There are a lot of evasive terms in the entrepreneurial world. Most beginning business owners can so relate to running back into the loving arms of Google when faced with a word you don’t quite understand. 

Content is one of those that seems straightforward. And yet so many of us confuse the idea of content marketing and content strategy. 

Newbie mistakes aside, using these words interchangeably means that you might be creating more work for yourself and missing out on an incredibly effective system for your business. 

So — what’s the difference between content marketing and content strategy? 

Simply put, content strategy is the framework you use to deliver your content to your audience. It’s all the prep and attention to detail that ultimately (when done with this intention) will create a great customer experience. 

Content strategy includes: 

• Understanding who your audience is (and who you’re creating content for)
• Understanding what it is they expect to see from you 
• The platform and type of content you’ll put out (based on where your audience likes to hang out online and what kind of content they like to engage with) 
• Creating and sticking to a content calendar 

Content marketing, on the other hand, is the content itself. It’s what you do when you create content that meets your audiences’ needs, wants, and expectations so you can begin to build a nurturing relationship with them. 

Content marketing includes: 

• Email campaigns and newsletters
• Long and short-form content 
• Blogs 
• EBooks 
• Social media
• Case studies and testimonials 
• Video 
• Podcasts 
• Webinars
• Infographics 

As you can probably tell by now, you can’t have one without the other. Content strategy and content marketing only work in tandem. 

Now in order to get the best (and most profitable) results possible, it’s best to start with your content strategy. Lay out your plan ahead of time so all you have to do is plug your content marketing to fit it. This will take out all the guesswork and experimentation that so often comes with content creation. 

When developing your content strategy, be sure to answer questions like how often you’ll post new content and what kind of topics you’ll cover. Figuring out what works and sticking to it will save you time, build you a more loyal audience, and, in turn, increase your sales. 

Need help defining your content strategy or implementing your content marketing? Or both? Click here to set up a VIP call with me to come up with the best plan of action for your business.