At Cup and Code, we know that strategic, long-term thinking is what makes your content shine, not just jumping on the latest trends.
Most companies’ content strategies are like a shaky house of cards made from mismatched materials. Picture a structure built with beer coasters, bits of cardboard, and Ikea manuals, all set outside on a windy day.
The point is, companies often mix different content types, formats, messages, channels, and designs without considering the environment or establishing a consistent framework. If we were building a real house, we’d start with architectural designs and blueprints before leveling the ground and laying solid foundations. The same principle applies to content.
Content is a significant reputational asset, part of our central narrative – who we are, what we do, and why people should care. It deserves respect. So, put a strategy in place to make it work for you, not against you.
Cutting Through the Noise
Most companies’ content, scattered across various channels owned by different stakeholders, lacks cohesive, strategic governance. Content without strategy is just noise.
Consistency builds recognition and cumulative value over time. Measurement helps us understand the value of our content and audience response. We’re competing against a constant barrage of digital and analogue content bombarding audiences every second. Attention spans are short, most content is disposable, and indifference is common.
That’s why content strategy is essential. It’s thoughtful, foundational, and long-term, ensuring our content cuts through the noise, making our hard work and investment worthwhile.
Scalable, Strategic Problem-Solving
Let’s talk foundations. We need a strategy that ensures great content for individual channels and wider ecosystems, scalable over time.
A strategy should have three parts:
- Diagnose the problem we want to solve
- Develop a strategic approach to solve the problem
- Create a plan of action to carry out the strategy
This requires changing institutional behavior, moving away from seeing content as the end of the journey. Instead of asking what content we need for our website, we should ask how content can help us sell more products, be more competitive, attract and retain top talent, connect with key audiences, and increase our valuation.
Done correctly, content strategy is a long-term approach to building deep, lasting connections with audiences. It aligns with business strategy, bringing purpose to communications and a continuous mindset to creating content.
What it isn’t is reactionary tactics or jumping on the latest viral bandwagon. It’s not about complexity or buzzwords that might confuse our audience or make us seem clever. A cool trend seen on TikTok might not be appropriate for a public company and could lead to second-hand embarrassment.
The Science Behind the Art
At Cup and Code, we’ve developed a framework for content strategy, encompassing six pillars.
It guides us from defining the best route and planning activation to deploying and creating content.