Thought leaders, we have great news for you: Content planning and strategy doesn’t have to keep you awake at night…really!

Let’s jump right into this post – if you haven’t been following this series, here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve covered so far:

• The Year of the Thought Leader?
• Change the Way You Think About Thought Leadership
• Showcase your Expertise: Position Yourself as a Thought Leader Through Content Marketing
• Turn Thought Leadership into Sales With Content Marketing

And here’s what to expect in this article:

• How to Develop a Content Strategy
• Thought Leadership Content Plan
• Thought Leader Content Marketing Ideas
• ⏰ 10 mins to 7 pieces of content
• How to Create a Content Calendar

How to Develop a Content Strategy for Thought Leaders

First, make sure you’ve considered your true thought leadership value. Maybe you can’t (yet) write 52 blogs or create 52 videos a year on this alone, but be sure to highlight these topics and include them at least monthly in your content plan.

Additional content considerations should come from your ideal client profile. To attract your ideal client, you need to be answering the questions they’re asking, when they’re asking them.

Thought Leadership Content Plan:
Where to Start

For consultants, think about the strategic planning process. When do you recommend clients start this? Maybe the quarter before their fiscal year starts? So, you want to be ready with content about strategic planning the month prior. Then, there’s the delivery of the strategic plan, typically at the beginning of the new fiscal year? Again, you should be talking about this and sharing tips at least the month prior. Makes sense, right?

You can also look at your FAQs for keys into what your ideal clients need and want. Taking good notes during consultations and strategy calls can help you build and maintain a working list and database of FAQs that are relevant – and what could be a stream of valuable content ideas.

Another option is to look at your services and offerings for opportunities to talk about topics that should interest your ideal clients. Content marketing tip: We aren’t suggesting that you create content that’s full of sales pitches – what we mean is to share valuable information about the valuable services you offer.

Finally, look to your team. Each person, while part of a whole team, is also an expert in their own unique way. Consider asking your team for ideas or to even draft content.

Thought Leadership Content Marketing Ideas:
10 mins to 7 pieces of content

Once you have your topics identified and key points laid out, consider your delivery methods. Do you prefer video, audio, or text? We don’t recommend this become your only delivery method, but it should become your ‘cornerstone’, from which all other content is derived. It’s a method of repurposing that maximizes the reach of everything you create.

Here’s an example that turns a 10 min video into 7 pieces of content:

If you like to shoot videos, you could record your content as a 10-15 minute video and then have it transcribed or send it to your team to draft up an article. From there you now have 2 forms of content to use – video and text. Next, take that same content and break it up into social posts, an email newsletter, and shorter videos. Find images to add to your blog that can also be used on social.

Now you’ve turned 1 simple video and a few images into:

• a YouTube Video
• a Blog for your website
• an email to your list 2 video social posts
• …and 2 image social posts

Wondering how a podcast fits into this model?

A 30-minute audio file can be converted into:

• 1 podcast
• 1 blog
• 1 video
• 1 email
• …and 4 social media posts

How to Create a Thought Leadership Content Calendar

Alright, so now you might be wondering:

• How often do you need to create content?
• How often do you share it on all the various platforms?

There is a generic formula and a rhyme and reason to all of this, but you should also follow your own analytics to determine the best ROI over time.

Here’s are some of the generic answers:

Podcast Production – weekly

Podcasts vary a lot in frequency, from daily to quarterly, and can even run just part of the year if you use the ‘seasonal’ approach. But when in swing, it’s best to create a new podcast at least once a week if you can.

Blog Posts – weekly

Similar to podcasts, the more frequent, the more consistent your readership, the better your SEO value.

Stuck on what to share? Get creative! Take advantage of the many formats a blog post can take:

• Showcase your expertise with a case study.
• Lighten it up with a listicle – readers love ‘em.
• Help out your audience with a useful how-to.
• Voice your expert opinion – share your thoughts on a hot topic.
• Give readers an “ultimate guide” that they’ll refer to again & again.

Email Marketing or Email Newsletter – weekly

We’re creatures of habit and our email is a huge means of communication. So, this medium should follow at least the same schedule as your cornerstone content (blog/podcast). However, you could move to bi-weekly or monthly if you sent out other messages during the month or run frequent promotions that would result in too many messages that might annoy your list.

LinkedIn Posts – 3+ times per week

LinkedIn has gained in posting frequency in the past few years. But it’s still not necessary to post more than once a day on this platform.

Facebook Posts – 1+ times a day

Facebook remains a very active platform, which in turn requires a high frequency of posts to gain meaningful visibility.

YouTube Videos – 1+ times per week

Because many podcasts are now shared to YouTube as well as other video content, sharing as many videos as possible is recommended to gain traction on this platform. Of course, video editing processes often limit the number of videos prepared for publication.

At the end of the day, focus on what you can do well. If that means choosing just 1 platform, that’s probably the best choice you can make.

Overwhelmed at all “nuts & bolts” of successful content marketing? We’ve got you covered – just setup a time to chat. We blend cutting edge technology with savvy digital marketing techniques to help you shine.