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3 Steps for Planning Your 2021 Content Strategy

Begin the New Year by evaluating the performance of your current strategy. Learn how to define goals, develop content, & assess performance.

Assess your post analytics to see which posts performed best and revise your content to maximize future engagement.

- Suzy Reyes

Marketing success depends on solid preparation. As we begin the New Year, it’s the perfect time to evaluate the performance of your current content strategy for your advisory firm, identify growth opportunities, and develop your 2021 plan.

  1. Define your marketing goals: Define your campaign’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) before launching any marketing activities, as they help measure success, ensuring that your plan is on-track. Start by asking fundamental questions: What is the goal of your video content? How does it connect back to your business goals? Did your past performance help you meet that goal? If your KPI is to reach 100 leads from your website by February 1, for instance, you’ve established a measurable goal from which to measure success. This process is called a social media audit — measuring the performance of your social media content over a fixed period of time.
  2. Develop marketing content: Developing compelling marketing content can be time-consuming, if not elusive. To support your efforts, LPL Marketing Consulting assembled its 2021 Marketing Content Calendar, which includes timely touchpoints and topics that you can incorporate into your social media strategy. Located in the ClientWorks Resource Center, accessible to LPL financial professionals, the calendar includes 443 ideas and 20 social media hashtags, ample subject matter to help stimulate your creative juices.

    To streamline your efforts, you can access the free Social Media Content Library powered by Gainfully, leveraging its library of educational articles and distributing them to your clients, a simple way to build a professional social media presence. And with more than 3.6 billion people worldwide using social media in 2020, any 2021 social media investment is likely to generate a positive ROI.
  3. Assess your performance: If your goal is measurable — i.e., generating 100 leads to your website — make sure to include trackable links to your website on your social media posts. Bitly is a great tool to track your links and record where your website’s visitors originated. You can also check your social media’s analytics pages to find the number of views, likes, and clicks (the number of people who clicked the hyperlink and visited your website) that your content produced.

    Assess your post analytics to see which posts performed best and revise your content to maximize future engagement. For instance, if a social media video generated 30 leads to your site while a photo produced 11, consider implementing more videos in upcoming posts. Perform these reviews regularly (monthly or at the very most quarterly) to respond quickly to any noticeable viewing trends. If you need help conducting a social media audit, contact the LPL Marketing Consulting team to request a consultation.

We hope that these tips help you realize your content marketing goals. Keep in mind that it’s unlikely you’ll achieve immediate success. The key to success is remaining consistent, focusing on the value you provide for your clients, and — most important – having fun with the process, letting your personality shine through!

Reach out to LPL Marketing Consulting

If you’re not sure where to start, reach out to our Marketing Consulting team for guidance at (800) 877- 7210 X6700, option 1, or email Marketing Consulting.


IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

You should consult your compliance department for information about the rules and use of social media and the review of any and all marketing materials. All company names and products noted herein are for educational purposes only and not an indication of trading intent or a solicitation of their products or services. LPL Financial doesn’t provide research on individual equities.

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Suzy partners with financial professionals to help develop their marketing strategies to effectively grow their practice. Suzy specializes in social media marketing. View full bio.