Everything You Need to Know about Content Buckets in 2021

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Digital Marketing Plan Template for 2024 (17-page Word document). Business owners dedicate a significant amount of time and effort to attracting new customers. A well-executed digital marketing plan is the key to achieving this goal. To ensure success, one successful company developed a comprehensive quarterly and yearly marketing plan to track its progress [read more]

Also, if you are interested in becoming an expert on Digital Transformation, take a look at Flevy's Digital Transformation Frameworks offering here. This is a curated collection of best practice frameworks based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. By learning and applying these concepts, you can you stay ahead of the curve. Full details here.

* * * *

If you are a content creator, you must have come across this common phrase – “Content is king” more often than you’d like to admit.

Yet, it is a phrase that still holds true. Perhaps that’s why one of the most crucial aspects of any online marketing strategy is high-quality content.

We all know our content should be compelling. We know it should be concise and clear. Yet, we all have those days where our minds simply fail to take the turn towards the creative bend. It feels as though the imagination has decided to go on a summer vacation all of a sudden.

What do you do then? Hamper your consistency? No, you can’t let that happen.

This is mostly an issue when you work on your strategy on a day-to-day basis. It can often get a little tricky to get in the zone if you do it every day.

That’s where content buckets prove to be a knight in the shining armor. If you have everything well-planned and pre-made, you won’t have to worry about creative blocks or burnouts.

If you don’t know the concept of content buckets, don’t worry. I will help you out.

What Is a Content Bucket? 

In a layman’s term, a content bucket is a topic, category, or theme around which your entire content strategy circles. It is a great instrument to maintain consistency, without the fear of creative block taking over.

Let’s suppose you are a digital agency. If you have your content well-planned, you can take care of your account and that of your client’s efficiently and effectively.

Creating content buckets is, in fact, one of the initial parts of the marketing strategy. Using these buckets, you can easily create your calendars and furthermore, work on creating content.

These buckets have proven to be of great help for those who often get confused and find content creation to be an overwhelming affair.

Understanding Content Bucket Strategy 

Now that we know what the content bucket is, it’s time to understand how we can create those.

However, before we jump onto that, let’s take a few steps back.

You must understand that creating a strategy for finalizing your content buckets is nothing different from any other marketing strategy. Thus, you need to follow a simple yet crucial approach when working on your content buckets.

You should always start by narrowing down your focus to the purpose and goals of your brand or that of your client. What is the main reason for using social media or blogs in the first place? What are your or their expectations? What are you or they trying to achieve?  Answering these questions will help you figure out how to create effective content. But who will do it? Corporate writers vs. freelancers, ENL vs. ESL writers – there are dozens of options. Which one to choose is up to you to decide.

You also need to identify the challenges that are being faced. This will help reach the solution quicker.

Let us take an example.

Suppose you have an offline brand that is well-established and you’ve recently created a website to start your digital journey. Now, you are looking to bring traffic to your website and you plan on creating content, pillar pages, and get backlinks for your website.

You can easily use a free backlink checker to ensure no poor-quality sites are linked to you. This is needed to maintain your reputation in the market. But when it comes to creating content and pillar pages for your audience, it can often get tricky without any content direction in place.

What should you start with? How do you go on about the online presence? That’s where creating a content bucket according to your goals will do wonders.

Initially, your goal will be to spread awareness about your brand. As and when you grow, you would want to target an audience in other stages of the funnel or maybe other platforms.

For your brand awareness goal, you can create content buckets that help your audience become aware that you are now available online. Or, if you have potential targets that don’t know about you, you can start with an introductory series about your brand to tap that segment.

This will help build a relationship and trust among your customers.

So, just like this scenario, you will need content buckets for every stage. This will keep you laser-focused and make it easy for you to understand the type or form of content that you can share with your audience in that particular stage.

This is crucial to be able to make your content resonate with your audience. If they can’t relate to it, they won’t engage with it.

I know it can be tempting to just start creating content right after a great brainstorming session, but it’s better to avoid that. Instead, categorize your ideas into different themes or topics, put them into a calendar, and then start creating.

Following a system will take your content marketing strategy a long way.

If you are not sure about the content buckets that you can create, here are a few examples. You can always mold them in a way that aligns with your industry and your goals.

Common Content Buckets 

Now that you know where your brand stands and the goal of your content marketing strategy, it is time to take a dive (pun intended) into developing them. Here are a few common buckets that you can use if you are out of ideas or if you are just starting out.

Content buckets for the awareness stage 

These are the ideas that you can use if you have recently transformed into an online business.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Quite often you’ll come across comments on your posts or blogs. These comments could include questions or queries about what you are offering. You can leverage these comments by turning them into a content bucket.

Frequently asked questions are one of the best buckets for those in the awareness stage. This can help explain everything about your brand in an elaborated manner.

Company news  

When you have some noteworthy updates or changes in your company, share that with your audience. This will help establish you as a progressing brand.

Sharing updates and news also personalizes your brand. It makes your audience feel like they are a part of your growth journey. Seeing a brand grow from nothing and being a part of the entire journey can often lead to building lifelong relationships with the consumers.

Educational content 

Educational content can be of different types for different targets. If you are a B2B brand, your educational content will entail some tips or relevant information about the industry.

Whereas, if you are a B2C brand, your educational content will talk about the use of the product or how it is a solution for your customer’s problems.

Irrespective of the industry, educational content helps attract those who are in need (which is most of the consumers). If you are able to help them learn or find a solution, you can convert your brand into being their go-to brand.

Lists 

Listicles have proven to be a great content bucket when you’re writing blogs. These blogs give readers a chance to consume content quickly.

When you divide your content into different bullets, it makes it easier to skim through the content and gain the required knowledge. This convenience makes it an amazing addition to your content bucket strategy.

Guides 

Be it in the form of a carousel post on Instagram or in a blog form on your website, guides are the most valuable and knowledge-packed content asset.

You can use this form of content to share how-to articles, elaborate descriptions of your product, or just dive deep into a particular topic and turn it into an exhaustive blog.

For example, if you have a travel company, you can create a guide on a particular destination and include everything related to it. You can add the best weather, places to visit, things to do, things to pack, and more.

Content buckets for the consideration stage 

This is the stage where your audience is comparing your brand to others in the market. You have become one of their potential choices.

Reviews and testimonials 

Reviews and testimonials act as a validation of your product/service. They talk about how useful or poor other people find your offer.

When you have a plethora of positive reviews, it’s best to show them off. This becomes your social proof, improves your credibility, and makes your audience incline more towards your brand.

It’s best to post these reviews and testimonials on your social media account in the form of a creative. You can also add them to the homepage of your website.

Success and win stories 

You can further make your brand look more credible and trustworthy by sharing your wins. When you share news about your awards or achievements with your audience, you start building authority.

This authority is what helps dominate your brand over others in the market.

Product worth 

Before making the purchase, your customers will be doubtful about whether your product is even worth it. Show them it is.

Talk about how beneficial the product will be in their life. If possible, share real-life use of the product and help them understand what a great solution it is.

Brand values 

Brand values are the emotional aspect of your brand. When you share what your brand stands for and if they resonate with your audience, it will help direct their decisions in your favor.

Thus, you should consider sharing your brand’s beliefs and story to make your content more personal and transparent.

Entertainment 

Entertainment is the king of all content buckets.

There is a wide segment of the audience that is on social media or the web just for the purpose of entertaining themselves. That’s where this content bucket can come to the rescue.

You can also use this content bucket to make your assets more interactive. Use memes and games as a form of entertaining content for your audience.

Thought leadership 

It is very important to establish yourself as an authority.

If you are not at a stage where you are receiving awards, there are other ways to do it. That’s by sharing valuable and relevant content. You can share whatever you have learned from your experience.

Just be careful of staying away from phoniness. You don’t want to pretend, you will get caught quickly and hamper your reputation.

Please note, this is mainly a content bucket that’s perfect for B2B brands.

Content buckets for the decision stage

This is the time when your customers have made their choice, now all they have to do is make the final decision. You can use the following content bucket for the same:

Case-studies 

Case studies are somewhat similar to reviews and testimonials. The only difference is that reviews are given by your customers while case studies are your own.

Case studies are a form of a story that talks about how your business or your product has helped a particular customer solve their issues.

This form of content has proven to be extremely influential when your customers are making the final decision of making that purchase from you.

User-generated content 

User-generated content is among the most underrated content bucket strategy. Ironically, it is the most useful as well.

UGC is nothing but re-sharing the content shared by your customers. And why you should be doing that? To make your brand more personalized and credible.

When you share content produced by your customers, your potential audience gets a glimpse of the usage of your product in real life. It makes them realize your product will be useful and thus, help them make an informed decision regarding the purchase.

Reviews 

We have already discussed how reviews are one of the best strategies to direct your potential customer’s buying decision.

But when your audience is in the decision stage, now is the time to bring in the big guns. One element that can help improve your sales is a well-thought and well-planned influencer marketing strategy.

Influencers are like friends to their followers. Many interact with their fans just like they would interact with their buddies. And these are the kind of influencers you need.

When a friend reviews and recommends a product, it takes up the value of that product for us. Think of an influencer reviewing your product for the masses and influencing them to make the purchase.

Behind the scenes 

Behind the scenes could be coffee farmers if you are a coffee brand or people behind the art if you are a branding agency.

Behind the scenes are one of the greatest ideas due to the transparency they induce. People get to see the real work and real humans behind the product or business. This makes your brand more valuable and reputable. This also induces trust.

Hard pitch 

Now is the time to go in hard.

Don’t hold back. It’s either a yes or no for your consumer. It all depends on how persuasive you can be in comparison to your competitors.

Social responsibility 

Social responsibility is a wonderful content bucket.

Consumer habits are evolving. With this evolution, it’s time to work on your marketing and business strategies.

It is important that your brand has social ethics and show sensitivity towards economic, environmental, cultural, and social issues. It can not only help you build a great image but also keep your customers happy and your employees productive.

Content buckets for upselling or retaining customers 

Now that your customer has already made the purchase, it’s now time to nurture the relationship. Here’s how you can do it.

Interviews 

You can interview your customers and ask about their experience using your product.

This will not only act as a testimonial for others but also make your customers feel like their experience matters. It acts as a great post-sale service for your customers.

You can then share these interviews with others.

Freebies 

Your customers have already purchased from you. They do deserve some freebies.

You can plan a giveaway. A giveaway is a great strategy to not only nurture your customers but also tap into a new segment. You can keep it a prerequisite for the participants to share the creative post on their social profiles.

This will help expand your reach to your audience’s followers and keep your customers excited. It’s a win-win situation.

Training and support 

Training and support are important for a great customer experience.

It is only after a great customer experience will you get referrals. You can share troubleshooting, tips, and tricks, or maybe other usages of your product.

Conclusion 

To conclude, we can say that content buckets make life easy and convenient. When you have your buckets ready, content marketing becomes a little less intimidating.

It’s best to create buckets according to the stage your audience is at during their customer journey. This helps keep the messaging and content targeted.

You should definitely start creating content buckets if you haven’t already. It will simply make your life a breeze and take away those worries of “creative blocks.”

Want to Achieve Excellence in Digital Transformation?

Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Digital Transformation. Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.

Digital Transformation is being embraced by organizations of all sizes across most industries. In the Digital Age today, technology creates new opportunities and fundamentally transforms businesses in all aspects—operations, business models, strategies. It not only enables the business, but also drives its growth and can be a source of Competitive Advantage.

For many industries, COVID-19 has accelerated the timeline for Digital Transformation Programs by multiple years. Digital Transformation has become a necessity. Now, to survive in the Low Touch Economy—characterized by social distancing and a minimization of in-person activities—organizations must go digital. This includes offering digital solutions for both employees (e.g. Remote Work, Virtual Teams, Enterprise Cloud, etc.) and customers (e.g. E-commerce, Social Media, Mobile Apps, etc.).

Learn about our Digital Transformation Best Practice Frameworks here.