Making a content marketing plan: How to create a content matrix

If you’ve ever heard the whole “content is king” truism, then you know why there is sincere value in putting out solid content. As straightforward as that sounds, content strategy goes far beyond writing stuff and putting it on your website.

Case in point: 

I once worked for a startup company. They were doing great things and had lots of rising talent in their ranks. I was brought on to help them develop and execute a content strategy. Despite all of the efforts I put in place, we couldn’t get anyone to follow through with their portion of the strategy and the whole process fell flat. That company saw dwindling engagement and didn’t get any new people coming to their site. It was a failed effort. 

Now, here’s a success story: 

Rather than draw on personal experience, I’d like to point to one of my favorite content creators out there, Crime Junkie. If you’ve never had the pleasure, this is a true crime podcast out of Indianapolis. A top-ranking show with billions of downloads, Crime Junkie never fails to release content like clockwork every Monday. The stories are well researched and well written, and listeners can expect to hear content that aligns with days such as Mental Health Awareness Month and Suicide Prevention days. They meet their audience regularly, and provide them with trending and appropriate content. It is a content strategy executed well and with high-value rewards.

You need a viable plan that takes into account all the moving parts of content execution. This involves awareness of the following. 

• Frequency of release
• Trending topics
• Seasonal appropriateness
• Alignment with broader content marketing goals 
• Understanding of your audience

To help make sure you have all the right ingredients for your content, consider making a content matrix. 

What is a content matrix?

A content matrix is a visual representation of your content marketing goals. I recall the persistent adage from grade school that most people are visual learners, and in truth, a lot of us are. But it’s also helpful for content creators to see how all of the pieces come together. Imagine an old-fashioned string board with evidence tying people to a crime. This helps you see how it all comes together. 

You might be asking, but what if I just write for fun? Or as an expert, but it’s not for a company? A content matrix can help all writers and content creators get in front of their audience, regardless of who that is and what your goals are. 

Why do I need a content marketing plan?

Content marketing sounds very unapproachable, like something that is only relevant for businesses. But in truth, content marketing is just a fancy term for getting your content in front of your audience. Even hobbyists and enthusiasts want to get in front of the right people. And a content marketing plan is how you get there. A content matrix is simply the visual representation of that plan. 

What a content marketing plan shows

Yes, it’s work. But, it’s valuable work and, done the right way, can actually make your life far easier despite the perceived “extra work.” 

A successful content matrix does a variety of things. 

• Matches content to your audience
• Identifies platforms for promotion
• Allows you to hone in on content gaps and areas of improvement
• Creates opportunities for future content

How to create a content marketing plan using a content matrix

Ok, if you can’t tell I’m a true crime buff at this point, then you might need to do a more investigative (wink, wink) deep dive into this article. Similar to how a detective might sit down and laboriously comb through all the evidence, content creators need to really break down what they’re hoping to do and visualize how they plan to get there. Like any crime scene, there’s more going on than meets the eye. 

Define your audience

Although this sounds slightly generic, you need to know who you expect to consume your content.  Ask yourself the following questions. 

• What demographic does your audience occupy?
• What type of content do they generally consume?
• Where do they find their content?
• What are their associated interests?

Once you have the answers to these questions, you can map your content to the right tools and strategy. 

Identify your content pillars

This is where you get the broad strokes. If you aren’t familiar, your content pillars are your primary areas of focus, those overarching categories that you write about. You should keep your content pillars to 3-4 topics. 

For example, a true crime enthusiast might have the following content pillars.

• Cold cases
• Precedent-setting cases
• Support for law enforcement

All content would then fall under one of those categories. This helps you hone in on what types of content will be relevant for your audience and that falls within your area of expertise. 

Outline your goals

This is where you lay out what you truly hope to accomplish with your content. Try to go a little deeper than, “I want people to see it and like it.” While that is an admirable goal, most people have more fine-tuned goals in mind. Ask yourself what you truly want to get out of your content. The following questions can help.

• What do you hope to achieve?
  
  • Some answers might include notoriety, career excellence, and promotion or gaining influence. 
• Do you expect any financial gain from your content? 
  
  • Now or in the future?
• What do you want your readers to do after reading your content?
  
  • Do you want them to review their own professional choices or fill out a form?
• Are you looking to build a larger brand?
  
  • If so, what do you hope to do with that brand?

Be clear with your goals and force yourself to define something measurable. What do we mean by measurable? Identify what matters and monitor those metrics. This could include the following.

• Number of visitors
• Time on page
• Clickthroughs on CTAs
• Form fills from content
• Number of shares

Pick your platforms

Once you know who your audience is, now you can plan where you want to meet them. You will need to choose where you want your content to live and where you’d like to promote it after publication. Do some research into where your core audience finds their content and pick a platform that will give you the right amount of control while helping you reach your audience simultaneously. For example, a true crime series may not find success being promoted on LinkedIn, but it may well be popular when promoted on Instagram.

To learn more about these platforms, read our article outlining content distribution platforms.  

Save the date

Plan out your content calendar. Good content creators have strategic goals when it comes to releasing content. Think about what larger trends and times of year you can tie into your content to help raise its relevancy. Every brand does this and, even if you don’t have your sights set on branding, it’s just a smart strategy. 

Create your content matrix

Your content matrix should contain all of the relevant details you need to be successful with your strategy. But don’t overthink it, just dive in and add the information that will help you get started. You can always add more later. Take a look at our content marketing plan example below.

Content marketing plan example

Your content marketing plan should be a one-stop plan for seeing how it will help you achieve your goals and what will be used. Take a look at the sample below for a writer who is looking to stand out as an expert by releasing content that demonstrates in-depth knowledge.  

‍

The plan brings together all of the relevant goals, tactics and content in a single view. Having a concise content matrix can help you identify and meet your goals, while ensuring you track your content strategy.

In a world of fast-paced publishing and content saturation, having a plan can help you stay on track with your goals and embrace a comprehensive content strategy. Don’t be like the startup I mentioned at the start of this piece and let your content fall apart. Keep your plan moving at all times. 

Once you have a great plan in place, you’ll want to track the results and refine your approach. You can learn more about that in our article, A beginners’ guide to content marketing analytics.