A documented content strategy is a core business plan component that, once in place, will help you get consistently better results in your content marketing.
Grab this case study of my work with a start-up nonprofit organization. It will give you a great idea of the benefits of investing in a refreshed content strategy!
You know your organization needs content support – it is obvious to you and to your entire team.
Does this sound familiar to you?
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- your system for content creation seems to break down every other week. Staff don’t meet deadlines, then there’s a rush to create last-minute posts that get only mediocre results
- your team still debates who to target with your posts – leaving no team commitment to a target audience and no direct feedback from people about what they are most interested in
- you live in fear of your one good writer leaving – how would you ever replace her?
- communication seems to be an after-thought on everything you do. Only after you’ve planned and launched a new initiative do you start talking about communications. How do we get traction on planning communications into everything we do?
- your communications team is small – and stressed. Something is going to give sooner or later.
- your donor communications feel mostly stale, repetitive, bland and uninspiring – and its’ imperative that you meet your fundraising goal this year!
If you’re NOT SURE just what you need right now, that’s no problem!
When we do a free discovery call I’ll provide quick-action recommendations for where you might start. If it isn’t starting with me on a content strategy, then, I’ll help figure out what kind of help might best serve you right now.
I have been inside a nonprofit organization and a philanthropic organization, and I understand that sometimes you need a empathetic partner to sort thru possible paths and solutions.
The world needs your organization, so, let’s get started!
How I support you to develop your content strategy. First, I listen. Really listen!
I listen – a lot. To you, to your team, to your stakeholders and your donors.
I synthesize what I hear. I find the connection points where the change you want to make in the world dovetails with the change your audience desires to be involved with. I also ask questions!
Together we’ll collaborate on defining the powerful points of connection with your people, and how to ensure these points of connected purpose are what fuel your content strategy.
We consider together how your team can operate from the new strategy. What tools, workflows and commitments will allow them to stay on track with your determined strategy and calls-to-action?
“Wondering if you can fine-tune your organizational brand? Building much-needed support for your mission may mean examining your messaging to get at the heart of who you are as an organization. This is Shelley’s forte. Understanding your organization’s unique strengths is critical to this.
With patience and a combination of listening skills that is rare, Shelley will help you peel back all the layers, to unfold what makes you the strongest advocate possible.
I highly recommend her.”
– Executive Director & founder of DC-based social justice organization
A documented content strategy can answer these questions for your organization:
Do we have useful insights on our audience? Can we get interview data from our users to support our content and platform decisions?
Which audience segment must we focus on in the near term in order to grow our email list?
What content types and topics performs best with our people?
Are we on the right social platforms to connect with our chosen audience?
What tone, approach, voice will be most effective in creating connections with people?
How will our team measure performance once we implement our strategy?
What is our staff process for content creation, review and posting?
How much should we budget for content creation? How is it allocated among people, visual elements, scheduling tools, etc.
What themes will anchor our content over the next 6 months? What calls to action need to be in our content?
Working with me to build your content strategy
We start with a custom onboarding meeting (in person or on zoom) where we’ll get very clear on:
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- What you can expect from the work/process
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- Ensuring you feel confident in your choice to work with me (or decide it isn’t a fit)
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- Get a full understanding of the content clarity process and the benefits
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- Consider the long-term value of the resulting insights and tools developed in the process to your team.
The benefits of investing in content strategy
A user-informed, documented content strategy will be a game-changer for your organization!
Developing your content strategy generally takes between 5-10 weeks, depending on the size of your organization’s digital footprint, the depth of your existing website content, the number of audience interviews conducted and the availability of your team to participate in the work.
While I provide a detailed estimate after we talk, my rate to develop a content strategy in partnership with a nonprofit organization starts at $5,200 (for orgs <$900k annual revenue).
By completing my content clarity process you will:
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- Get clarity on your chosen priority audience and a new approach to all of your content
- Understand what your people value, and how to communicate it effectively
- Be ready to grow a healthy online community of engaged people for your cause
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- Put in place systems to combat content creation fatigue, team burnout and lackluster content performance.
If you’ve never done an organization content strategy, I strongly recommend you consider making the investment!
Please schedule a free 30-minute call with me and we’ll figure out where you can get started!
Find me on LinkedIn.