9 Content Strategy Tips for Beginners
Navigating the world of content strategy can be daunting for beginners, but expert insights can provide a clear path forward. This article offers valuable tips to help novices create impactful content that resonates with their target audience. From understanding buyer intent to optimizing visuals for social media, these strategies will equip new content creators with the tools they need to succeed in the digital landscape.
- Map Buyer Intent to Content Funnel
- Listen and Solve Real Audience Problems
- Start Simple, Build Trust Gradually
- Understand Your Audience Before Creating Content
- Prioritize Audience Needs in Strategy
- Craft Clear, Focused Messages
- Optimize Visuals for Social Media Impact
- Target Niche Topics Aligned with Goals
- Research Target Audience Thoroughly
Map Buyer Intent to Content Funnel
If you're just starting out with content strategy, focus on understanding buyer intent and mapping it to the buyer's journey.
The key to successful content strategy is targeting the right keywords for each stage of the funnel. But where you really see conversions is at the Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU), where people are ready to make a decision.
In a B2B SaaS context:
Top of Funnel (TOFU) content could be something like "Why project management software is essential for growing teams." This attracts users who are just discovering their needs.
Middle of Funnel (MOFU) content might look like "How project management software increases team productivity." This helps users start evaluating solutions, but they're not ready to buy yet.
Bottom of Funnel (BOFU) content is where the magic happens. At this stage, leads are ready to make a purchase. Your content should be highly specific, like "How [Your SaaS] boosts productivity by 30%" or "Schedule a demo with us today." This content should focus on conversions and show exactly how your solution solves their problem.
The most important thing is to create content that matches where your audience is in the journey -- especially at BOFU where you can secure the lead.
In short: Focus on understanding buyer intent at each stage of the funnel, and make sure your content speaks directly to those needs. At BOFU, your content should be aimed at converting leads into customers.
Listen and Solve Real Audience Problems
The biggest mistake I see is people creating content without a plan--just posting whatever comes to mind and hoping it sticks. It doesn't.
Start here: get crystal clear on who you're speaking to and what they're typing into Google at 11pm. That one insight will shape everything--your blog topics, your social media posts, your SEO, even your offers.
Not sure where to start? Use Reddit, AnswerThePublic, Amazon reviews, or even the comments on your own Instagram posts (or your competitors'). Search your niche and look at the questions real people are asking, the problems they're struggling with, and the exact words they use to describe those problems.
Anywhere your audience is talking, listen. That's your content goldmine--uncensored, unfiltered, and straight from your audience's mouth.
Then? Create content that answers those questions. That solves those problems. That speaks their language. That's how you build a content strategy that actually works.
Start Simple, Build Trust Gradually
If you're just starting, focus on being genuinely helpful. Create content that answers real questions your audience is asking. Focus not just on what you want to say, but what they actually need to hear.
Start simple. Everyone has access to a phone and ideas. Begin with short-form content: Document what you're learning, what you're solving, or what you're seeing work. Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikToks are low-cost, high-impact ways to test messaging and build consistency.
As you grow, build deeper trust with long-form content. Our most reliable foundation has been podcasts and SEO-rich blogs that tackle niche problems in the D2D space—things like recruiting, sales strategy, home services marketing, and scaling businesses. That content builds search visibility and authority. The goal isn't just to get clicks and organic visibility but to be the answer people find when they're stuck.
From there, level up with lead magnets. We created tools like the D2D Blueprint and free playbooks to give away real value, no gatekeeping.
That has helped build our email list and deepen engagement.
Once that engine's running, you can anchor your brand with something bigger—like we did with promoting the "Eat What You Kill" book by our founder, Sam Taggart. It's more than a book; it's a framework that became central to our thought leadership and brand messaging.
But that only worked after we had earned sufficient attention and trust over the last three years through SEO and social media.
So wherever you're at, start where you are. Teach. Solve. Share. And keep stacking content that builds credibility over time.
Understand Your Audience Before Creating Content
Start by getting really clear on who you are speaking to and what they actually care about. It is easy to jump into platforms, formats, and trends, but without that foundation, nothing really sticks. Spend time listening before you start writing. The best content strategy grows from understanding, not just planning. If you can answer real questions with honesty and clarity, you are already ahead of most.
Prioritize Audience Needs in Strategy
Focus first, last, and always on your audience. Everything in content strategy comes down to this; the goal is always to connect with people and capture their valuable attention.
To do that, you need to give time to intimately understanding who you're trying to reach. What do they care about? What problems do they need to solve? How do they consume information online? Answering these questions should be your first priority.
This knowledge informs what you write about, the format you choose for it, and the platforms you share it on to achieve the best results.
Content that connects is content that provides genuine value by addressing problems in such a way that shows the audience they've been seen and heard.
Without the commitment to your audience, even the most polished content can fail to hit its mark. So, start by focusing on 'who' before anything else.
Craft Clear, Focused Messages
The best piece of advice I'd give to someone starting out in content strategy is to focus on clarity of message before anything else. Whether it's a short film, social ad, or blog post, the most successful content usually revolves around one simple but brilliant idea.
Trying to communicate too much at once is one of the most common early mistakes. If your audience can't immediately grasp what your content is trying to say or why it matters, they'll move on. That's especially true with video, where attention is won or lost in seconds.
Start by asking yourself, "What's the one thing I want the audience to take away from this?" Then build everything—tone, visuals, structure—around that. Clear, focused content always performs better than something that tries to do it all.
Optimize Visuals for Social Media Impact
One thing many people forget when starting with content strategy is how important visuals are, especially for social media. No matter how good your message is, blurry or slow-loading images can ruin the first impression. Clean, well-sized visuals help your content look professional, build trust, and catch attention while scrolling.
Picking strong images or photos is only part of the job. Using the right file format ensures your visuals load quickly and look great on all devices and platforms. For example, converting large PNG files to JPG can help reduce size without losing quality. Simple tools like pngtojpghero.com make that process quick and smooth.
Over time, these small image choices greatly influence how people experience your brand.
Target Niche Topics Aligned with Goals
One piece of advice I would give to any new content strategist is not to chase high-volume keywords and topics that seem great just because of the traffic potential. There's just so much that can go wrong - often intense competition, attracting the wrong audience, or failing to convert.
Instead, focus on exactly what your business goals are. Find niche topics that are relevant to those goals (even if they have lower search volumes), and cover them thoroughly after doing proper research (not AI-churned content). This approach would help you see real results and give you the confidence you need to go further.
Research Target Audience Thoroughly
If you're just getting started with content planning, the most crucial thing to do first is determine your target audience. Before you create any content, you must first understand who you are communicating to, what they are interested in, and how they consume information. Without this basis, everything else - whether SEO, promotion, or distribution - will be lost.
Make time to research your target audience's pain points, needs, and preferences. This could involve researching competitor content, communicating directly with your audience on social media or forums, or utilizing tools such as Google Analytics to determine what people are already searching for. Understanding what genuinely matters to your audience allows you to develop content that resonates with them, solves their problems, and increases engagement.
Once you understand your audience's needs, your content strategy will naturally follow. Whether you're focusing on instructional blog posts, videos, or social media, the goal is to keep everything aligned with your audience's interests so it feels relevant and valuable. Starting with an audience-first approach will set you up for long-term success.
