Content Planning Part One: Defining Your Audience and Goals

Like the time you spend planning and preparing each Montessori lesson, planning your content marketing strategy is also time well spent.

As you may have read in our previous blogs about the benefits of planning your content for a year of digital marketing, a vital part of this preparation is clearly defining your audience and your goals for the year ahead.

We want to discuss these two important content planning steps in more detail, so you know what questions to ask and what to think about as you sit down to create your strategy.

First and Foremost: Define Your Audience

If you’re unsure of your target audience, you’ll be unsure of the content you need to supply for them. Brainstorming and creating a list of your ideal audience or demographic goes a long way in helping you create the content this group (or groups) of people desire most. That’s how you fill a need for your audience, by providing the content they want most — yet another vital piece of your overall marketing strategy.

But first, let’s figure out who your content should serve. Ask yourself or your planning team these questions and write down the answers:

• WHO is (are) your target audience(s)?
• How old are they?
• What is their average income?
• How many children do they have?
• What are their goals for education?
• What are their values?

• Who currently consumes your content, and who do you want to consume it in the future?
• Does your current audience match your ideal, target audiences?
• Do you need to adjust your current content to reach more of those who fit your target families?

• Who are the different personas, or avatars, in your target audiences?
• Are there more than one group of people you’d like to reach with your content?
• Do your personas include grandparents, single parents, new parents?
• Where do each of your personas primarily get their content? From blogs, social media, or videos?
• What does your target audience want most? Answers to which questions? What do they value?
• What do the children of your target families need most? How can you provide it?
• What are the challenges your personas face? How can you help them overcome these challenges?

These questions should help you create a clear picture of everyone you want to reach through your content marketing strategy. Once you have your specific audiences in mind, it’s much easier to move on to the next step: defining your goals.

How Do You Define Your Content Goals?

Consider both the large and small goals you have for the coming year. Maybe your overarching goal is to increase your number of enrolled students, while some of your smaller goals may include increasing attendance at your next open house, or scheduling a certain number of tours each month.

Be Specific About Your Goals

• What scheduled programs or events are coming up?
• How can you promote and use these events as a way to help achieve your goals?
• How can you adjust your content marketing strategy to help you reach your set goals?
• What are your goals for the year?
• Do you want more inquiries? How many?
• Would you like more enrolled students? How many?
• Would you like more students in a specific age group? Which one?

The more specific answers you have, the more precisely defined goals will emerge, allowing you to tailor your content for more specific outcomes.

Once You’ve Defined Your Avatars and Yearly Goals, You Can Create Content with a Purpose

Consider commonly asked questions about Montessori schools or education. How can you answer these questions through the content you provide?

Remember, the biggest priority of any content you put out there should be to provide value to your readers. It should be able to answer their questions and give them plenty of information about the value of a Montessori education, specifically at your school.

Need help defining your audiences and outlining your school’s goals? We can help.

At Nido Marketing, we’re Montessori professionals and digital marketing experts, and we can help you get started. Contact us or sign up today.