Our Content Marketing Checklist for 2025

January 13, 2025 - 2:05pm - by Luke Thiessen

It’s the start of another new year, and for us marketing professionals, that means planning season.

Now that you’ve slept off the holiday hangover (literally or figuratively, I won’t judge), it’s time to think about the year ahead, and what that means for your content marketing.

I’ve put together this content marketing checklist for 2025, filled with ideas and insights for how to make the most of your efforts this year. 

1. Develop content themes

Depending on your business or industry, this can be an easy and energizing place to start your planning, or the complete opposite – but either way, it is always one of the most important.

Do you have any big plans for the year? New products launching? A rebrand or major campaign? A key event or season that drives a lot of what you do? These are great top-level priorities for your content. Not only are they the things you’ll want to talk about most, but they can become inspiration for broader supporting themes to fill your year of content.

For instance, your new product launch can complement a broader theme of innovation or quality. Your end-of-season sale could be supported by a broader theme of providing value. Or you could pair the launch of a capital fundraising campaign with evergreen content themed around impact and community.

All of this is a lot more challenging, however, if your business or organization doesn’t have much new or exciting to talk about. Without big campaigns, sales or announcements, it can feel tough to keep things fresh and relevant.

But there’s good news – if you aren’t finding content inspiration by looking within your company, you can look outside. Even when we aren’t changing, the world around us certainly is. Look around your industry for changes and trends to respond to. Consider your customers and think about what is changing in their world. Get curious and try zooming in and out on different aspects of your business, industry, customer base, or even the broader economy and world.

2. Identify key topics and keywords

Once you have your themes outlined, it’s time to think about key topics and keywords to use in your content marketing.

Starting with the themes you’ve established, some of these can (and probably will) also be terms and phrases that are common and specific to your industry. Put on your SEO hat and think about how people might be searching for the kind of content you’re making, and use variations on those topics and keywords to try and capture that in a thorough way. 

To really go above and beyond with your keywords, you should also be doing some research. Get onto the various platforms where you are publishing your content, follow some accounts within your industry doing good work, and look for things like:

• What topics or keywords are getting good engagement on other accounts?
• Is there a new trend or topic in your industry that you’ve missed?
• Are there any emerging topics within your content themes that you should include? 

3. Research your audiences

A common mistake I see in marketing is people not researching their audiences often enough.

So you already defined your audience back in 2008? That don’t impress me much. (Sorry, Shania Twain…)

Like I said in our first point in this content marketing checklist – even if your organization hasn’t changed, your customers, donors or clients might have. 

This doesn’t need to be done every year, necessarily, but I do recommend keeping this on your checklist every year, and at least considering if your audience needs an update. Ask yourself (or your team, or client) the following:

• Is our audience aging?
• Do we have a new, younger cohort aging into our product/service/audience?
• If our audience has grown, who are the new people?
• If our audience has shrunk, are there people we want to win back?
• Where is our audience online, and has that changed?

That last one is probably the most important, and the one that could be changing most often. One of the best content marketing tips I can give you is to research your audience’s media diet – meaning where they are consuming content, what kind of content they’re consuming, when, and how much. 

There are many ways you can learn these things about your audience, from surveying your existing customer base, to social media analytics, to research done by other firms available online. 

Once you’ve answered these questions and done some research, you can better focus your content themes, and prioritize the channels and formats that best suit your content strategy.

Which leads us to…

4. Prioritize formats and channels

Hopefully you already have some idea of what platforms, content types and formats work well for you and connect with your audience. But once you’ve done the work in the checklist items above, you may find yourself wanting to shift some effort from one platform to another, or consider adding a new channel or type of content.

Remember, there are many types of media you can include in your content marketing. To name just a few:

• Blogs
• Video content
• Podcasts
• Webinars
• Case studies and white papers 

Something we’re thinking about this year is the value of the “Twitter alternative” platforms, Threads and Bluesky, but for you it may be something different. 

We're here to help

If you’ve read this far, you clearly see the value in being proactive and intentional about your content marketing for 2025. But maybe your team doesn’t have the time, capacity or skills to really make the most of your content marketing. 

We’re here to help. Book a discovery call today to see how our team of content marketing experts can help you make the most of your content and digital marketing this year!

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How to Scale Up Your Content Marketing Efforts

October 22, 2023 - 8:05am - by Alyson Shane

Whether you're a small business looking to expand your online presence or a seasoned marketer looking for a new level of success, the answer lies in a well-crafted content strategy. 

As businesses grow and expand, scaling up content marketing efforts can be challenging.

Scaling up your content marketing efforts requires careful planning, strategic thinking, and the right tools and resources. It involves increasing the quantity and quality of your content while maintaining consistency and relevance to your audience. Let's break down the essential components of content marketing and content strategy.

The Importance of a Well-Defined Content Strategy

When you have a clear strategy in place, companies can effectively reach their target audience and drive engagement.

It helps businesses understand their needs, interests, and pain points. With this understanding, companies can create content that resonates with their audience, establishing a connection and building trust.

A solid content strategy allows businesses to plan their messaging across various channels and platforms consistently. This consistency enhances brand recognition and strengthens brand identity.

A well-defined content strategy enables organizations to measure their efforts' success accurately. Businesses can track engagement metrics like website traffic, social media interactions, and conversions by setting clear goals and key performance indicators. This data provides valuable insights into what works best for their target audience, allowing for continuous improvement and optimization.

Step 1: Developing Systems and Workflows for Efficient Content Creation and Management

If you know anything about the Starling team, you know that our owner loves good, trackable, and efficient systems.

These systems optimize content creation efforts, enhance collaboration among team members, and guarantee a seamless workflow from ideation to publication. 

One tool that the Starling team leverages for content creation and collaboration is Google Docs. With its real-time editing capabilities and cloud-based storage, teams can work together on documents simultaneously, eliminating the need for time-consuming back-and-forth exchanges. This allows for efficient feedback loops and ensures everyone is on the same page throughout content creation.

Another valuable resource for developing clear workflows (that our team also loves) is Trello. This project management platform enables teams to organize tasks, track progress, and set deadlines in an easy — and visually appealing — interface. By creating boards with lists and cards representing different stages of the content creation process, teams can easily manage assignments, prioritize tasks, and monitor overall productivity.

Embracing these tools saves time and fosters a more productive work environment where creativity thrives alongside effective project management practices.

Step 2: Understanding the Role of SEO in Your Content Strategy

Search Engine Optimization makes your content irresistible to search engines. It's all about finding the right keywords and optimizing your content to rank higher in search results.

a) Who to Target with Your SEO Efforts?

Before you start, get to know your audience inside out. Create buyer personas first. Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers, complete with demographics, interests, pain points, and behaviours. This helps you think about what your audience is searching for, and tailor your content to their needs.

Next, dig deep into user intent keywords. People type these key phrases into search engines when seeking answers or solutions. Rather than just focusing on generic keywords, consider your audience's specific questions and problems. What are they searching for, and why?

Imagine your audience's journey and thought process. 

• What challenges do they face?
• How can your content address those pain points?

By aligning your content with their needs, you attract more visitors and build trust and credibility.

b) What to Focus on When It Comes to SEO?

Pay attention to technical SEO factors like site speed and mobile-friendliness. Google loves websites that load quickly and look great on smartphones. Also, focus on creating high-quality content that's relevant and valuable to your readers.

c) Why Is SEO Essential for Successful Content Strategy?

SEO isn't just a buzzword; it's the key to building organic growth. When you rank higher on search engines, you attract more visitors. And guess what? Those visitors are more likely to convert into customers. 

d) Where to Incorporate Keywords Within Your Content?

Sprinkle your keywords strategically throughout your content. Use them in your title tags, meta descriptions, headings, subheadings, body text, image alt tags, URLs, and even within your internal linking structure. Just remember, don't overdo it; keep it natural.

Step 3: Effective Distribution Channels for Amplifying Your Content Reach

Creating engaging content is only half the battle. You also need to make sure it reaches the right audience. Enter distribution channels.

Social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X.com, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. are your megaphones. Share your content there, engage with your audience, and watch your reach grow. Don't forget the power of email marketing campaigns. We could go on about that, but for time’s sake, here’s another blog about writing a killer newsletter. 

Consider guest blogging or podcast opportunities and influencer partnerships. Collaborating with others can introduce your brand to a whole new audience.

Step 4: Crafting Your Content 

Now that you've laid the groundwork for your content strategy, it's time to craft your content. Don’t put out a social media post for the sake of putting out a social media post! Make sure your content is helping you reach one of your goals. 

If your post doesn’t fit into these boxes, should you really be posting it?  

Relevance: Always keep your target audience in mind. Craft content that directly addresses their needs, interests, and pain points. Your content should be a solution to their problems.

Quality: Research thoroughly, fact-check rigorously, and provide valuable insights. High-quality content establishes your authority and builds trust with your audience.

Consistency: Maintain consistency in your posting schedule, brand voice, style, and messaging. This consistency creates a reliable and recognizable content identity your audience can trust.

Timeliness: Keep your content up-to-date and relevant to current trends and industry developments. Being on top of the latest news and updates positions you as an industry thought leader.

Education: Offer valuable insights, tips, and actionable advice. Providing educational content positions your brand as a valuable resource in your niche.

Entertainment: Incorporate storytelling, humour, and engaging visuals to make your content enjoyable. Entertaining content is more likely to be shared and can increase your content's reach and impact.

As you craft your content, consider how these pillars can be integrated into your pieces. 

The Power of a Well-Thought-Out Content Strategy 

We’re lucky to have an incredible team at Starling who truly cares about the success of each client. These tools are the gears that keep the engine running, but the true power lies in the well-thought-out content strategy. It ensures that every piece we create serves a purpose, resonates with our audience, and contributes to our overall success.

We don't just advocate for these tools; we rely on them to help execute our content strategy.

Google Docs: Google Docs is where we create drafts and collaborate seamlessly. This makes crafting a strategy that aligns with your overall content goals easier.

Trello: Trello helps us break down our content strategy into actionable steps, ensuring that each piece aligns with our overarching goals. 

Buffer: Buffer helps execute a carefully designed distribution plan. It ensures our content reaches the right audience at the right time. Other tools like Later and Hootsuite accomplish the same goals and may be the right choice for your biz.

Remember, tools are only as effective as the strategy behind them. Craft your strategy with care, and adapt it as needed. 

Or, if you are ready to focus on big-picture items and leave your marketing to the professionals, contact us here to book a consultation.

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