Engineering Copywriter Blog

A content plan is a document that organizes and outlines the resources, activities, and tasks associated with content development, delivery, and promotion. The main goal of content planning is to lay out each phase of the content generation process needed to achieve the company’s digital marketing objectives.  

Ideally, a well-defined content strategy should be created before establishing the content plan. This strategy will guide all subsequent decisions. Once the goals are set, you are ready to proceed with the content planning. There are several critical factors to consider first before developing your content plan. These are listed below:

1. • •      –  Target audience

   Your target market will determine which engineering content ideas will perform well. Do extensive research about their content consumption needs and habits. Take a look at what they want, how to reach them, and how your products and services can help them. Use tools such as Google Analytics to figure out your audience’s characteristics, activities, and preferences. This will assist you in creating content that is relevant to all your customers no matter where they are in the marketing funnel.

   • •      –  Branding

   Your content marketing strategy will fail if you don’t fully understand your brand and its values. Knowledge of your brand will provide you with an idea of what engineering content you should publish and how it can align with your branding strategy. This includes the tone of voice and the branding message that your engineering firm wants to communicate to your audience.

   • •      –  Marketing channels and strategies

   In determining the optimal methods and timing to promote your engineering content, you must also be familiar with and have access to various content marketing strategies and platforms. Social media, email, and your website are all important channels for promoting engineering content. Your communication techniques and timing will largely be determined by your target audience’s preferences.

    

Once you have defined those factors listed above, you can finally create your content plan. Its components are listed and discussed in the sections below.

1. Keyword research

It is the first crucial step in creating a content plan for your engineering blog. It is the process of researching common search terms that people type into search engines like Google. The results are then strategically integrated into your content so that it ranks higher on a search engine results page (SERP) and benefits your overall SEO efforts. To start researching keywords, choose a topic that is related to your company and learn how people search for that topic. Usually, some terms show up in a disproportionate number of those searches. Once you have listed down these terms, you can use either a free or paid keyword search tool to look for related keywords that get searched the most online.

2. Generate content ideas

The next step in the planning process is generating content ideas including the titles and the type to be published. The keywords that you researched previously will be useful in coming up with the blog titles. When writing headlines, there are key elements that need to be satisfied to make them more effective and eye-catching. Additionally, below are some tips to create good engineering blog titles:

1. • –  Start with a working title that effectively describes what you are writing about. The goal is to let the reader know what the article is about even before reading it.
   •  –  Optimize blog titles for search engines.
   • –  Include words that capture readers’ interest.
   • –  Write for your target audience.
   • –  Improve your blog title using online tools such as the CoSchedule which evaluates your title based on the overall structure, grammar, and readability.

    

Once you have come up with the titles for your planner, the next step is to determine which type of content best fits your chosen topics. They could end up being pillar articles, shorter engineering blogs, white papers, and/or case studies. The type of content will depend on the possible length of the topic, the expectations of your target audience, and the resources you lean on to create the article. Providing different types of content helps you connect with various customers at different stages of the marketing funnel.

3.  Establish copywriting and editing details

By including the copywriting and editing details in your planner, you’ll be able to set content expectations for both the editor and the technical writer. Remember to write down the following for all your formulated titles: 

1. • –  Overview of the topic.
   • –  Key points of the article.
   • –  An outline of recommended sections that need to be included.

    

These details will help the technical writers and editing team come up with articles that align with your content strategy.

4. Agree on the timelines

Once the copywriting and editing details are set, the next step is to agree on timelines. Building timelines into your content plan will help you track and manage your content’s progress. A detailed timeline for your content should include submission and publishing schedules. Don’t forget to also note which writers and editors each task is assigned to so you can maintain accountability within the team and ensure the timely completion of tasks.

5. Identify your content distribution channels

Decide on your content distribution channels at the planning stage so you can get your articles to the intended audience. This helps marketing teams prepare the proper resources to effectively share, publish, and promote the content once it goes live on your engineering website. One thing to keep in mind when identifying your channels is that not all of your current audience will find your content interesting. They may be more receptive at certain times, and some types of content may be better directed to specific segments of your audience. For example, an engineering white paper is intended for decision-makers, so targeted distribution through email blasts and paid ads will serve that content well.

6. Examine the results

It is important to assess and examine the effectiveness of your content plan. At this stage of the planning process, the marketing team should be able to identify which metrics to monitor. Here are some that often become important:

•      –  Site traffic. Your website’s traffic is a key indicator of how well your content is performing. You can check it through online tools such as Google Analytics, Matomo, Open Web Analytics, and Clicky.

•      –  SEO results. Content optimization allows your site to appear organically in search engine result pages (SERPs) and drive organic engagement.

•      – Brand awareness. The brand awareness level of your firm is a good indicator of your content marketing’s effectiveness. Aside from site traffic, brand surveys and social listening will help you keep your finger on the pulse.

•      –  Social shares of your content. When people share your content, it means that they find it valuable. Measure your content marketing success by tracking social media engagement.

     –  Percentage of conversion/sales. An increase in sales is the ultimate indicator of marketing success.

Why you need a content plan for your engineering blog

A content plan is an important tool for developing great engineering content that will resonate with your target audience. Irrespective of where your consumers are in the marketing funnel, you must be able to create content that effectively conveys the value of your brand and product. A good content plan allows you to stay focused on your engineering customers throughout the buyer’s journey, feeding them important information at the proper times. Feel free to drop us a line today if you need help establishing your content plan and creating engineering content that resonates with your target audience.