once business leaders get the content strategy planned, it’s time for the next phase of life. The fun part of having kids: Creation.

Phase 3: Creating

Playtime! Time to get creative with your content. Have fun writing, taking and editing videos, doing research for white papers, and snapping great photos. 

Too busy running your business? This is often where an SEO services provider comes in. Many business owners will rely on marketing professionals to create and execute their content strategy. 

Phase 4: Monitoring

Once the content is live online, the life cycle is still not complete. It’s still important to monitor and measure the effectiveness of the campaign to see if the goals are being met. That’s the only way you’ll know if the return on investment (ROI) is worth the effort. 

Still, it’s a marathon — not a sprint. Content marketing is a long-term strategy that can produce significant results for your business.