What Your Business Needs in a Content Strategy

Kirsten at Coastal Collective
Nov 12, 2024
4 min read

(IMHO) A content strategy isn’t just a plan for publishing blogs or social posts—it’s the framework that ties every piece of communication back to your brand’s mission, goals, and audience. Without a well-thought-out content strategy, you risk sending mixed messages, wasting time on ineffective content, and losing valuable connections with their ideal audience.

But I get it, content is not everyone’s priority nor does it need to be. But if you are running a business online and your goal is to build website visitors, establish professional credibility, provide value to your clients, and at the very least not send mixed messages, you need a content strategy to work from. This is your starting point to building a brand that reaches and connects with your target audience.

So, in this blog, we’ll break down what we really mean when we talk about a content strategy. From aligning with your brand identity to choosing the right content types, here’s how to ensure every word, image, and message works together to strengthen your business.

1. Your Brand: The Heart of Your Content Strategy

Your content strategy starts and ends with your brand. Without a clear understanding of your mission, vision, and values, your content risks feeling hollow or inconsistent. If you had a pop quiz for your business, could you fill in each of these bullet points?

Mission Statement: Your mission is the “why” behind everything you do. If your mission is to simplify financial literacy for entrepreneurs, your content should provide actionable, approachable advice—no jargon-filled blog posts allowed.
Tagline and Tone: Are you warm and conversational? Or crisp and authoritative? If your social posts sound fun and your emails sound formal, your audience might struggle to connect with your business identity.
- Pro-Tip: I can promise you that if you try to be someone you’re not and use a voice that isn’t really yours, none of the remaining tips in this blog will work for you.
Vision: If your long-term goal is to become the go-to software for SaaS startups, your content should hint at that future by establishing your thought leadership now through in-depth whitepapers, webinars or case studies.

Example: A bookkeeping firm focused on small businesses might create Instagram Reels showing quick tax tips while publishing long-form guides to help entrepreneurs understand cash flow—both tied to their mission of empowering financial independence.

2. Understanding and Serving Your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

Your content strategy is a balance between what you want to say and what your audience needs to hear. Knowing your ICP is essential for creating content that resonates.

This is often a missed mark when it comes to content strategy. Experts in a given field like to talk about what they know, but what they need to do is talk about what their potential customers/audience doesn’t know.

Identify Their Pain Points: Are your customers overwhelmed by managing software integrations? Create video tutorials to simplify the process.
Speak to Their Goals: If your audience wants to grow their wealth, highlight strategies and success stories that make your solutions feel within reach.
Adapt to Their Preferences: If they prefer visual content, focus on video or infographics rather than heavy text.

Example: A SaaS company targeting busy solopreneurs might prioritize creating short, engaging email sequences and tutorial videos that can be consumed in minutes.

3. Consistency Is Key: The Messaging Connection

Your content strategy ensures consistency across every channel and format. Mixed messages—like using different campaigns, taglines or even logos on different channels—can confuse or alienate your audience.

A cohesive message builds trust. When all your content reinforces the same themes, your brand becomes memorable and recognizable. This may mean that your content feels redundant to you, but I promise, only the most dedicated clients read every single blog post or article you share, the rest of your audience needs to be reminded of who you are, what you do to solve their problems and why you do it better than anyone else.

Example: A financial coach could use the tagline “Small steps to big wealth” and repeat it across all platforms, from Instagram captions about budgeting hacks to podcast episodes on financial habits.

4. Choosing the Right Content Types for the Right Goals

Your content strategy isn’t just about what you publish but also why you publish it. Different content formats serve different purposes:

Blogs: Great for driving organic traffic and establishing expertise.
Newsletters: Perfect for nurturing relationships with existing leads.
Social Media Posts: Ideal for building brand awareness and engaging directly with your audience.
Email Campaigns: Effective for converting leads into paying customers.

Example: A SaaS startup could use an email sequence to onboard new users, follow up with educational blog posts about maximizing the platform, and share testimonials via Instagram Stories to build trust.

5. Boosting, Never Diluting, Your Brand

Random, one-off content or overly generic topics can dilute your brand, leaving audiences unsure of who you are or why they should care. A thoughtful content strategy ensures everything you publish—whether it’s a tweet or a 2,000-word whitepaper—reinforces your expertise, personality, and value.

Stay on-brand with design and tone.
Focus on value: If it doesn’t serve your audience or brand goals, skip it.
Repurpose content: A webinar can become a blog series or Instagram carousel.

Example: An accounting firm might create an in-depth guide to tax deductions, then break it into blog posts, social posts, and email tips to reach different audiences while maintaining the same key message.

Bringing It All Together

A content strategy isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity for any business looking to make an impact online. By starting with your brand, understanding your audience, ensuring consistency, choosing the right formats, and staying on-message, you’ll create a cohesive narrative that drives real results.

If you’re ready to develop a content strategy that does more than fill your calendar, click here and let’s talk about how we can help you bring your vision to life!