Why Your Business Needs a Content Strategy

Learn how to build an effective content strategy that saves time, money, and effort and helps grow your business

Tilda Education
Strong content marketing drives business results not because there's a lot of content, but because it's strategically planned. Successful companies don't publish randomly—they follow a content strategy that helps them communicate with their audience and deliver real results. Without one, even the best-written content can be a waste of money.

This article is a step-by-step guide to creating a content strategy on your own. We explain in simple terms how to make content work for your business—from setting clear goals to planning your budget.
Contents:
What Is Content Strategy?

How a Content Strategy Can Help Grow Your Business

Types Of Content Strategies
"Straight To Shopping Cart"
"Let's Break It Down"
"Experts At Work"
"One Of Us"

How To Create a Content Strategy On Your Own
Step 1: Define Your "Why"
Step 2: Know Your Audience
Step 3: Craft Your Core Messages
Step 4: Map the Customer Journey
Step 5: Study What Others Are Doing
Step 6: Choose Key Formats & Platforms
Step 7: Think About Promotion
Step 8: Estimate the Budget
Step 9: Systematize & Take Action

Checklist: What To Do For Your Content Strategy

What Is Content Strategy?

It is a structured approach to planning, creating, and distributing content that helps a business achieve its marketing and commercial goals. In simple terms, it transforms random posting into a purposeful, consistent process.

A good content strategy defines:
  • What to publish
  • Who the content is for
  • What types of content to create
  • Where to publish
  • Why you're doing it
  • How to measure success
Content Strategy ≠ Content Plan
A content plan is just one part of the puzzle. It's a publishing schedule that answers the questions: What, when, and where. A content strategy is broader. It outlines the long-term vision and objectives behind your content. Think of it as a guide for everything you publish.
You can create your strategy in any format. For example, here is how it can look designed in Tilda Docs

How a Content Strategy Can Help Grow Your Business

The core purpose of a content strategy is to define the most effective direction for your content efforts—so you can make decisions based on strategy, not guesswork. It sets a clear goal: Why you're creating content and what you want to achieve.
Without a goal, you may end up creating content for the sake of content. For example, many companies invest time and resources into running social media pages, even when those platforms don't actually support their business goals.

That's a waste of budget with no return. A solid strategy helps you focus on the platforms, formats, and topics that actually matter to your audience—and move the needle for your business.
With a strategy in place, you won't have to constantly brainstorm ideas, second-guess where to post, or debate whether to invest in a new channel. Your team will be aligned, and your efforts will stay consistent.
Everything you need to guide content creation is gathered in one place:

  • Which channels work—and which don't
  • Your brand's tone of voice and style guidelines
  • Audience segments, preferences, habits, and behaviors
  • Topics that resonate and drive conversions
Your strategy should also define clear tasks—and explain how they contribute to your goal. That way, you're not spending your ad budget on low-impact tactics. You can focus on what actually delivers results.

Examples:

  • If your goal is to increase sales, your strategy might include SEO-driven blog posts, product reviews on social media, and customer testimonials on your website.
  • If your goal is brand awareness, the focus shifts to building a strong visual identity, collaborating with influencers, and getting featured on high-traffic platforms.

Types Of Content Strategies

There's no universal system for categorizing content strategies—businesses often create their own types or use different criteria. Still, one popular framework breaks them into four categories based on intent and content style. These types work for social media, websites, blogs, and internal platforms.

You can also combine strategies if your business has multiple goals.

"Straight To Shopping Cart"

Goal: Drive product awareness, boost conversions, or increase sales.

This strategy works best for products or services your audience already understands. There's no need to explain what it is or why they need it—just show them why your version is the best.

Use formats that allow you to show the advantages of the product and build trust in the company. For example:

  • A mattress brand might post extreme product tests (e.g., a truck rolling over the mattress without damage) to prove durability.
  • An electronics retailer can review the latest devices.
  • A cleaning service could show dramatic before-and-after photos.
  • A math tutor might share lesson clips to demonstrate teaching style.
AdSkill is a global digital advertising agency that specializes in providing ad account management and multi-platform campaign support for businesses. Their blog covers important news and updates exclusively about the company.
Another angle to this approach is sharing regular updates about the company and its products. This helps keep your audience in the loop, builds transparency, and shows the ongoing work behind the brand. By consistently sharing what you're doing—whether it's a product launch, a behind-the-scenes look, or company milestones—you create a stronger connection with your audience and invite them to be part of your journey.

"Let's Break It Down"

Goal: Educate users about a complex or unfamiliar product.

This strategy is ideal when your offering isn't widely understood. Your content should break down complicated concepts and spark curiosity.

For example, a company offering data analytics services can create explainer content that compares traditional reporting to modern business intelligence tools—helping readers understand the value before they even realize they need it.
Swisslac produces infant and children's foods and runs "Mom's Blog," which offers parents practical guidance on caring for babies and toddlers—including nutrition, feeding routines, developmental milestones, etc.

"Experts At Work"

Goal: Build authority and stand out through expertise.

Perfect for industries where quality varies greatly—like creative agencies, home renovation, or legal services. This content says, "We know what we're doing—and here's proof." It shows that this particular company will complete the client's task with the highest quality.

Focus on:
  • Case studies and behind-the-scenes insights.
  • Common mistakes and how to avoid them.
  • Deep dives into your workflow and decision-making process.

For example, a workshop owner can talk about the mistakes that even some professionals make, while an SMM company can talk about the nuances of blog promotion.
Glee Escape is a travel company that specializes in curated tours to the Dominican Republic. Their blog features useful information and insider tips for people planning to visit the country—from necessary documents to must-see locations.

"One Of Us"

Goal: Build community around your brand.

This strategy aims to foster long-term emotional connections. It's not just about driving sales—it's about building a community of like-minded people.

Focus on interactive, entertaining, and lifestyle-driven content. Think quizzes, polls, relatable memes, or user-generated stories. An important aspect here is to give readers the opportunity to communicate both with the brand and with each other.

For example, a fashion brand could showcase customer outfits and invite others to share theirs. A platform for real estate agents might run community discussions about market trends.
Pawfluence Agency is a company that provides AI technology for small pet-related businesses. Their blog covers topics not only related to promotional tools useful for small business owners in this specific niche, but also content that appeals to pet owners.
Did you know?
On Tilda, you can easily manage a company blog using Feeds. It allows you to create, edit, schedule, and instantly publish posts that appear on your website automatically.
Get started for free

How To Create a Content Strategy On Your Own

Step 1: Define Your "Why"
Start with the most important question: Why are you creating content in the first place? It needs to serve a clear purpose and move your business forward. Content "just because" won't get you anywhere.

Your goal should be:
  • Realistic – not "make the Forbes list in 2 months," but "increase sales by 15% in 6 months."
  • Specific – not "sell more," but "get 500 new leads from organic traffic."
  • Measurable – not "make sure everyone gets it," but "reduce customer support requests by 30%."
  • Time-bound – not "increase awareness someday," but "boost brand recognition within 6 months."
To help define your goal, imagine your best-case scenario a few months from now. What's different? What's improved? Those improvements are likely your real goal.

You can also frame it by answering these five questions:
  1. What do I want?
  2. How much of it do I want?
  3. In what timeframe?
  4. What does success look like?
  5. What can I do to get there?
For example, a well-defined goal might be: "Increase sales of Swift Co. in the Chicago area by 20% over the next year. This can be achieved through content by sharing more about the product and showcasing Swift Co. as an expert in its niche."
At this stage, also define how you'll track progress—through metrics like conversion rate from blog articles, CTR on content-driven CTAs, time on website, and organic traffic growth.

Then keep an eye on those numbers. If they're underperforming, it's time to revise the strategy.

Step 2: Know Your Audience

Once the goal is clear, the next step is to understand who you're writing for. Your content should speak directly to your potential customers.

Ask yourself:
  1. Are they individuals or businesses?
  2. What's their age and gender?
  3. What problems are they trying to solve?
  4. What do they want from your product?
  5. What fears or objections keep them from buying?

You're creating content for these people—so it needs to speak their language and reflect their reality.

How To Analyze Your Audience

1
Ask your team. Sales and customer support representatives usually know your audience best. They talk to customers daily and can tell you what they ask, what they fear, and how they speak.
2
Review past interactions. Go through call transcripts, support tickets, or emails. You'll get insight into your audience's mindset—what they're worried about, what they want, sometimes even what they do for a living.
3
Check online reviews. Look at platforms like Google Maps, Yelp, or niche review websites. See what people praise and what they complain about. Negative feedback is often more detailed—and more helpful. It is is normal, people are tend to give bad reviews.
4
Run a survey or interview clients. To learn more about your audience, ask them directly. You can place a quick questionnaire on your website or conduct 1-on-1 interviews with real customers.
Your goal: Build an average customer profile (or several).

Example audience profile:
90% of our beauty store customers are women, aged 16-20. They're into Korean fashion and prefer bold makeup looks. Their main pain points are problem skin and not knowing how to get the look they want with makeup. When buying, they're often unsure whether a product will suit them.
Often, you'll have multiple audience segments. Don't lump them together. A teenage girl with acne and a woman shopping for anti-aging skincare have different needs—and you'll want to speak to them differently.

Step 3: Craft Your Core Messages

Now, figure out what exactly you want to say. The easiest way to define this is to write down 2-3 short content sentences—also called key content messages. These are the big ideas your future content will communicate.

To craft your core messages, you'll need two ingredients: Goal and audience. Your key content message should hit both. It should be relevant to the audience and help you reach your business goal.

Examples of key content messages:
  • "We break down how to restore shoes other repair shops turn away."
  • "We showcase before-and-after cases from our plastic surgery patients."
  • "We share workout tips that help you stay fit without hurting your back."

Each of these sentences is concrete and instantly tells the reader what the company does: Shoe repair, plastic surgery, or fitness coaching. Your content messages should do the same.
Avoid vague lines like "we share examples of our work." Instead, make it specific:
"We share case studies created by our students after completing the course."

Step 4: Map the Customer Journey

Before someone becomes your customer, they go through a series of stages—from not knowing you exist to eventually making a purchase. These stages are often visualized using a framework called Hunt's Ladder, which includes five key steps.
At each stage, your audience has different questions, concerns, and motivations—so your content needs to meet them where they are. That's why CJM (Customer Journey Map) is described in the content strategy.
This framework can be applied to most products and incorporated into your strategy. Here are a few ways to do that:

  • Design different content formats for each stage of the customer journey. For example, short videos for indifferent users, expert articles for those already interested, and so on.
  • Publish content for each stage on different platforms. For instance, people who are aware of a problem can be reached through YouTube, where the algorithms surface relevant videos. Those comparing offers might prefer Instagram, where they actively search for specific accounts.
  • Focus your content on one particular stage. For example, you could primarily target those in the decision-making stage, while attracting other audience segments through advertising, PR, etc.

If you prefer using a different version of the customer journey map, you can still tailor your content for each stage accordingly. This helps you cover your audience across their entire decision-making path.

Step 5: Study What Others Are Doing

Look for your competitors' channels—companies that offer similar or comparable products or services. See how they handle their content:

  • Which platforms they use.
  • What tone and language they use when addressing customers.
  • What kinds of content they publish.
  • How actively their audience engages with it.
  • Which posts get the most views or likes.

You can draw inspiration from their best-performing content. For example, if you notice that "mistake breakdown" articles are popular in your niche, you might want to create similar content—or even launch a dedicated series.

Step 6: Choose Key Formats & Platforms

Once you've gathered all the information, it's time to decide where to publish your content. You have plenty of options: A company blog, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and many more.

To choose the right platforms, ask yourself:
  • Which platforms does your audience use?
  • What type of content do they prefer—text, visuals, video, something else?
  • How much time are they willing to spend consuming content?
  • How hard is it to grow your presence on each platform?

The platform itself can also help determine content format. For example, long reads work well on a blog but are less effective in a Facebook group.
At this stage, you can also get specific about your content:

  • Select several formats you'll use: Digest posts, how-to articles, short posts, stories.
  • Come up with thematic series: Explaining industry terms, answering audience questions, sharing case studies, etc.
  • Create a list of general topics you'll later turn into specific content ideas, like marketing or a healthy lifestyle.

Step 7: Think About Promotion

For your content to work, people need to see it. So you'll need to figure out how to promote it:

Through social media algorithms — this helps not just with profile visibility but also acts as an additional traffic channel to your website. This method requires SMM skills.

Through SEO — ideal for blogs on your own website, though it takes time to yield results.

Through advertising — with influencers, in niche communities, or via ad networks.

Your promotion strategy should depend on your chosen platforms, budget, and product specifics. For instance, if your customers take a long time to make decisions, ad networks might not work well—they're better for impulse purchases. But an expert blog with SEO optimization could be a great fit.
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Step 8: Estimate the Budget

Calculate your content costs right from the start. These estimates will help you stick to your budget later and assess whether the blog is actually paying off.

In particular, plan ahead for:

  • Content creation costs — fees for writers, editors, SMM managers, and other contributors.
  • Content promotion costs — advertising, SEO services.
  • Conversion metrics — how often content drives customer actions and how much revenue it generates.
If it turns out you're overspending or getting weaker-than-expected results, that's a sign it's time to adjust your strategy.

Step 9: Systematize & Take Action

To keep things organized, gather all information from the previous eight steps into one document. It can be a presentation, a spreadsheet, a text document, or even a web page—whatever format works best for you. The key is that everything should be easy to find.

Now, you can move on to implementation. Use your strategy to create a content plan for the next few months and start executing it. Track your results and regularly compare them against your original goals. If something isn't working, adjust your content plan accordingly.

The most important thing is to revisit your strategy regularly. This keeps your goals front and center and ensures your content efforts stay aligned with your business objectives.
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Checklist: What To Do For Your Content Strategy

1
Set a clear goal: Why are you doing this?
2
Define your audience: Who they are, how they communicate, what they care about.
3
Develop key content messages.
4
Outline customer journey map and match content to each stage.
5
Choose your publishing platforms.
6
Select formats, content series, and topics.
7
Plan how you will promote the content.
8
Estimate budget.
9
Organize everything and start taking action.

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