How to use a canvas for the creation of a content marketing strategy? Hilker Consulting has already tested the method in some projects and it has proven itself in strategy development. Read in this article how the content marketing strategy canvas of Claudia Hilker is used in practice with Tips, Guidance and Template.
Business Model Canvas: What is that?
The method “Business Model Canvas” is based on Alexander Osterwalder. In his book „Business Model Generation, A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers and Challengers“ (2010), he describes the design of a business model using the Business Model Canvas. The Business Model Canvas pursues the goal of presenting business models and developing them further.
His model includes nine key factors: customer segment, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue sources, key resources, key activities, key partners, cost points. The individual factors are not isolated but to be considered in connection. To summarize, canvas helps to identify potential defects and to develop a comprehensive basic model.
Content Marketing Strategy by Claudia Hilker
Dr. Claudia Hilker applies this method to develop content marketing strategies. While the Osterwalder model has nine defined fields, the Content Marketing Canvas by Dr. Claudia Hilker includes seven fields. The reduction of the fields leads to greater freedom for creative ideas within the segments.
The model by Dr. Claudia Hilker supports the creation of a content marketing strategy. Therefore, the results of the Content Marketing Strategy Workshop are summarized by means of answers to relevant strategic questions. The following graphic shows the seven strategic fields including strategically meaningful seven questions (see below).
Content Marketing Strategy – Guidance
Strategically targeting questions for creating a canvas for your content marketing strategy are:
1) Customer Buyer Persona
- What are the characteristics of the personas?
- What are their demographic data such as: age, gender, position?
- What goals, expectations, interests and visions do they have?
2) Needs, Problems, Questions
- What needs, problems and questions do the personas have?
- What offers, solutions and experiences do the looking for?
- What typical questions do they have regarding context?
3) Goal, Benefits, Topics
- What are the company’s objectives in content marketing?
- Which topics should be chosen in order to achieve a high-quality brand positioning, and at the same time, to serve solutions for customer-centric concerns?
- What are the benefits of the services?
- Which sales arguments convince the personas?
4) Story, Formats, Media Plan
- What is the key story?
- How are the messages formulated?
- What is the tonality?
- What measures are needed like corporate blog, Landingpage, Social Media Marketing?
- How is the media plan conceived: paid media, owned media, earned media, social media?
- In which ways does the company promote, e.g. with influencer marketing?
5) Publications, Actions, Schedule
- Which publications (such as whitepaper, blog, video series) should be created?
- What actions (e.g. campaigns, webinars) should be planned?
- What are the main motifs of the campaigns?
- Which formats (such as texts, video, pictures) should be planned?
- What is the time and budget plan for a campaign to achieve the goals?
6) Content Marketing Costs: Production, Processes, Tools
- What are the costs for content production?
- How is the content production done: internally or externally?
- How are the roles, tasks, processes and responsibilities defined?
- How are governance and quality management managed?
- What are the costs of content promotion?
7) Content Marketing Controlling with the Balanced Scorecard
Which key figures should be chosen for success measurement:
- the financial perspective
- the customer perspective
- the internal process perspective
- the learning and growth perspective?
Tips for the Content Marketing Strategy Canvas
The canvas method is helpful for strategy development in content marketing. The creation of the Customer Buyer Personas is the first step, since it symbolizes the target group. Thus, the target group should be analyzed with regard to issues (problems, questions, needs). Based on this, the company objectives, topics and stories can be determined so that the personas approach can be achieved in practice.
After that, the focus is on the content. A storyline is created and formats and media planning are coordinated. The story should focus on the message and should be memorable. With regard to the publications, it is important that there is a common thread. However, companies should not ignore the costs because there must be sufficient resources for the content strategy. In order to measure and monitor the success, companies need a controlling system, e.g. the Balanced Scorecard.
Template: Content Marketing Strategy Canvas
Here, you can find the template „Canvas Template: Content Marketing Strategy“ by Claudia Hilker and use it with the instructions above for your own projects. I wish you success with you content marketing projects! Please, feel free to share this article and to write comments about your experiences.
