Marketing Strategy vs Content Strategy – Which to Invest In?

Do you know the difference between marketing strategy vs. content strategy? It’s time to find out!

Your content strategy, or how you plan to use content to accomplish your marketing goals, is actually established after your marketing strategy.

Your marketing strategy needs to come first, as it is responsible for developing the communication frameworks that will apply to your content. 

For a powerful marketing strategy that sets you up for killer content, you need to be able to answer the following questions:

1. who is your main target audience (TA)?
2. what micro audiences fit into your main TA?
3. how can market research inform you about the problems and desires of your TA?
4. what can market research inform you about the lifestyle and preferences of your TA?
5. who are the similar experts in your industry, and how are you unique?
6. what is the journey your customers will go through from awareness all the way to purchase?
7. where is your target audience hanging out 
8. how would your target audience discover your brand?

With a thoroughly developed marketing strategy informed from the above question, you are then equipped to design your content strategy. In essence, think of your marketing strategy as the bird’s eye view, and your content strategy as the close-up perspective. 

It’s time that you get the most out of your content marketing efforts. But how do you know if you need to step away from your content strategy and revisit (or create) your marketing strategy? Dive on into the article below about the 3 signs that you need to invest in a marketing strategy vs content strategy! 

Sign #1 – If Your Visibility, Engagement, or Conversion Is Down, You Need a Marketing Strategy vs Content Strategy

Of the metrics listed above, you should be the most interested in your conversion rate as a business owner.

Visibility is useful for getting new eyes on your brand so you have a steady flow of new ICAs coming in. Engagement metrics can help you get a read on the topics your audience is finding the most valuable. But ultimately, it is your conversion rate that tells you the effectiveness of your content marketing.

Visibility is useful for getting new eyes on your brand so you have a steady flow of new ICAs coming in. Engagement metrics can help you get a read on the topics your audience is finding the most valuable. But ultimately, it is your conversion rate that tells you the effectiveness of your content marketing.

Given the saturation of most marketing channels, it is not uncommon for visibility to be low, while your engagement is high. We’ve even seen some brands whose visibility and engagement drop due to changes in algorithms, but their conversions remain stable. However, When you start to see a drop in all three of these metrics at once, it’s time to sound the alarm and invest in your marketing strategy. 

Sign #2 – You Don’t Know How To Leverage Each Marketing Channel Effectively 

A marketing channel is simply a tool (social media, email, podcast, etc.) that you use to communicate with your target audience. 

There are many benefits to utilizing multiple marketing channels such as:

• increased brand visibility and awareness 
• flexibility with where to gather market research
• a more saturated brand presence
• increased entry points for your client journey    
• the potential to grow your audience    

But in order to reap the benefits of multiple channels, you need to know how to create a:

1. consistent look and feel amongst all of your marketing channels so your brand is recognizable. 
2. unique experience on each channel content by repurposing instead of replicating your content
3. sales process on each channel so your conversion rate is steadily increasing

If you have yet to accomplish the above tasks to leverage your marketing channels, it’s time to invest in your marketing strategy. Looking for guidance on how to accomplish all of the above? Check out these articles we wrote for you!

• A Quick And Dirty Guide To Performing a Brand Identity Audit
• Creative Direction Process 101: All the Basics You Need to Know
• Insider Expert Info on What Makes the Best Customer Experience

Sign #3 – If You’re About to Go Through a Pivot, You’ll Need a Marketing Strategy vs Content Strategy

Remember, your marketing strategy is responsible for the frameworks that will be used for reaching your ideal customers.

Depending on the extremity of your pivot, you may not need to throw out your entire marketing and content strategy. But it will absolutely need to be revised. Why? Because even if your ideal customers aren’t changing, your brand is. This means you’ll need to reintroduce who you are, what you do, and how you are of value to them all over again.

As your brand pivots, you will need to revisit your brand messaging, market research, customer journey, and pricing strategy. This ensures that you are effectively communicating the value of your new brand. Through any pivot, you will lose some people who are no longer aligned.

This is to be expected because as your brand changes, certain people will no longer benefit from the work that you do. This is one of those times when “it’s not you, it’s them” applies. 

But by investing in your marketing strategy right off the bat, you will be able to have all the information you need to create a content strategy that generates high outreach, engagement, and conversion. Need help with your shaping your brand communications once you’ve pivoted?

Check out our article on How to Absolutely Crush Your Brand Launch Messaging.

 Your content strategy is only one piece of your marketing strategy…

…as it clarifies how your brand should communicate with your target audience. It also informs where your content needs to live in order to reach your community. If you’ve checked all the boxes that indicate that you need to invest in a marketing strategy vs content strategy, we’re here to help!   

Wild Womn Haus is composed of a team of branding and marketing experts who want to help you win at the game of business.  And we’re ready to help you with a marketing strategy that boosts your brand outreach, engagement, and conversion. 

Is getting support with your Marketing Strategy is your next step? We invite you to book a Complimentary 30-minute Call with our founder and lead brand strategist, Tristan Thibodeau. During this call, Tristan will fill you in on how a strong marketing strategy can support your impact and income goals!

Ready to book a Complimentary 30-minute Call? Click here to schedule!

About the Author

Tristan Thibodeau is the founder of Wild Womn Haus and is a brand strategist for entrepreneurs in the wellness, beauty, and lifestyle brand industries. 

She specializes in helping companies create and maintain their image. She works with market research, industry analysis, and consumer trends to offer strategic insights for brands so that they can enhance their marketing efforts and grow their bottom line. 

Tristan also hosts The Wild Womn Hotline, which is a podcast that features expert-level conversations for growing your brand in bold and strategic ways. Follow her on Instagram @tristan.wildwomnhaus and follow the agency on Instagram @wildwomnhaus and on TikTok @tristan.wildwomnhaus!