Crystal Clear Communications Blog

“How do you communicate a clear content strategy and message map to all marketing channels?” A marketer from Kohl’s asked this question in one of our workshops. It’s one of the Top 100 Questions on Content Marketing.

Marketing works best when all marketing channels are informed of and on board with the organization’s message map and content marketing strategy. The larger the organization, the more difficult that alignment can be. In addition to all of the areas of your marketing department, marketing channels include your partners, distributors, geographies, business units, and even sales.

So how do you communicate a clear content strategy and message map to all marketing channels? Take these three actions:

• Involve the right stakeholders in creating your message map and content strategy.
• Agree on marketing metrics.
• Consistently and frequently communicate updates, progress, and metrics.

Involve the right stakeholders in creating your content strategy

Here’s why it’s important to involve all of your marketing stakeholders in co-creating your message map and content strategy: When everyone buys in from the start, it’s easier to keep alignment and consistency throughout the year.

When people are involved in co-creation, they are more invested in the output and more willing to put time in to get the desired results.

Need a content strategy template? Download our free template here.

Agree on marketing metrics

Once you have your message map and content strategy, you need to agree on metrics with all marketing channels.

Getting agreement on metrics at the beginning of each year makes it easier to communicate progress to all marketing channels. When people know exactly how they’ll be measured, they’re more likely to stick to the marketing content strategy and message map.

For ideas on the best content marketing metrics, read this blog by my business partner George Stenitzer.

Consistently and frequently communicate with each marketing channel

My marketing colleagues and I often joke that we’re so busy marketing for our clients that we forget to market ourselves. Don’t let this happen in your organization!

Before you adjourn your co-creation meeting, agree on how often you will meet with each channel throughout the year. Get those meetings on the calendar right away.

To get the most out of your marketing channels, meet at least quarterly with each channel — marketing leads, partners, distributors, business units, geographies, etc.

Set a consistent agenda for each meeting:

• Review and refresh your message map
• Share progress on your marketing strategy and plan
• Review metrics.

Most importantly, share successes that other channels can learn from and apply.

In between your review meetings, keep all marketing channels up to date on progress, especially if you only meet quarterly. A monthly email with updates and tips can go a long way to keep channels informed about content strategy and messaging.

“How do you communicate a clear content strategy and message map to all marketing channels?” is one of the Top 100 Questions on Content Marketing. You can find the answers here.

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