The post How To Build A Content Strategy That Actually Works appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . Building a content strategy that actually drives traffic to your website doesn’t have to take months to get right. By being strategic about your choices and following some of the advice below you’ll be able to build a custom content strategy geared towards your unique business goals. Simply creating content is no longer enough; you need to engineer a strategy that focuses on generating organic traffic through providing continuous value. The steps below will get you going in the right direction. Nail Down Your Personas The only way to create content geared towards your ideal user is to know exactly to whom you’re writing. This information will help you to create a unique persona that resembles an actual person. These personas aren’t real people, but instead characters that resemble an ideal “perfect customer.” This will help you get in the head of your customer and speak to them and their unique needs. Common traits you’ll want to nail down include both demographic and psychographic information. Know Your Search Terms By doing proper keyword research you’ll be able to see what your users are actually looking for. You can couple this data with your buyer persona and create content that truly makes an impact. To get started follow the basic steps outlined below: Make a basic long-tail keyword list: this list includes keywords that you think your users will be looking for, based upon having initial knowledge of your market and your product. Compare this list to actual data: compare this list to actual search data obtained from Google Keyword Tool, or a similar tool. Create headlines based upon these ideas: cross-reference your initial keywords with the terms with decent search volume and brainstorm topic ideas with this information. Get The Style Of Content Right A lot of companies use different styles of content to reach different portions of their market. This includes things like, video, blog posts, slideshows, infographics, social media posts, webinars, and even email marketing campaigns. To find out what’s right for your audience use the buyer persona you developed earlier to predict how they’re going to enjoy consuming your content. Test Different Methods and Refine Over Time Over time you’ll be able to really nail down the style of content and voice that works best for reaching your audience. In the beginning don’t be afraid to test out different styles of content. However, make sure you track the success of each style of content so you’ll be able to see what’s actually working. The most common form of success tracking is through social media shares, or number of new email subscribers. Both of these metrics show engagement from your audience. Determine A Regular Posting Schedule Once you’ve found the style of content your audience loves then you need to deliver on a regular basis. The type of content you’re using will also dictate how frequency you post. For instance, Twitter updates will happen more frequently than a YouTube video. People also engage across different platforms at different times, so take this into account when developing and executing your content schedule. Content marketing doesn’t have to be brain science. Know your customer, experiment, and continue to deliver free content they’re going to love. web hosting