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8 Steps to Master the Content Planning Process + How to Create a Content Brief

Category:eLearning|  

Reading Time:  9 min  

Published Date:  29 May, 2024 | Updated Date:  05 Nov, 2024

Unlock the secrets of an effective website content plan. Dive into our guide on mastering the content planning process and crafting the perfect content brief.

If you’re reading this article, then it’s likely you are already familiar with the ins and outs of content planning.

Heck, you might even have made hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit with that content from your course creation, online training, or membership site!

Yet there comes a time for all online business owners (big and small) where they realize they need to revamp the systems they use to curate and create digital content.

Indeed, some clients and prospects come to us with Frankenstein-like content systems pieced up over years of trying to discern what works and what doesn’t…

…only to be frustrated when they realize there must be an easier way to plan content that actually helps sell their foundational digital products.

Well, we’re here with good news, since there is a much simpler way to master the content planning process, and eliminate any unnecessary steps along the way to publication.

8 steps to master the content planning process and how to create a content brief

If you don’t have a lot of time today, here is a high-level overview of how to plan your next piece of website content for marketing, sales, and more:

  • Start with a clear understanding of your business goals and target audience.
  • Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant topics and keywords.
  • Create an outline that organizes your content logically, focusing on user experience.
  • Write or record high-quality content that provides value to your audience.

The idea here is to then repeat this process again and again for the maximum amount of content in the least amount of time, and with the least amount of effort.

It’s not that you are caring any less about the content you deliver to your audience, simply that you are working smarter, not harder with your online coaching or course creation business!

So, if you’re dedicated to reducing your content efforts without reducing how much content you’re putting out, let’s break this process down into the actionable steps you can use to create a website content plan…

…without all the bells and whistles that might have been added to your content systems over time.

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8 Quick Steps to Create a Website Content Plan for Your Online Business

After helping so many incredible business owners churn out amazing content week after week, we’re fairly certain we have the optimal process for how to plan marketable content for your online training, coaching, or membership business.

Whether you want to publish an article, a podcast episode, a course series, or something even bigger, you can always use the same content planning framework to get the very best content (without spending tons of extra cash):

4 steps to create a lead magnet for your website

 

  1. Choose a topic related to your website. Pick a general topic or subject matter that your website covers, and use it as the foundation for a quick brainstorming session about what you know about that topic, and what you will share with your latest piece of content. Also think about related topics that you can cover. Expanding the content to encompass broader subjects can enhance the overall quality of your website!
  2. Define your target audience in relation to your content topic. Refer to your customer avatar to refresh your understanding of audience pain points and challenges faced by your target audience. Then, brainstorm ideas for how your current topic relates to those needs, interests, and pain points.
  3. Define the topic’s relationship with your brand’s mission, values, and message. While brainstorming, relate the topic to your brand’s core values or message to maintain brand consistency throughout all content publications. Consider how this messaging will relate to each stage of the marketing funnel, including awareness, engagement, conversion, and ascension
  4. Generate an outline (or content brief) prior to content creation. Include headings and subheadings, key sections, and other important information about the content to be created in a comprehensive outline. Refer to your brainstorming for hints on what to include, and what sections to include, or consider using AI tools to generate content outlines. Tools such as ChatGPT can for example recommend headings, subheadings, and bullet points based on your chosen topic to help create a full-scope outline on the topic of your choice.
  5. Conduct keyword research on your topic of choice. Keyword research can help you identify relevant keywords and phrases related to your website’s topic to maximize your content visibility. Plan to incorporate these keywords strategically into your SEO content brief, and use them to inspire other content ideas on related or relevant topics.
  6. Create a content marketing asset from outline (or content brief). Use the content outline you created (including keywords) to write, record, or develop the planned content asset. Ensure that the flow of information makes sense to an outside reader, and always focus on enhancing readability. For example, various style elements such as bullet points, numbered lists, subheadings, and bold text improve the readability of your content, while SEO keywords placed in-text help search engines more effectively categorize your content on search results pages.

    “Many of our clients at The Digital Navigator happen to feel more comfortable doing an audio or video recording (or interview with a team member) where they explain the subject matter based on the content brief and topic chosen. This ends up saving time during the content creation phase, since the transcript from that video or audio file can be used to write the final content product!”

    –Pol Cousineau, Founder, The Digital Navigator

  7. Review and refine your newly created content asset, and publish. Take a final look at the content that has been created, and preview how it will appear on your website. Touch base with your developer to discuss any final formatting changes, and then publish your new article, video, post, or podcast, live! From there, your next move will be to market that content through a marketing funnel (or as a part of a marketing funnel). If you need help with that, you can always review our free Marketing Funnel Template for Digital Products and Coaching Businesses.
  8. Seek feedback from your team or audience. As you rinse and repeat this content planning process for your next pieces of content, we recommend you collaborate with other members of your team or network to not only share your content, but to request input or feedback about whether the content aligns with your brand vision or voice. It’s also a great idea for the main expert to do a quick review to ensure accuracy for the final content product. Otherwise, refine content as necessary, and continuously improve your content to successfully scale into more conversions, leads, and sales.

Seems easy enough, right? 

And for the most part, it is!

Yet as you start escalating your website content plan, or implementing it, you’ll soon find that it’s best to start with an ‘assignment sheet’ for any content you want to create. 

Not only will this help you organize your content during the writing or recording process, but it will help you assign content later down the line when/if you decide to bring more writers onto your team. 

Understandably, course creators and/or membership site owners often find it difficult to come up with assignment sheets and outlines that are easy to understand–even by writers who work remotely. 

To help, here is our process for creating what we call a content brief, so that you, your asset creators, designers, or your writers can execute content creation tasks without too much added oversight!


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[Free Checklist] 10 Things to Include in Your Content Outline or Content Brief

Creating an SEO-friendly content brief for your website content plan is actually quite simple, and follows the same general format as the content planning process we described above.

To showcase that, here’s a quick high-level overview of how to write a content brief or outline for your next content assignment:

  • Clearly define the purpose and target audience for the content.
  • Identify relevant keywords and SEO requirements for content optimization.
  • Specify the desired content structure, including headings, subheadings, and formatting.
  • Provide guidelines for writing style and tone to maintain brand consistency.
  • Share any additional instructions or expectations for the content creation process.
HINT: We recommend you create a ‘master’ writing brief for different content formats so that you can quickly fill in the blanks for faster assignments.

As before, let’s break this process down to include the 10 things you should include in your content outlines and/or content briefs to teach you how to organize content ideas:

10 things to include in your content brief

  • Content topic

    To start your content brief, write down the topic and any relevant points you want to – or want your writer to – reference in the content. You can also record these in a video and link it (and the transcript) in the content brief, which is exactly what we do at The Digital Navigator. For example, we will often have a technical expert record a video on a digital marketing topic and add this to the content brief, knowing they already have a solid grasp of the subject matter and can provide valuable input.

  • Relevant SEO keywords and guidelines

    When we create content briefs, one of our marketing specialists utilizes popular digital SEO tools like ahrefs and SEMrush to determine the best and most usable keywords under that topic. We then list the primary, secondary, and tertiary keywords, as well as the number of times they should appear in the content, so the writer can integrate them in an SEO-friendly manner. If you’re doing this on your own, or want help training your virtual assistant in how to do keyword research, we recommend using our free, expert guide on improving content quality for specific tips on how to use SEO keywords to guide content headers.

  • Suggested title or headline

    As mentioned, you can now use those all-important SEO keywords in the headings, subheadings, and titles of your content. Use a brainstorming process, or speed up the process by asking ChatGPT what headings they would create in your topic with the keywords in mind. Plus, by using these headings in your content outline, your writer will benefit from a little extra guidance as they move through the drafting stage of each new content asset. Not to mention it’ll have a compounding benefit on your SEO metrics as you continue to publish.

  • Meta descriptions and information.

    Every website hosting platform is different, however almost all webpages and article posts leave room to input meta information that will also help with your search engine optimized marketing.We recommend inputting meta descriptions and meta titles that utilize the primary and secondary keywords from your keyword research, noting that this information will have to be added during the content publication process online.

    “Most social media platforms tend to use the meta description and meta title as-is, while search engines will use it if they find it relevant. If it’s not relevant, the search engine may populate that text for you. Make sure to perfect and personalize your meta description and title to increase click-through rates regardless of where your prospects see it!”

    –Pol Cousineau, Founder, The Digital Navigator

  • Content outline.

    On your own or with the help of AI technology, create a clear outline for the content that organizes the main points about your topic logically. For example, you might want to include a summary, an introduction, any associated benefits, three main pillars of the content topic, and then a conclusion. From there you can add any technical notes or additional bullets for the writer to use as they build the content.

  • Suggested formatting tips.

    We don’t recommend getting too specific here, but general parameters like word count should be included. Otherwise, make sure your writers understand the benefit of breaking information down into bullet points, questions, and checklists to help maintain viewer or reader engagement.

    HINT: We recommend you create a ‘master’ writing brief for different content formats so that you can quickly fill in the blanks for faster assignments.

  • Often, when you start writing different articles in your niche, you will reference certain terms or practices again and again. This is a perfect opportunity to connect viewers of one piece of content to other kinds of content in the same field using a lead form, a contact us button, a call link, or purchase link etc. And since there are multiple options, we recommend you add a few suggested CTA links to your content brief for the most impact. Not only will this help boost your search engine rankings, but you will improve the lead generating potential of the marketing content that you do create!

  • If you are using images in your content, or have a special feature image that needs to be input when the content is published, it can be a good idea to include links to those images in your content brief. Then, have the writer indicate where images should be placed in the final version of the landing page or article to help developers when they later publish that content to your digital product website.

  • Content objective.

    What is the purpose of the content you’re creating? Although we list this element of the content brief a little later on the list, this is one of the most important things to reference for writers and content creators who will be developing your content. You want the content creator to understand who they are talking to when they create and curate a piece of content that’s going to appear on your website.
    So, we recommend writing a content objective that looks something like this:

    This [article / video / audio recording] is about [topic], and should be created for those who want to… [solution to target audience problem].

    That way, your content creator has a great filter through which to cultivate poignant content that actually solves the viewer or reader’s problem.

  • Due date and publication date.

    Easy enough, the final thing we recommend you add to your content brief is the date that the first draft of the article is due for submission, as well as the prospective publication date (i.e., when your content goes live online).And that’s just about it! Of course, as you scale your business, we think it’s a good idea to include a link to your customer avatar and style guidelines for creator reference, as well as links to a completed version of the content assignment. You can even include a link to any training resources (we use SystemHUB)  that might help new writers or content creators deliver optimized content that matches your brand voice and is consistent with existing messaging. Then hand off your content brief to your content creator, and continue on with your content distribution, planning, and publication process.

What’s next for my website content planning journey?

We stand by our suggestion about creating a template for your content outlines and content briefs, and are curious to see how you’ll utilize this ‘tool’ to fulfill your own marketing aims.

We’re also excited to see how you ‘prune’ your existing website content planning strategy to more efficiently produce content without any unnecessary extra steps. 

That said, you might have gotten to this point and are feeling it’s time to off-load some of your bigger content marketing tasks–which is where we come in! 

At The Digital Navigator, we’re always taking calls from spiritual mentors, course creators, life coaches, and other digital business owners who want to reduce their focus on marketing, and just create the content they love! 

If that sounds like you, then go ahead and book one of those calls with us, where we’ll schedule a free consultation to talk about how we can support your digital marketing aims…

…including the creation and implementation of a three-month content calendar forecast to help with longer-term content publication. 

Alternatively, you can start exploring how to cultivate an all-star marketing funnel that basically creates your content for you with our free Masterclass, Deconstructing a Profitable Content Marketing System for Course Creators, Coaches and Spiritual Teachers.

Sign up for Content Marketing Masterclass;

Until next time!

FAQ

What is the purpose of creating a website content plan for an online business?
The purpose of creating a website content plan is to strategically organize and produce content that aligns with your business goals, engages your target audience, and enhances your online presence. It helps you consistently deliver valuable content to your audience.
How can I choose a relevant topic for my website's content?
To choose a relevant topic, consider what your website covers and brainstorm ideas related to that topic. Think about broader subjects that can enhance the quality of your website's content. Your chosen topic should resonate with your audience and align with your brand's mission.
How do I define my target audience for content planning?
You can define your target audience by referring to your customer avatar. Understand their pain points, challenges, and interests. Brainstorm ideas on how your chosen topic can address their needs and align with their interests.
Why is it important to align the content with my brand's mission and values?
Aligning content with your brand's mission and values ensures consistency in your messaging and reinforces your brand identity. It helps build trust with your audience and maintains a cohesive image throughout your content publications.
What is a content outline or content brief, and why is it important?
A content outline or brief is a detailed plan that includes headings, subheadings, key sections, and other important information about your content. It is essential for organizing your thoughts, guiding the content creation process, and ensuring that your content flows logically and effectively.
How can I conduct keyword research for SEO optimization?
You can conduct keyword research using SEO tools like ahrefs and SEMrush to identify relevant keywords and phrases related to your topic. List primary, secondary, and tertiary keywords and specify how many times they should appear in your content for optimal SEO.
What are some tips for creating SEO-friendly content?
Incorporate keywords strategically into your content, headings, and subheadings. Use formatting elements like bullet points, numbered lists, and bold text to enhance readability. Consider meta descriptions and meta titles with primary and secondary keywords for search engine optimization.
Why should I include suggested CTA links and image links in my content brief?
Suggested CTA links connect viewers to related content on your website to improve search engine and lead generation potential. Including image links helps developers when publishing content with images, ensuring proper placement.
How can I ensure my content aligns with its objective and target audience?
Clearly define the content's purpose and target audience in the content brief. Specify who the content is for and what problem it solves. This helps content creators understand the context and create content that resonates with the intended audience.
What is the significance of setting due dates and publication dates in a content brief?
Setting due dates ensures timely content creation, and publication dates indicate when the content will go live. It helps maintain a schedule and ensures that content is published on time.
What is a marketing funnel, and how can it benefit my content strategy?
A marketing funnel is a strategic framework that guides potential customers through the stages of awareness, consideration, and conversion.

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