Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
What is content creation?
When you've completed your research, developed personas, defined your brand personality, and written your creative brief, it's time to turn these insights into content.
Content creation is a process of generating various formats of content (also known as collateral) that serve the needs of your content strategy objectives. They will serve these objectives and amplify your brand personality by engaging your buyer personas in a way that helps build your brand or company's authority, utility, and creditability. In this way, your content can help to connect your target audience with your brand or business.
The role of creativity
At this point, you might be thinking that content creation is very scientific and formulaic, aligning different types of content to different business objectives and audience data. However, that’s just part of the story. Don’t forget about your creativity!
Of course, your content development should be ‘guided’ by audience, competitor, and keyword research, and based on verified, objective data. However, it's important to also leave room for the creative spark to add a splash of colour to the research findings and bring the content alive.
Creative process steps
So, having concentrated somewhat on the scientific, process-led side of content creation, let’s now switch our focus to the fun part – the creativity side. Although creativity can sometimes seem to be spontaneous, with inspiration hitting when you least expect it, the creative process for content marketing does require some discipline and a logical approach.
Here are some common steps in the creative process for content marketing:
- Research: Having identified what types of content your audience is looking for, research these areas, consuming as much relevant information as you can.
- Expand: Having conducted your initial research, create a range of ideas that you can explore in deeper detail. At this stage, you could use generative artificial intelligence (or AI) tools, including ChatGPT, to help you deep dive into the content.
- Brainstorm: Having come with your list of content areas, you can start brainstorming ideas, identifying themes, and conducting keyword research.
- Leave: Brainstorming can be an intense process. So, after you brainstorm, you might find it beneficial to step back, go away, and do something else. In other words, leave the idea alone for a period and let it percolate in your subconscious.
- Return: After a time, return to your idea, and critique or validate it in terms of your objectives, audience, and strategy.
- Test: No matter how much you research your ideas and explore them, not all ideas will turn out to be good content! Create prototypes where possible to explore and test your content in its simplest form before investing further.
- Create: Once you’ve tested and prototyped your ideas, you can start creating your content with greater content.
Will Francis
Will Francis is a recognized authority in digital and social media, who has worked with some of the world’s most loved brands. He is the host and technical producer of the DMI podcast, Ahead of the Game and a lecturer and subject matter expert with the DMI. He appears in the media and at conferences whilst offering his own expert-led digital marketing courses where he shares his experience gained working within a social network, a global ad agency, and more recently his own digital agency.
Clark Boyd
Clark Boyd is CEO and founder of marketing simulations company Novela. He is also a digital strategy consultant, author, and trainer. Over the last 12 years, he has devised and implemented international marketing strategies for brands including American Express, Adidas, and General Motors.
Today, Clark works with business schools at the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Columbia University to design and deliver their executive-education courses on data analytics and digital marketing.
Clark is a certified Google trainer and runs Google workshops across Europe and the Middle East. This year, he has delivered keynote speeches at leadership events in Latin America, Europe, and the US. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and Slideshare. He writes regularly on Medium and you can subscribe to his email newsletter, hi, tech.
These walkthrough videos give clear, step-by-step demonstrations and guidance on how to apply key digital marketing concepts and strategies, and use industry-standard tools.
