CONTENT

Sometimes we use the terms “content marketing strategy” and “content strategy” interchangeably. 

There is a distinct need for content strategy within the approach of content marketing. Specifically, there are many agencies doing themselves a disservice by throwing a skilled content marketing planning expert into a content strategy project, and vice versa.

Additionally, as enterprise marketing organizations reorganize themselves with strategic management of content as a centralizing force, managers begin to feel lost because they have a skill set that’s specifically suited to one practice over the other.

Content strategy and content marketing are two very different practices.

MAGIC MARKER & FINE PENS

What is the difference between content strategy and content marketing?

Content marketers draw on the wall with magic markers, while content strategists use fine pens.

Content marketing is, after all, a means of marketing. Content marketers draw and develop the larger story that an organization wants to tell, and focus on ways to engage an audience, using content so that it changes or enhances a behavior

“Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience — with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

At its heart, content marketing is a marketing strategy — an approach that uses content to deepen our relationship with customers.

Content Strategy, on the other hand, delves deeper into (in Kristina Halvorson’s words) the “creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.” It seeks to manage content as a strategic asset across the entirety of the organization.

On his website, content strategist Scott Abel wonderfully states it as one of his company’s main missions: “Your content is your most valuable business asset. Let us show you how to manage it efficiently and effectively.”

In the very beginning of Erin Kissane’s book, The Elements of Content Strategy she quotes Rachel Lovinger, who said, “Content strategy is to copywriting as information architecture is to design.”

In a wonderful post on the topic, Rebecca Lieb refers to Ahava’s definition of content strategies as being about repeatable frameworks, and content marketing as being about building relationships.

Consider Rahel Bailie’s view of content strategy. She believes it includes:

“…the planning aspects of managing content throughout its lifecycle, and includes aligning content to business goals, analysis, and modeling, and influences the development, production, presentation, evaluation, measurement, and sunsetting of content, including governance.”

ONWARD CONTENT MARKETING

Simply put, the content marketer addresses the “whys,” the content strategist addresses the “hows,” and together they work out the “whats” and “where’s.”

The content marketer draws the story and plans the channels that will be used to develop the customer relationship with the brand. The content strategist ensures that story, language, and management processes work consistently and efficiently across multiple teams, languages, and every publication the brand leverages. The two approaches are different, but whether or not they can be implemented and executed by the same person (or team of people) in your organization is another matter.

• If You Are An Agency:
  Whether you are an SEO agency transitioning into content marketing, or a full-service agency adding a content marketing practice to your suite of services, please recognize that there is a distinction. I’ve seen too many agencies that are simply throwing the title “Content Strategist” at someone whose responsibilities would be much better served by the title “Content Marketing Strategist.” They are not the same thing — and your business will be better served by respecting their differences and/or offering both categories of service.
  
  
• If You Are A Brand:
  If you are putting together teams and processes to create facile management of content as a core marketing strategy — employ both!  Don’t assume that a marketing team that knows how to tell compelling, engaging stories understands all the intricacies of content strategy (they might, but it’s exceedingly rare). And, don’t assume that the content strategist that you’ve got managing the consistency and hierarchy of your technical documentation knows everything about content marketing.
  
  

• If You Are A Practitioner:
  Know what you are passionate about, and pursue that practice with all your heart. Most of the best content strategists I know really don’t want to be content marketers — and vice versa. As a content marketer, I couldn’t admire content strategists more. What they do, quite frankly, mystifies me most of the time. On every marketing team, I have the pleasure of working with, I adore having a content strategist there who will help make sure we don’t blow the place up.
  
  

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