Your content strategy is all about the creation and distribution of valuable, relevant, and consistent content that attracts and retains a clearly defined audience.

But, we all know that’s easier said than done.

Too often, we meet clients who have been creating content on the fly, simply to keep up and remain top of mind. However, when time is invested into producing themed, quarterly marketing pieces, the weight and pressure of creating a day-to-day supply of content can begin to lift.

This past March, we attended The Creative Club web conference hosted by our friends at Ceros. We learned about a tried and true, 3-tiered content development strategy known as the Hero-hub-hygiene Strategy that’s not only easy to follow but also incredibly effective.

Let’s break the three tiers down:

 

1. Hero content: Champion your brand’s core pillars

Hero content consists of your brand’s big moments.

This content can be a campaign microsite or a series of site pages that act as the home to your most important content for the quarter.

For example, a yoga studio publishes three content pages on their company site for a content campaign called “Summer of Mindfulness.” Each page focuses on a key area related to the company’s content pillars: movement, meditation and community. This campaign could include video interviews with instructors and trainers or a feature transformation story with beautiful editorial images.

Whatever form the content may take, it should be of high quality and high value to its audience. Hero content will likely require the most time and effort to produce, and it should always reflect your company’s purpose and mission.

 

2. Hub content: the middle-weight moments

Hub content supports your Hero content and can be in the form of blogs, podcasts, mini-video series or sponsored articles.

For example, for the “Summer of Mindfulness” campaign, the yoga studio creates campaign-themed blogs to deliver valuable tips: The best parks to practice yoga; Five tips for staying hydrated this summer; Gear up with locally made accessories.

These add variety to the studio’s content mix, which helps refresh the company’s audience engagement throughout the quarter.

 

3. Hygiene content: Hook ’em with micro-moments

The term hygiene relates to the regular maintenance of a healthy pulse across media feeds. You can keep a healthy pulse in the digital world by developing a good posting schedule on social media, collaborating with influencers, or creating 30-second Tik Tok videos. Think about how you can reach new audiences while maintaining engagement with your current followers.

This tier is composed of micro-moments designed to lure your audience deeper into your content ecosystem. Use this content to drive users to your hero and hub content.

 

And there you have it – it’s as simple as 1,2,3.

Finding a plan that helps you streamline your messaging and plan for the bigger picture is essential. The Hero-hub-hygiene Strategy enables you to design and curate a steady stream of relevant, quality content that leads your target audience through each stage of the marketing funnel.

Still not sure how to create content relevant to your audience? Here at GMD, we offer all sorts of content services that can elevate your brand and its reach. Get in touch to learn more.