The field of database administration is far from glamorous. Even within the uncompromisingly geeky domain of information technology, database administration would be among the last fields picked for a game of proverbial kickball.

However, the future employment landscape for tech jobs remains uncertain in these changing times. Despite its somewhat unglamorous reputation, database management and administration is an industry experiencing rapid growth, persistent talent shortages, and significant changes brought by AI. This field has much potential for those willing to cash in on its viable career path.

These watershed moments invariably present significant opportunities as well as challenges. Percona, an open-source database software, support, and services firm, optimizes how databases and applications run. Dave Stokes, a technology evangelist and database veteran at the company, is passionate about helping today’s aspiring database administrators (DBAs) find their way.

Stokes has decades of experience in the DBA field. He often speaks on a wide range of cutting-edge topics regarding database operations. With his finger on the IT pulse, he offers the knowledge and expertise needed to mentor effectively.

Reshaping the Business World’s Database Needs

Perusing any industry report on the role of DBA in 2024 confirms that emerging trends and data solutions make for an ever-changing IT landscape. Today’s data environment generates more than two quintillion bytes of data per day.

Demands for higher-quality data and real-time results push various database platforms to their limits. As a result, DBAs require increasingly sophisticated skill diversification.

Artificial intelligence is only one factor. Other challenges include managing on-premises operations and handling cloud migration and security. Evolution, adaptation, and innovation define DBA’s morphing trends.

Open-source databases are now more popular than their commercial counterparts. More organizations are dependent on PostgreSQL and MySQL, according to Stokes.

“This standardization on the choice of databases provides DBAs with more employment opportunities and gives employers a vast talent pool from which to fish,” he said.

Insider’s View of the World of Database Administration

We spoke with Stokes extensively about his view of the state of database management. He observed that the traditional DBA is virtually nonexistent “in the wild” today.

A significant portion of conventional work has been moved to site reliability engineers or cloud providers’ services. As databases have mushroomed in size and scope, some functions, such as query optimization, have been ignored.

“Much of what was handled by a DBA is now compensated for by purchasing ever larger cloud chunks,” Stokes told TechNewsWorld. “Institutional knowledge about an organization’s data was abandoned when the DBA role was supplanted.”

Until that impact escalates, trying to figure out how some data is structured and how it impacts ongoing operations is a tertiary consideration, he observed.

But there is good news about where DBA is headed. Some data workers are interested in the functions performed by a DBA, even if they do not have that title.

“Query tuning, defining data structures, server optimization, and administration of the instance itself have value,” he said.

Demystifying DBA Dilemmas: Q&A

Dave Stokes shared more insights on the latest trends, technologies, and challenges in the field of database administration. From the impact of cutting-edge technologies to the evolving role of DBAs, Stokes offered valuable perspectives on navigating the complex landscape of database management.

TechNewsWord: What cutting-edge database technology is impacting this field?

Dave Stokes: Vector data for machine learning will consume unprecedented amounts of disk space, processor cycles, and administrative time. Moving a copy of a model to another location for training will incur expensive transfer fees, require monitoring, and take up even more disk space.

JSON is the data interchange of choice for most. Storing data in a JSON format is not as efficient as storing it in traditional data types. Extracting some JSON values and storing them as a traditional data type can speed processing but add complexity.

Replicated data over several data centers is very common. Managing that data, spread out over a continent or globe, is tricky.

How are changing business and industry trends affecting database administration?

Stokes: The ability to add more processing power or disk space by clicking a checkbox on a webpage and paying for it with a credit card has revolutionized data administration. There is no more worrying about getting approval for a capital expenditure, capacity planning, or sweating the optimizations needed.

Lead time for expansion is now nonexistent. When a company may have had a dozen databases at the beginning of this century, they now can have tens of thousands of them.

Need to expand into AI? Then load billions of records into a cloud account and worry about the quality and quantity later. And as data lakes creep into data oceans, the data still needs to be managed, backed up, and monitored.

How will automation and AI impact changes in DBA?

Stokes: AI is needed in the database itself. However, general AI adoption by an organization means more disk space, processor cores, data migrations, and backups.

An optimizer that can spot data usage patterns and recognize the need to cache specific data or autotune buffer usage would be a big plus. Smarter query optimizations and user usage patterns could shift server capacities to accommodate data needs.

How is the shift in DBA from on-site to the cloud impacting business, or is it vice-versa?

Stokes: Those who could move their data to the cloud have found a big benefit in many cases. Scaling is now a function of using a credit card. Backups, server failovers, and software upgrades are handled by the cloud vendor.

For many, the need for an in-house DBA has been replaced by a dependency on their cloud provider. Some have found the cloud too expensive and have returned to on-premises operations. In these cases, they need to have staff to handle the traditional work of a DBA.

What role is cloud migration now playing in the cost and efficiency of DB operations?

Stokes: Costs are steadily increasing. Businesses used to be reluctant to spend money on capital expenditures, and upgrading servers was a complicated process, often taking months.

In the cloud, upgrades are an operational budget expense done on a credit card almost instantaneously. Why optimize data or a server when itemizing a bill is easier and faster?

Why is DBA still a relevant job in 2024?

Stokes: Although the title may not say DBA, someone will always be needed to monitor, tune, optimize, and guide database instances. These may be seen as hygiene factors, but the reliability of the data requires them.

How can young professionals find success in this industry?

Stokes: Learn Structured Query Language (SQL). There is a reason why it is the only computer language that survived from the 1970s. It matches business logic exceptionally well and is designed to deliver the information requested in a way it can be used.

Data normalization is also critical. Poorly defined data structures are slow and become challenging to manage over time.

Lastly, communication is key. The ability to express why a change to a table that seems simple to a requester can shut down a petabyte of information for hours can save an organization from disaster.

Where do you see DBA and its needs headed?

Stokes: Better data backup and faster data restoration are always needed. Much attention is paid to the time and financial costs of recovering data, and there will be a push to reduce these costs.

Security enhancements will be pursued. It is still too easy to have a minor slip-up, either in the cloud or on-premises, that leads to finding your data on the front page of a newspaper.

DBAs will need better tools to handle the explosive growth in the scope and scale of the instances they manage.

Every content marketer has heard the saying: “Content is king!” In fact, all great marketing leaders know that producing great campaigns starts with compelling content.

The problem? Content marketers face numerous challenges when it comes to scaling production, highlighting unique POVs, and distributing content on the right channel, at the right time, for the right audience.

Content marketers are asked to serve nearly every department in the business. Whether it’s sales enablement, customer success, human resources, product, or the executive team, there’s always a need for content — and usually not enough resources to produce it at once. So how do they do it?

Content marketing platforms: The best solution for content marketers

To help address these challenges, many content marketers turn to freelancers — but this presents yet another challenge. They may actually be creating more work for themselves by delegating.

By the time they train the writer, create the brief, and distribute the work, they probably could’ve done it on their own. And that’s not even considering the time it takes to edit.

Content marketing platforms like Contently offer a variety of tools and resources designed to streamline the content creation and distribution process, all while offering a Managing Editor to create the brief, manage the freelancers, and give the content a polish before it ever hits your desk.

Let’s explore the ways a content marketing platform can aid content marketers in every stage of their process. We’ll cover how to ideate, strategize, create, scale, optimize, and measure content and how using a platform like Contently can help improve your results.

Ideation 

The ideation phase is the first step in any successful content marketing strategy. It involves coming up with new and relevant topics that your target audience will find interesting and engaging. Without content marketing platforms, like Contently, ideation can be a time-consuming and challenging process.

Content marketers often rely on brainstorming sessions, keyword research, and competitor analysis to come up with new ideas. While these methods can be effective, they can also be limited in their scope and require significant effort to execute.

In contrast, content marketing platforms, like Contently, can streamline the ideation process by providing access to data-driven insights, content calendars, and AI-powered content recommendations. With these tools at your disposal, you can quickly and easily generate new topic ideas, identify content gaps, and stay on top of trends in your industry.

Content strategy

A well-defined content marketing strategy is essential to achieve your business goals. A good strategy helps content marketers create content that resonates with their target audience, engages them at every stage of the buyer’s journey, and drives business results. And, content marketing platforms can help you stay consistent with your content strategy.

Without a content marketing platform like Contently, developing a content marketing strategy often involves a variety of technologies. Most marketers use spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs, and SEO tools like SEMRush or Moz to create and document their strategies.

A comprehensive content marketing strategy includes clear goals and objectives, detailed personas, content pillars, and competitive intelligence. Content marketers often use disparate systems to create, distribute, and collaborate on creative assets instead of housing everything in one place.

This can require a significant amount of time and effort, even for the most organized among us. However, with content marketing platforms — especially with Contently — the strategy development process can be streamlined by providing a comprehensive platform for strategy development, SEO keyword identification, and project delegation.

You can easily attach your content strategy and content briefs to every project for easier collaboration and information dissemination.

With the tools built into content marketing platforms, marketers can develop a data-driven content marketing strategy that is tailored to their specific business needs and objectives.

Content creation

Content creation typically happens within Word or Google Docs. If you’re lucky, you have a project management solution to help you manage the project. However, creation and collaboration don’t have to be spread across disparate systems.

Contently enables you to create workflow templates for repeat projects, attach briefs and content strategy to each project, collaborate with internal and external SMEs, and distribute content to different platforms like WordPress.

With our content creation capability, optimization tools, and distribution integrations, Contently offers the whole package in one platform.

Leveraging these capabilities, your team can produce high-quality content at scale, distribute it through multiple channels, and measure the effectiveness of their content marketing efforts without ever leaving our content marketing platform.

Scale

With Contently’s talented network of pre-vetted and trained freelance writers, scaling content production is a breeze.

The demands for content teams often span an entire organization’s needs. That’s why it’s critical to produce content efficiently in order to achieve business growth. Without content marketing platforms, like Contently, scaling can be a time-consuming and expensive process.

Content marketers may need to hire more writers, spend time training freelancers, and review poor drafts before finding their flow. With Contently, our clients are able to hire managing editors to help them train freelancers, delegate work, and edit first drafts.

Whether you’re a small business looking to expand your reach or a large enterprise with multiple brands and products, content marketing platforms like Contently can help you scale your content marketing efforts and achieve your business goals.

Optimization

Optimizing your content for quality, SEO, style, and tone is essential to achieve maximum impact and engagement. Contently’s proprietary software analyzes the content, identifies areas for improvement, and flags the changes the writer should make accordingly.

With these tools, content marketers can rest assured that their piece is optimized and prepped for their best performance.

Measurement

Measuring the success of your content marketing efforts is crucial to evaluate its impact and inform future strategy. Without a content marketing platform like Contently, measuring content marketing efforts can be a tedious process.

With Contently, you’ll know the value of your content down to the dollar. Our Content Value Tracker enables users to see how much they would have to pay for the organic traffic they received on a certain piece.

Whether you’re a B2B or B2C marketer, content marketing platforms can help you measure the success of your content marketing efforts and optimize your strategy for maximum ROI — especially Contently.

How content marketers can benefit from content marketing platforms

The content marketing process is a complex and multifaceted endeavor that requires careful planning, execution, and measurement. By using content marketing platforms like Contently, content marketers can streamline their workflow, improve collaboration, and gain insights into the effectiveness of their efforts.

Whether you’re just starting out with content marketing or looking to take your existing efforts to the next level, content marketing platforms can help you achieve your goals. So don’t be afraid to experiment, test, and iterate until you find the right combination of strategies, tactics, and tools.

With the right mindset and approach, you can create compelling, engaging, and effective content that resonates with your target audience and drives business results.

Ready to get started? Schedule a personalized consultation with one of our experts today.

It’s a situation you have probably faced as a content marketer: You publish a piece of content—perhaps a blog post—on your website. After a while, it hits page one in the SERP. It drives traffic, and everything goes according to plan. And then, possibly out of nowhere, your SEO rankings drop dramatically—and with it, your site traffic begins to fall.

While this can be disappointing, know that the solution may involve fixes or updates that could benefit your content (and your business) in the long run.

Why organic search matters when publishing content

The importance of SEO to a content strategy cannot be overstated. Even as algorithms evolve and Google launches new features (example: the AI Overview), consumers and businesses continue turn to search engines for quick-and-easy answers to whatever questions or problems they have.

For content strategists across industries, SEO can attract potential customers—whether consumers or businesses—to your website. It’s possible that organic search may even be the primary driver of visitors to your blog or site, and yes, it may (ideally) even help generate leads and drive sales.

Your page’s organic SEO rankings dropped. Now what?

Don’t panic if your search rankings suddenly or gradually dive because there’s probably something you can do to resolve the issue. So take a deep breath and follow this action plan.

1. Verify that your search rankings truly fell (and by how much)

There are several reasons why this may happen. Before you take action, benchmark the webpage’s new position from its last-known ranking to confirm that your ranking truly fell.

To confirm a search ranking drop of any degree, you can do keyword ranking analysis on standard SEO tools (think Moz or Semrush). Also, find additional information on Google Search Console, which automatically tracks your average search rankings over time.

Assuming you know what the ranking was before the drop, you can also search for a relevant query on your web browser using Incognito Mode (which doesn’t track your search history) and see where your ranking now sits. Remember: Google can personalize search results based on your search history, web history, or location, so using Incognito Mode is especially important here.

A drop in page traffic may also be your first signal that a search ranking has taken a dive.

2. Wait two weeks

While an SEO ranking drop (especially on a page that drives a lot of traffic) can be disappointing, the first step may very well be to simply wait it out. You might be able to trace the change back to a major Google algorithm change or another update, and the change could be temporary.

After roughly two weeks or so, check whether your ranking returns to its original spot or close to it. But if that’s not the case, continue to Step 3.

3. Place the Google ranking drop in context

Before you panic, ask yourself (or your colleagues) how this drop in ranking might realistically impact your business and whether it might eventually correlate with a decrease in sales or profit or negatively affect another KPI.

Start by analyzing the extent of the situation by taking a page-by-page approach: Did a few blog posts on your site receive 10 percent less traffic year-over-year? Or is it a bigger issue, like traffic to your homepage falling 80 percent from last month, which can directly impact sales?

Also consider whether the keyword you were previously ranking for is truly aligned with your business goals and whether it was bringing the right customers to your site. You want traffic that will lead to conversions—not just any traffic. It all ties back to understanding your target audience. Google is only becoming smarter; it’s prioritizing content in the SERP that leverages keywords tied to the user intent behind a query. Consider: Is your keyword aligned with what your customers are looking for?

Having as clear a picture as possible of what’s at stake will help you determine the urgency behind correcting it and how much time, energy, and funding you should invest in taking action.

4. Research recent SEO updates and check competitor SEO

There are many SEO tools to help you identify the cause of a ranking drop. However, there may be various factors causing the slide, and they are not always immediately apparent.

An update to Google’s algorithm could be the culprit, so start there. Many SEOs saw rankings drops, for example, with the rollout of the AI Overview tool earlier this year. Search engine changes happen regularly. And while the powers that be often announce more significant updates, that’s not always the case for more minor updates.

You can also check your competitors’ SEO results to see whether they made any noticeable changes that may have bumped up their ranking to overtake yours.

5. Address any technical issues

Ask your colleagues in IT whether any major changes were recently made to your company’s website that may have contributed to a sudden or gradual ranking drop. Some solutions may be more technical in nature. Historically, these improvements have taken many forms, like getting more backlinks, adding more list items to a blog post, or upping the word count. You may also want to check on SEO in alt text for images, or you might need to address a keyword density issue.

While these measures are still relevant, step 6 is even more important given Google’s focus on quality content created for humans (not machines!).

6. Focus on overall content quality

A recent drop in search rankings may also be a matter of needing to refresh your content to improve its overall quality. For example, in its March 2024 core update, Google announced that its algorithms will filter out content assets that are deemed unhelpful or “feel like they were created for search engines instead of people.” It’s out with unoriginal content and in with content that is viewed as trustworthy, well-researched, and authoritative.

Nowadays, you should also aim to improve overall trustworthiness and authority. This may look like making sure any research hyperlinked on the page is up-to-date and comes from credible sources, for example, or making sure your author’s credentials (especially if they are an expert in their field) are detailed in a blog post.

Ensuring factual accuracy and taking the time to enhance the user experience (by adding interactive elements, for instance) may also help you re-boost that search ranking. Gartner predicts a 25% decline in traditional search traffic by 2026 due to the rise of generative AI and other emerging technologies, so really take the time to consider how you can make your content stand out—to both search engines as well as your customers.

Once these changes are made, you may want to ask Google to crawl your site so that your page is reindexed.

7. Keep a close eye on the data and search trends

Remember that it could take some time for Google to reindex your page after making changes. Once you finish with your updates, go back and check whether your SEO ranking improved a few weeks later.

Continuously monitoring your page rankings on Google Search Console or other rank trackers can also be worthwhile. And just as importantly, keep a close eye on the latest trends in organic search and how you can stay ahead of them. By doing so, you avoid coming late to the game, and you can rank higher more quickly.

Ask the Content Strategist: FAQs about search rankings
What role do social media signals play in search rankings?

Social media signals, such as shares and likes, can indirectly influence search rankings by increasing content visibility and driving traffic. Engaging content on social platforms can enhance its reach and authority.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when trying to recover from an SEO ranking drop?

Common mistakes include over-optimizing content with keyword stuffing, neglecting technical SEO aspects, and failing to address deeper site-wide issues like poor site architecture or low-quality backlinks. Avoiding these pitfalls can lead to a more effective recovery.

How can businesses ensure their content aligns with user intent?

Analyzing search queries and understanding the different stages of the buyer’s journey can help align content with user intent. Creating content that directly answers common questions or solves specific problems can improve relevance and SEO rankings.

For more tips on staying ahead of SEO trends and updates, subscribe to The Content Strategist and follow us on Instagram.

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As a content marketer, your job is to create engaging pieces that organically connect with readers (or listeners, or viewers… you get the gist).

This means you need to be intentional and attract the right traffic to your website—and to do that, you have to create content that actually shows up on search engine results pages (SERPs). But this is becoming more challenging today, with the rise of AI-powered search and zero-click results. The SEO landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, and it’s an adapt-or-die moment for many content creators.

To stay ahead of the curve, it helps to know a bit about the technology underpinning these latest developments, such as NLP SEO. Below, we explore the nuances of natural language processing (NLP)—one of the core technologies driving the evolution of search engines and content discovery—and how NLP and SEO work together.

What is Natural Language Processing? Let’s Review the Basics

NLP is a branch of artificial intelligence that converts written and spoken words (“unstructured data”) into structured material a machine can interpret. NLP platforms analyze massive volumes of words and phrases to find meaning, patterns, and context. NLP is more prevalent than you might realize—Alexa, Siri, and Google voice assistants all leverage it.

NLP is also one of the core technologies used in large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT—though it’s just one part of the sophisticated algorithms that make up these multimodal foundation models. (“Multimodal” meaning they process more than just text; the latest iterations of today’s popular LLMs also understand and generate video, voice, and images.)

As NLP evolves and becomes more sophisticated, experts predict the market will reach $35 billion by 2026.

What Is NLP in SEO, and How Does It Drive Google Search Algorithms?

NLP is also a component of Gemini, the umbrella name for Google’s family of AI models. Gemini leverages NLP to enhance its understanding and generation of human language. By integrating NLP, Google aims to provide more accurate and contextually relevant search results, support complex conversational interactions, and improve user experiences across its various suite of services.

More generally, a few ways NLP impacts search include:

Semantic understanding: NLP helps search engines comprehend the meaning behind words—not just match keywords.
Voice search integration: As voice-activated search becomes more popular, NLP is crucial for interpreting spoken queries, which are typically more conversational and less formulaic than written language.
Sentiment detection: NLP can help assess the sentiment of online content, allowing search engines to better evaluate the tone and relevance of a page.
Zero-click searches: Advancements in NLP SEO have led to a rise in zero-click searches, where users get their answers directly on the search results page without clicking through to a website—a phenomenon we’re seeing in Google’s (admittedly imperfect) AI Overviews.

Building an NLP SEO Strategy

The roll-out of AI Overviews means that Google now provides direct answers, featured snippets, or knowledge panels in response to user queries. This trend challenges content creators to optimize not just for clicks, but also for visibility in these prominent search features. Some strategies include structuring content to directly answer common questions, using schema markup to help search engines understand your content, and creating comprehensive, authoritative pieces that search engines are likely to pull information from.

To build an effective SEO strategy that takes NLP into account, consider these seven techniques.

1. Focus on search intent, not just keywords.

Google’s latest algorithm updates mean SEO-optimized content isn’t just about keywords anymore. It’s also about search intent—the “why” behind a user’s query.

Using NLP, Google categorizes search queries into four categories—navigational, transactional, promotional, and commercial. This information helps Google provide results that meet user expectations.

To get a better sense of search intent for a given query, you can conduct a Google search for a keyword and see what ranks on Page 1 or appears in the Featured Snippets/AI Overviews.

2. Align your SEO strategy with audience research.

Conduct thorough SEO research before publishing content, and handpick a small set of keyword clusters to focus on. Remember: the goal is to develop comprehensive, focused content that offers value to readers—not simply to cover a trending topic.

You can leverage a range of audience research strategies: hosting surveys, scouring customer reviews, using AI sentiment-analysis tools, and conducting customer interviews are all good starting points. Internal subject matter experts at your organization can also be strong sources of insight into your audience and what they want to know.

3. Display expertise.

Today, Google can (supposedly) recognize if content simply summarizes what other sites have already published without adding original value. Doing this can negatively impact your rankings.

Google advises content creators to prioritize content demonstrating a “depth of knowledge” and firsthand expertise.

4. Prioritize quality over quantity with SEO content.

If a website is creating a ton of low-quality content on different topics, Google may categorize it as “unhelpful,” leading to lower rankings.

To prevent negative rankings, publish content that offers expertise on a targeted, audience-driven list of topics. These days, when it comes to SEO, a do-it-all strategy can actually hurt, rather than help, your organic search rankings.

5. Don’t rely on AI alone.

According to Google, using “extensive automation” to produce content on various topics can damage your rankings. On X, Danny Sullivan, Google’s public search liaison, wrote, “It’s unlikely some AI content is going to feel written by people without some degree of human review.”

Use AI as a tool to supplement your efforts. But don’t depend on it for solo content creation.

6. Integrate tools into your MarTech stack that influence NLP.

To build a MarTech stack that effectively leverages NLP and improves your content, use tools and technologies that can feed data to an NLP—like Semrush, Hubspot, and Salesforce, to name a few.

These tools can integrate with NLP tools like Amazon Comprehend, Google Cloud NLP API, and IBM Watson. Other AI-powered tools that integrate GPT-3, like Jasper.ai, can help you create content, but there are certain ethical guidelines you should keep in mind, including the need for thorough fact-checking.

7. Conduct an SEO audit.

According to Google, any content (regardless of value or quality) that originates from a website with a lot of “unhelpful” content overall is less likely to perform well in organic search rankings. Removing unhelpful content from your site can improve the rankings of other content.

Getting Started with NLP in Content Marketing

Content marketers have long been vulnerable to the temptations of creating content crammed with keywords that deprioritize true value to the user. But that goes against the goals of content marketing in general—and to be honest, it just won’t work in the AI era.

To get the most from your SEO strategy, you need to truly understand the needs of your audience and create high-quality content. Meet your intended readers where they are in their journey and offer a unique point-of-view.

Ask the Content Strategist: FAQs about NLP and SEO

How does NLP affect local SEO and geographically targeted content?

NLP can be a game-changer for local SEO. It helps search engines better understand location-specific language and context, making it easier to serve relevant local results. This means businesses need to focus on natural, conversational content that includes local landmarks, colloquialisms, and regionally specific information to really nail local SEO.

What are the potential privacy concerns or ethical considerations related to the use of advanced NLP in search engines?

The big concern with advanced NLP in search is the potential for increased data collection and analysis of user queries. While the technology can lead to better search results, it also raises questions about user privacy and data protection. There’s also the ethical consideration of potential bias in NLP algorithms, which could unfairly influence search results and the information people see.

How can small businesses or websites with limited resources effectively compete in an NLP SEO landscape?

Small businesses can still compete in an NLP-driven landscape by focusing on quality over quantity. Create content that genuinely answers your audience’s questions and showcases your expertise—NLP algorithms love that stuff. Don’t be afraid to get specific and local; sometimes, a well-optimized niche can outperform bigger competitors with generic content.

Sign up for The Content Strategist newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in content marketing like NLP optimization in SEO.

High-quality individual pieces of content marketing don’t just happen in a vacuum – you need goals, a content calendar, competitor, audience and SEO research, and more! In other words, you need a content strategy. So, how do you put one together?

Read on for the essential elements of how to create a successful content marketing strategy.

1. Set a mission, goals, and KPIs

You wouldn’t cross the Atlantic Ocean without navigation equipment. In the same way, you wouldn’t wade into the deep waters of the branded content without knowing where you were headed. An effective content strategy includes a clearly defined idea of where you’re going.

Instead of throwing ideas at a wall like partially cooked spaghetti to see what sticks, try being intentional about what you’re producing and why. As Robert Rose at the Content Marketing Institute points out, “In a perfect world, creative content workers would spend less time assembling content and more time thinking of innovative and remarkable content to create.”

First of all, what’s your mission? Is it to attract new customers to your brand, to increase brand loyalty, or to close the deal on a specific product? This is the time to get philosophical. Ask the big questions, like “What are we doing here?” and “Why are we doing this?” If the answer is “I don’t know” or “It’s just what we’ve done in the past,” then this is your opportunity to reevaluate.

From there, outline your specific goals, making sure they’re measurable and achievable. For example, “Increase website conversions by 10% before the end of the fiscal year” is a better goal than “Get more conversions.”

KPIs (key performance indicators) are quantifiable content metrics that show how close you are to achieving your goals. For example, a makeup company might have a goal of increasing awareness of a new sustainable makeup line. If your KPI is blog content views, you could create an article about why environmentally-friendly ingredients are also beneficial for your skin.

2. Study your audience

It’s time to dig deep and learn about your customers. Who are they? Think about demographics such as age, gender, location, job title, salary, etc., and behavior patterns. What are they likely to engage with? What are they likely to buy? What problems do they have, and how can you help solve them with your abundantly helpful content marketing?

You can dig through your research and data to create buyer personas. Then, when you create content, you’ll have an idea in your head of who it’s for. If you’re starting from scratch with your customer research, Google Analytics and your own audience surveys can become your best buds.

3. Perform SEO analysis

Even though the world of SEO is changing, it’s still so important to your overall content strategy. Before you go around making changes to your existing SEO strategy (or start to build one), take a look at how your current content is performing with the help of Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These two free tools, along with a host of useful paid ones (such as ahrefs, Semrush and SEOquake, to name a few), can help you measure, track and gather valuable information about what drives people to your site and what they do once they arrive.

An SEO analysis can help you answer important questions such as, but not limited to:

How many of your customers come in from a search for something related to your product vs. a search for your specific company?
Where should you focus your marketing efforts?
Where are your marketing dollars not being used efficiently?
What’s working for the competition?
What do your customers want to read about?

With that information in hand, keyword research can help inform you about where to focus your efforts as you create SEO-driven content moving forward.

4. Conduct a content gap analysis

Now that you have goals and data, you’re almost ready to begin producing new content. But before you start, don’t skip a key step: a content gap analysis. While creating new branded content is important, in order to stand out, you should assess the competition. First, list your top competitors, then look at what topics they’re covering and how they approach them. Do a deep dive into what your competitors are producing and track it all in an Excel spreadsheet, or use a tool such as Sprout Social to gather your data.

For example, a quick Google search may reveal that many banks may offer stories on ETF investing strategies. However, deeper analysis might reveal that either the stories are outdated, lacking in detail, provide no practical takeaways, are hard to understand or are poorly written. Therein lies your opportunity to improve on what’s out there, rise in the SEO rankings, and promote your bank’s brand simultaneously.

Finally, use your research and analytical skills to look at your own content to see where you can improve and repurpose what you’ve already created.

5. Map the buyer’s journey with a content marketing funnel

Very rarely do you get a customer coming to your brand with a credit card in hand, ready to buy whatever you’re offering. More typically, they go through stages of getting familiar with your brand, thinking through their options, and eventually becoming loyal customers. This is called the buyer’s journey and is outlined (very generally) in the image of the content marketing funnel below.

Most of your readers will come in at the brand awareness phase, and by the time they trickle down to the end, only your best leads remain. But, as our blog on turning prospects into customers with a robust content pipeline mentions, “The idea of a buyer’s journey as a straightforward path from discovery to purchase is increasingly being debunked. Modern consumers meander, zig-zagging in and out of stages, influenced by a multitude of touchpoints along the way.”

This isn’t a linear journey, and there’s no set time frame for customers to move from the top to the bottom of the funnel. So, at each stage, you have to map out the customer’s pain points and needs and create content to match.

6. Develop a content distribution strategy

A content distribution channel is the way or platform you use to deliver content to your audience. Content distribution channels can be divided into owned channels (website/blog, email newsletters, social media, etc.), earned channels (media coverage, guest blogging, sharing on social, etc.), paid channels (social media ads, sponsored content, etc.), and shared channels (user-generated content, partnerships, etc.).

You can use each content distribution channel’s unique strengths and reach strategically to maximize your reach and engagement with your target audience. For example, to reach lawyers or healthcare professionals, you might focus on promoting content on LinkedIn.

You could also examine where your competitors are distributing their content, as you outlined in your content gap analysis. This can provide insights into what works for your industry.

By carefully evaluating these factors, you can select the most appropriate channels to distribute your content effectively and reach your marketing goals.

7. Create a content calendar

With all the pieces above in place, it’s time to organize your wonderfully on-mission, SEO-focused, targeted ideas into a content calendar. Hinge some content on the significant calendar dates and seasons relevant to your business, and get started on some evergreen to have on the back-burner, just in case you need to post something when other content is delayed. Then, you can start filling in the gaps with new content that directly addresses your reader’s needs. And, don’t forget about content repurposing. If you have underperforming older content, can you find new ways to reuse or refresh what’s already been written? Before you know it, you’ll have a solid plan to move forward.

Just be careful not to fall into the trap of trying to produce as much as possible. Quality over quantity is the key here.

Ask the Content Strategist: FAQs About How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy

How often should I update my content marketing strategy?

Once you’ve learned how to create a content marketing strategy, it’s important to review it regularly. Consider reviewing your content strategy at least quarterly, and make updates as necessary. Regular updates ensure that your strategy remains aligned with your business goals, market trends, and audience needs.

What should I do if my content measurement indicated the content we’ve created is not performing as expected?

If your content is not performing as expected, analyze the content metrics to identify issues. Consider whether the content is relevant to your audience, if it’s optimized for SEO, and if it’s being promoted effectively. Adjust your strategy by improving the content quality, updating keywords, working on content repurposing, and experimenting with different content distribution channels.

How can content repurposing maximize the value of what we’ve already created?

Repurpose existing content by updating outdated information, turning blog posts into infographics or videos, compiling related articles into an eBook, or breaking down comprehensive guides into smaller, digestible pieces. This maximizes the value of your content by reaching different audience segments in various formats.

Stay on top of SEO updates and trends in content marketing by subscribing to The Content Strategist.

By James Westfield July 25, 2024

Creating an automated email campaign can seem daunting. You have to consider multiple factors that can make or break your conversions. At the same time, you have to do this while balancing your customers’ needs. Then there’s the need to ensure your automated email series addresses every stage of the buyer’s journey.

To make the process easier, we’ve put together this guide. Follow these email automation workflow best practices for optimal results.:

6 email automation best practices to follow

Ready to jump on the email automation bandwagon? Follow these six email automation best practices to reach your subscribers with the right emails at the right time:

1. Set goals and map your automated workflow 

Setting up an automated email workflow is pointless if you don’t know what you want to achieve. Think about it. How else will you gauge the effectiveness of your automated email sequences without marketing goals?

Your goals determine the type of automation workflows you set up. For example, an email sequence whose goal is to drive sales will look different when compared to one that exists to onboard new customers.

Here are other automated email workflow goals you might have:

To inform or educate

To reduce cart abandonment 

To promote an event

To win back subscribers

To ensure the best results, your automated workflows and goals should align with every stage of the customer journey. That’s why creating a customer journey map helps. Think of the customer journey map as a visual representation of the stages your customer goes through when interacting with your brand. Essentially, it allows you to visualize your customer’s specific points of interaction with your brand at every stage.

Download this template here

The main benefit of this email automation strategy is that it can boost your customer retention rates. When you combine goals with a customer journey map, you can deliver timely messages that resonate with your customers. 

Additionally, when you analyze your automation workflows against goals, you can identify the factors that impede desirable user behavior. This can help you finetune your email workflows and help customers progress through their journeys.

2. Trigger emails on customer behavior

When creating a sequence of emails, automate them to send based on specific customer actions and inactions. 

Behavioral triggers refer to email sequences that activate in response to the recipient’s actions. Common behaviors that can fire off such email workflows include:

In the image below, Sony sends a trigger email in response to an abandoned cart from its Playstation Store:

Source

Meanwhile, time-based triggers occur in response to inaction. For example, you can set up an email sequence that triggers after a user has been inactive for a specified period. The content, calls to action, and aim of each of the individual emails in the sequence will be to win back the customer.

Triggered emails are essential because they let you speak to the customer at specific points in their journey. That helps enhance the customer experience. 

Additionally, trigger emails target specific customer journey stages. So, they essentially lead customers toward taking a desired action. 

3. Incorporate follow-ups in the automated campaigns

Unfortunately, emailing your target audience once won’t be enough to get them to take your desired action. It doesn’t even matter whether they’ve expressed a strong interest in your products or services. Life’s distractions could still steal their focus away and hurt your chances of making a sale or nurturing a lead.

So, incorporate follow-ups into your automated campaigns.

This entails contacting a customer who has stopped progressing through their customer journey. For instance, the customer may have abandoned their shopping cart at checkout or registered for a webinar but failed to attend. Whatever the case, your follow-up email serves to give them a gentle nudge so that they re-engage with your brand. 

In the context of automated emails, your follow-up emails should trigger in response to your email recipient’s behavior. Abandoned carts, lead magnet downloads, newsletter subscriptions, free trial signups, and more are all fair game for follow-up emails.

Regarding how often you should follow up with your customers, there’s no clear-cut answer. As a rule of thumb, aim to automatically send follow-up emails a few days after your initial confirmation email. For example, if a customer abandons their shopping cart, you can wait between three days and a week before following up with them.

Meanwhile, if a customer’s behavior reveals that they need time to mull over whether to do business with you, play the long game. Program a longer series of emails with informative content like blog posts and case studies to nurture them until they come around. You can use ready-made AI templates like the one above to speed up the content creation process.

4. Implement hyper-personalization

Hyper-personalization refers to email marketing that leverages insights from historical and real-time customer data and use them to deliver relevant and personalized content. For instance, in hyper-personalization, you’d send a male subscriber this email on the left. A female subscriber would receive the email on the right:

Source

To leverage hyper-personalization in your automated email workflows, gather as much customer data. Collect their demographic information, previous purchases, interests, and browsing trends. For this, use tools such as surveys, preference centers, heat maps, and recording sessions.

Your email marketing efforts can benefit from hyper-personalization in numerous ways. For one, it helps you create email content and personalized messages that resonate with your audience segments. When used with email segmentation, you can create dynamic content based on factors like your audience’s behavior and location.

Also, hyper-personalization is great for customer engagement. It can help you tailor your communications in a manner that’s optimal for higher conversion rates. Thanks to AI-powered automation, you can speak directly to your customer’s needs and pain points at scale.

Finally, hyper-personalization gives you a deeper understanding of your customers. This benefit is significant because it improves your email marketing chances in numerous ways. 

Not only will you get better at targeting customers, but you’ll also have the data needed to create a pleasant customer experience. Your customers will deem your emails as a source of valuable content. 

5. Maintain consistent branding

When your email subscribers open your automated emails, they should instantly know that the email came from you. Brand recognition is key to business success. Half of consumers say they’d buy from a brand they easily recognize. 

To foster this familiarity, maintain consistent branding across your email and web properties.

There are several ways to do it. The easiest method is to place your company logo in the profile picture section of your email account and the email’s header. As the image below shows, SaaS company ClickUp adheres to this best practice:

This email design technique ensures that your logo will be the first visual element your email contacts see when they open your emails. It’s also the lowest-cost method for building brand recognition with your email campaigns.

Another effective method for maintaining brand consistency is to use the same design elements in your email as you do on your website. Incorporate the same fonts and color scheme in your email newsletters. This will prevent your potential customers from being confused when they visit your email and other web properties.

6. Continuously track performance

It’s good practice to continuously track how your automated marketing emails are performing. Tracking performance provides a treasure trove of data you can rely on when planning future campaigns. 

One way to track performance is to run A/B tests on the various elements of your emails regularly. Send two sets of emails with different subject lines, layout designs, and call-to-action copy to two sets of audiences. Then, note down which version produces higher email engagement rates.

While doing A/B tests, keeping track of success metrics will help you gauge your campaign’s performance. The key metrics to track include open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. 

You can analyze the results in your chosen email marketing automation software. Use the metrics to make data-driven decisions related to your workflows as part of your B2C or B2B strategies.

You can also track campaign performance using email funnel conversion analysis.

mail funnel conversion analysis tracks how customers move through your conversion funnel. With it, you can identify bottlenecks that cause subscribers to churn or impede their progress along their journeys. The data you get from this analysis will help you optimize your funnel for conversions.

FAQs

What is an automated email workflow?

An automated email workflow is a series of emails that are automatically triggered and sent based on a subscriber’s specific action. That action can be everything from a link click to a form submission. 

Automated workflows can be a powerful tool in your overall email marketing strategy. Not only do they save you precious time. They also help you reach your business goals with minimal intervention.

What are the benefits of email automation?

Email automation workflows provide several benefits. For one, they help you respond to customer behavior appropriately. Also, email automation saves you time. It automates mundane and repetitive workflows (for example, welcoming new customers). Finally, automated workflows drive conversions. They help you personalize email communications and send them to audiences that find them relevant.

What is the best email automation tool?

There are several excellent options on the market, but we can confidently say that AWeber is among the top options. It offers all the features needed for automating email workflows. These include an email builder for design and behavioral automation features. Other great automation tools include HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and GetResponse.

How do I automate my email?

Automating email campaigns is a five-step process. Step one involves choosing email automation software. The second step has to do with determining the goals for your automated campaigns. Your third step is to target and segment your audience. Step four involves deciding on email triggers. The final step involves creating email campaigns and activating them.

In closing

The email automation best practices discussed should get your campaigns off to a flying start. Your email campaigns must incorporate follow-ups to bring disengaged customers back into the fold. Without goals, creating automated workflows will be a pointless endeavor. For best results, make sure to map them to the customer journey during the goal-setting phase.

Meanwhile, hyper-personalization can help you gain actionable insights into your audience and drive customer engagement. Maintain consistent branding across your email, social media accounts, and website. This will ensure brand recognition. Automate trigger emails to ensure content gets sent at the right time and based on pre-specified user actions. Finally, consistently track your campaign performance. It will help you iron out any issues in your future campaigns.

Good luck with your email automation journey!