A 6-month content plan in 12 days
Use case strategy and content plan for Čtuto
Task
Design a content strategy and create a tasteful and unique content plan for the mobile app Čtuto, based on existing target audiences and marketing strategy, for Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Solution
Čtuto is a mobile app for reading short content books. This means that content for social media audiences isn't just a "status" thing - @ctutoapp followers are the tribe. Social will play a key role in the marketing strategy for Čtuto, and a content strategy and content plan needed to be designed so that Čtuto could build an engaged community of loyal fans. I created 3 basic user personas, analyzed the international competition, allocated 3 content types and developed 37 sections for subsequent content creation. The existing social media content was very similar to foreign competitors and looked generic, so I decided to tear it all down (over 200 illustrations) and start from scratch.
Atomic Networks
For Čtuto's content strategy, I decided to focus on narrow segments and create "atomic networks" - the smallest necessary networks of people that can operate independently. This means that we identify fewer target users and cater to their needs so that everyone then tells 2-3 people in their "atomic network" - colleagues, friends, etc. - about Čtuto. We don't want to be "good for all"; we want to be "best for a few".
User personas
Based on the existing Čtuto target audience, I segmented the target audience and created 3 user personas - Patrik the Ambitious, Dominik the Entrepreneur and Kate the Seeker - based on demographic and interest criteria.
For each user persona, I wrote down key characteristics, a description of the persona, their likes, what they would respond well to, what their goals, frustrations, occupation, income and age are; what communication channels to choose and the type of content. I put everything in Clickup for clarity and matching user personas to content.
Here's an example with sensitive data removed, it's about 30% of the entire persona description.
Here's an example with sensitive data removed, it's about 30% of the entire persona description.
Content creation
After determining goals, user personas and content strategy, I dove into competitor analysis. The biggest and best known are Blinkist and Headway. The content and style on their accounts is more or less similar. I didn't want Read to be "just another" app and started a creative flywheel.
The basic breakdown of content type
In the beginning, I divided the content into 3 logical types - Longreads (LinkedIn and blog), Posts (Instagram and Facebook) and Stories. I crafted >10 headlines for each content type.
The final division
After processing the first drafts, I decided to change the content strategy because this kind of content mimicked clickbait, which is in no way what we want for our future fans and their atomic networks.
I spent a few more days in the creative flywheel and created several permanent sections for posts, stories and long-form; after that, everything went like clockwork.
I spent a few more days in the creative flywheel and created several permanent sections for posts, stories and long-form; after that, everything went like clockwork.
#key_points
The first rubric was "Key Points" from the book in carousel format for Instagram and text for LinkedIn and Facebook (this particular rubric went well recycled across multiple channels, something I try not to do on a regular basis). I created each image and paragraph of text myself, aiming to ensure that the result was of high quality, in line with the strategy, and conducive to building a fan base. Of course, building a network of fans is great, but the main goal of any business is to generate money; therefore, in each post I aimed to generate interest and give good CTAs. Here are a few samples of content from this section.
#explained
The next rubric is quite similar to the previous one, but instead of describing the key points, it explains a specific principle mentioned in the book. It's like a reverse Čtuto - instead of a brief description of the whole book, users will find a pretty detailed explanation of a specific rule, strategy principle, etc.
I had to delve into the summaries of all the books and here are 2 examples of the result.
I had to delve into the summaries of all the books and here are 2 examples of the result.
#word_of_the_week
This rubric was more for fun for me - inventing a non-existent word or describing an existing word in a different way. I liked it so much that I then created a rubric for stories #word_of_the_day. Here are some examples.
#book_of_the_week and #collection_of_the_week
These headings are simple - all the graphic covers are gorgeous in their own right. I wanted people not to visually confuse #book_of_the_week with #collection_of_the_week, so I designed 2 different templates. These templates make it possible to create 500 posts in less than a week.
#quote
After benchmarking, I found that people like quotes the most out of all types of content. It's just that all people are already "saturated" with trivial quotes and motivational images. So I decided to put quotes in a slightly different format - something between a poster and a creative "piece". I used the same rubric in stories.
Stories
I've got 5 more rubrics for posts, but we'd better get to the stories. With stories we will primarily engage followers and build a fan base. I'll show 3 main sections here, they wouldn't all fit. In stories, I'm focusing on gamification.
#this_or_that
The "duel of the titles" formula: voting + tasteful graphics = higher engagement. I put Stories in the 80x/90x style because it's visually different from anything people encounter on a daily basis, and it also appeals to the target audience. With this rubric, you can create hundreds of stories in a matter of days.
#quiz
What's the next ingredient in high engagement rates? That's right, quizzes. Quizzes can be "classic" - whether people know the answer and "funny" - it's not about knowledge but about fun. Below are 2 rubrics - fill in the missing word in the book title (with a dash of "dad jokes") and guess the book by its English title.
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#word_of_the_day
This rubric has organically transitioned from #word_of_the_week and has great potential to double the shareability of content on Instagram and Facebook. While it's hard to appropriate and invent words, I wanted to come up with something for Čtuto that has the potential to go viral.
The rest of the content
Regardless of the fact that the content plan was more than ready, I created additional headings and templates that will be populated as the content plan is implemented.
UGC
I've blogged about User Generated Content and insist that UGC is a godsend. The content plan for Read will include user reviews, reader challenges, contests, polls for new features, etc.
Branded content
Q&As, descriptions of app features, benefits of reading non-fiction books, team photos, behind-the-scenes, promotions, awards, and similar content will be subtly "squeezed" into the content so as not to discourage fans and remind them that Čtuto is not just a source of useful information and entertainment.
TL;DR
Part of the content strategy includes so-called TL;DR (too long; didn't read) or longreads - long educational articles of about 15-25,000 characters. These articles get placed on the blog and LinkedIn to improve awareness, credibility and SEO as a bonus (although it's hard to compete with bookstores).
Calendars
I incorporate all events into the content strategy, such as St. Patrick's Day, Storytelling Day, DIY Day, Beer Day, Day of Silence, etc. These "events" will be part of the content in Stories and Twitter.
Overview
Knowing what was going on at Čtuto from the start, having access to all the materials and knowing the marketing from A to Z, I created a content plan for six months in advance in just 12 days.
It may have seemed at first that the different elements of the content plan somehow didn't fit and match the corporate colours of Čtuto, but now you can see that it's quite the opposite. Of course, the final feed won't look like this, however, from the beginning of the content strategy it is essential that people remember the brand - that's why the feed is green.
The pillars of the content plan
When creating the content plan, I followed one rule - I'm not doing it to get people to subscribe to Čtuto. I'm doing it to make them fall in love with Čtuto. I'm not selling a product - I'm building long-term relationships.
We're going to sell using performance marketing. In social media, I focus on inbound; on creating useful, educational and entertaining content; on two-way communication with people; and most importantly, on transparency and authenticity.
We're going to sell using performance marketing. In social media, I focus on inbound; on creating useful, educational and entertaining content; on two-way communication with people; and most importantly, on transparency and authenticity.
Numbers
- 150 příspěvků (vč. carousel)
- 50 šablon na rychlou tvorbu tisíc dalších
- 520 storíček a 10 šablon na rychlotvorbu
- 12 dní od navržení strategie po dokončení grafiky