1. Defining your Digital Content
Strategy
Content is king, but it isn’t everything.

2. How do you make sense of
content?
@pearl_higgins

3. Content creation is not
a strategy.
@pearl_higgins

4. Content is not an island.
@pearl_higgins

5. @pearl_higgins
content

6. Contents:
@pearl_higgins
THE
PROCESS
Keyword research
Competitive analysis
Content inventory
Analysis of need states
Content creation
Promotion

7. Step 1- Keyword Research
@pearl_higgins

8. Keyword research starts at
home
@pearl_higgins

9. Free Tools for Keyword
Research
– Webmaster Tools
• search traffic- top queries
– Google Analytics
• acquisition- keywords
– Internal Site Search
@pearl_higgins
• if enabled
– Google Autocomplete
• for variations on a keyword
– Uber Suggest
• http://ubersuggest.org/, and others like it
– Google Ad Tool
• suggested queries

10. Paid Tools for Keyword
Research
– SearchMetrics
– Spyfu
@pearl_higgins

11. Free and Essential Tool: Excel
@pearl_higgins

12. Collect your keyword data across as many
different platforms as possible. The more,
the merrier.
@pearl_higgins

13. Step 2: Competitive Analysis
@pearl_higgins

14. Who are your competitors?
@pearl_higgins

15. Not just industry BUT SERP too.
@pearl_higgins

16. Collect competitor analysis
SearchMetrics & SpyFu
@pearl_higgins

17. Eliminate branded terms
@pearl_higgins

18. Compile data & create a pivot table
@pearl_higgins

19. Check for overlap to see what
keywords are popular
@pearl_higgins

20. Dump back in to Ad tool for search
volume, then rank those that are
higher priority
@pearl_higgins

21. Once you have a sense of overlap
among your competitors, focus on
gaps in your campaigns.
@pearl_higgins

22. Weed through competitor keywords
for opportunities that make sense
for you
@pearl_higgins

23. Take all that new keyword data and
begin grouping and analyzing.
@pearl_higgins

24. Bucket keywords for user intent
@pearl_higgins
Is the keyword:
– Transactional? Buy snack box subscription
– Navigational? Graze or nature box
– Informational? Healthy snack options

25. This will yield a list of keywords
with search volume, type of search,
and existing content. This is the the
starting point for your content
strategy.
@pearl_higgins

26. Your content spreadsheet:
@pearl_higgins

27. Step 3: Content inventory
@pearl_higgins

28. Content inventory is all about
figuring out what you need, what
you have, and what your audience
is looking for.
@pearl_higgins

29. Crawl your site
@pearl_higgins

30. Bucket the types of content you
have on site
@pearl_higgins

31. Cross reference against keyword
data
@pearl_higgins

32. Make note of pages that support
the keywords you want to target
@pearl_higgins

33. Identify gaps & opportunities
Keyword: food gifts for the holidays
Only existing content:
@pearl_higgins

34. Step 4: Analysis of need states
@pearl_higgins

35. Need state:
A way of understand the topology
of the market, and the driving
needs that determine brand choice
in a particular market.
@pearl_higgins

36. Shopper/buyer need states
Awareness
Familiarity
Consideration
Purchase
Loyalty
@pearl_higgins

37. Different need states lend
themselves to different content
types
Snacks
Healthy Snack Options
Snack Delivery
Buy Snack
Subscription
Snack of the
month club
perks
@pearl_higgins

38. After identifying pages to be
improved or created, identify what
type of content you are creating to
meet the need state of the keyword
targeted on that page.
@pearl_higgins

39. @pearl_higgins
Process:
What is the keyword intent/need state?
What kind of content would support that?
What does that look like?
*Food Gifts*

40. For Example:
Familiarity- Healthy Snack Options:
– Articles on healthy sweet and savory snacks
– Video tutorials on preparing healthy snacks
– Food pyramid and nutritional serving
illustrations
– Resources for how to meal plan, and
incorporate snacks into a day to day menu
plan
– Expert nutritionist interviews about snacks,
food, and making time to exercise.
@pearl_higgins

41. Step 4: Content creation
@pearl_higgins

42. Now that you have all that data, try
to forget it at least a little bit, and
think about the user.
@pearl_higgins

43. What types of content are most
shared:
@pearl_higgins

44. Think beyond the blog post
– Tutorials: illustrated, video, step-by-step, etc.
– Interviews: with experts, customers, etc.
– Resources: lists of related industry vendors,
upcoming events, tools, etc.
– Guides: buying guides, care guides, gift
guides, etc.
– Interactive Pieces: quizzes, guides,
resources, contests, etc.
– Photo Series: behind the scenes, upcoming
work, employee spotlights, etc.
@pearl_higgins

45. Video tutorials
@pearl_higgins

46. @pearl_higgins
Interviews

47. @pearl_higgins
Resources

48. @pearl_higgins
Guides

49. Interactive pieces
@pearl_higgins

50. Photo series
@pearl_higgins

51. Think big within your budget
@pearl_higgins

52. Step 5: Promotion!
@pearl_higgins

53. Outreach is simple.
Remember your user?
Find them and reach out to them as a
person.
@pearl_higgins

54. How do you find them?
@pearl_higgins

55. @pearl_higgins
Trackur

56. @pearl_higgins
BuzzStream:

57. @pearl_higgins
Topsy

58. For the love of dog, please don’t automate
your outreach programs.
@pearl_higgins

59. Don’t discount the possibility of paid
promotion for boosting good content
@pearl_higgins

60. @pearl_higgins
Takeaways:
– Give yourself a solid base for any strategy by
really doing your keyword research.
– The more competitive analysis you can do,
the easier finding the gaps in the market and
your own content will be.
– A need state analysis will be the framework
for how you build your content.
– Think beyond the blog post.
– Promote as an individual.

61. @pearl_higgins
Questions?