content-strategy-and-planning

What this skill does

# Content Strategy & Planning

## Workspace Context

Read bootstrap context before asking questions: `strategy/brand.md` for brand, audience, offer, channels, tools, constraints, and metrics; `about/me.md` for personal voice; `content/ideas.md` and `content/calendar.md` for content planning. Use legacy product-marketing context files only as fallback. Save generated drafts to `content/<platform>/drafts/YYYY-MM-DD_short-topic-slug.md`, and route durable learnings back to `strategy/brand.md`, `about/me.md`, or `content/ideas.md`.

## Operating Contract

This skill is self-contained for its frontmatter scope: use its local instructions, references, scripts, and assets as the playbook; ask only for missing task-specific inputs; hand off to adjacent skills instead of expanding scope; and return an actionable artifact, decision, plan, draft, or diagnostic.



Unified skill combining strategic content planning, positioning, and operational execution frameworks.

## When to Use

- Planning what content to create and why
- Developing content pillars and topic clusters
- Building editorial calendars
- Creating messaging hierarchy and positioning
- Trust-building content strategy
- Measuring content ROI
- GEO (AI search) optimization planning

---

## Part 1: Strategic Planning

### Step 1: Define Business Context

Before planning, gather:

| Input | Why It Matters |
|-------|----------------|
| Product/service description | Maps content to value proposition |
| Ideal customer profile (ICP) | Determines language, channels, pain points |
| Primary goal | Traffic, leads, brand awareness, thought leadership |
| Current content inventory | What's working vs. gaps |
| Resources available | Writers, budget, time constraints |

### Step 2: Searchable vs Shareable Framework

Every piece of content must be **searchable**, **shareable**, or **both**. Prioritize in that order.

**Searchable content** captures existing demand:
- Target specific keywords/questions
- Match search intent exactly
- Use clear titles matching queries
- Optimize for AI/LLM discovery

**Shareable content** creates demand:
- Lead with novel insights or data
- Challenge conventional wisdom
- Tell stories that resonate
- Connect to current trends

### Step 3: Content Pillars

3-5 core topics your brand owns. Each pillar spawns related content.

```
Pillar Topic (Hub)
├── Subtopic Cluster 1
│   ├── Article A
│   ├── Article B
│   └── Article C
├── Subtopic Cluster 2
│   ├── Article D
│   └── Article E
└── Subtopic Cluster 3
    ├── Article F
    └── Article G
```

**How to Identify Pillars:**
1. **Product-led**: What problems does your product solve?
2. **Audience-led**: What does your ICP need to learn?
3. **Search-led**: What topics have volume in your space?
4. **Competitor-led**: What are competitors ranking for?

### Step 4: Keyword Research by Buyer Stage

| Stage | Intent | Modifiers |
|-------|--------|-----------|
| **Awareness** | Learning basics | "what is," "how to," "guide to" |
| **Evaluating** | Comparing options | "best," "vs," "alternatives," "comparison" |
| **Decision** | Ready to buy | "pricing," "reviews," "demo," "trial" |
| **Implementation** | How to use | "templates," "examples," "tutorial," "setup" |

---

## Part 2: Positioning & Messaging

### Positioning Canvas

```markdown
## Positioning Canvas

### For [ICP]
Who is this for?

### Who We Are
[Company name] is a [category]

### We Help Them Achieve
[Primary value proposition]

### Unlike [Competitors/Alternatives]
[Key differentiator]

### We Win Because
[1-2 specific advantages]

### Proof Points
- [Metric/result 1]
- [Metric/result 2]
- [Customer quote]
```

### Messaging Hierarchy

| Level | Purpose | Example |
|-------|---------|---------|
| **Brand message** | Core positioning | "The AI platform for B2B sales" |
| **Pillar message** | Theme-level | "Transform your sales workflow with AI" |
| **Content message** | Individual piece | "5 ways AI improves outbound response rates" |

### Trust Signals Checklist

Build trust before scaling traffic:

- [ ] Customer evidence (case studies, quotes)
- [ ] Expert endorsements or credentials
- [ ] Data-backed claims (specific numbers)
- [ ] Transparency (methodology, limitations)
- [ ] Security/compliance proof (if relevant)
- [ ] Recent updates (dates visible)

---

## Part 3: Editorial Operations

### Editorial Calendar Template

```markdown
## Monthly Content Calendar

### Week 1: [Theme]
| Day | Platform | Content Type | Topic | Status |
|-----|----------|--------------|-------|--------|
| Mon | LinkedIn | Post | | [ ] |
| Wed | Blog | Article | | [ ] |
| Fri | LinkedIn | Post | | [ ] |

### Week 2: [Theme]
| Day | Platform | Content Type | Topic | Status |
|-----|----------|--------------|-------|--------|
| Mon | LinkedIn | Post | | [ ] |
| Wed | Blog | Article | | [ ] |
| Fri | LinkedIn | Post | | [ ] |

### Monthly Goals
- [ ] 8 LinkedIn posts
- [ ] 2 Blog articles
- [ ] 1 Case study
- [ ] __ impressions target
- [ ] __ engagement target
```

### Content Types by Funnel Stage

| Content | Stage | Effort | Goal |
|---------|-------|--------|------|
| LinkedIn post | Top | Low | Engagement, brand |
| Blog post | Top | Low | SEO, awareness |
| Case study | Mid | Medium | Social proof |
| Whitepaper | Mid | High | Lead gen |
| Video | All | Medium | Engagement |
| Webinar | Mid-Bottom | High | Demand gen |

---

## Part 4: GEO (AI Search) Optimization

Content discoverability shifting from websites to AI chat interfaces. Optimize for LLM retrieval.

### AIO Principles

1. **Question-first structure** — Headers as questions users ask
2. **Quotable statements** — Memorable, standalone lines AI can cite
3. **Authority signals** — Credentials, data sources, track record
4. **Structured data** — Tables, lists, definition blocks
5. **Entity optimization** — Consistent terminology, named entities
6. **Freshness signals** — Dated statistics, update markers

### AIO Checklist

- [ ] H2 headers are questions or clear topics
- [ ] First paragraph directly answers the implied question
- [ ] 3-5 standalone quotable statements
- [ ] Author credentials stated
- [ ] Statistics include year and source
- [ ] Publication date visible
- [ ] Lists and tables for comparative information
- [ ] FAQ section with common questions

---

## Part 5: ROI Measurement

### Content Attribution Framework

| Metric | Definition | Tool |
|--------|------------|------|
| **Traffic** | Page views, unique visitors | GA4 |
| **Engagement** | Time on page, scroll depth | Hotjar, GA4 |
| **Leads** | MQLs, SQLs from content | HubSpot, Marketo |
| **Pipeline** | Revenue influenced by content | CRM |
| **Revenue** | Closed-won from content | CRM |

### Leading Indicators

| Stage | Indicator |
|-------|-----------|
| Top of funnel | Page views, social shares |
| Middle | Email signups, resource downloads |
| Bottom | Demo requests, consultations |

### ROI Calculation

```
Content ROI = (Revenue attributed to content - Content cost) / Content cost × 100
```

**Content costs to include:**
- Creation (writing, design, video)
- Distribution (paid promotion)
- Tools (CMS, analytics)
- Time (internal team hours)

---

## Part 6: Decision Tree

```
CONTENT STRATEGY QUESTION
    |
    +-> "What content should I create?" --------> CONTENT PILLARS
    |
    +-> "How do I position my product?" --------> POSITIONING
    |
    +-> "What should I say to whom?" ------------> MESSAGING
    |
    +-> "How do I build trust?" ----------------> TRUST SIGNALS
    |
    +-> "What topics have search volume?" ------> KEYWORD RESEARCH
    |
    +-> "How do I measure content impact?" ----> ROI MEASUREMENT
    |
    +-> "How do I show up in AI search?" ------> GEO/AIO PLANNING
    |
    +-> "When do I publish what?" --------------> EDITORIAL CALENDAR
    |
    +-> "How do I create a content brief?" -----> CONTENT BRIEF (Part 7)
    |
    +-> "How do I optimize existing content?" --> ON-PAGE SEO (Part 8)
    |
    +-> "How do I research a topi