Short answer
- A content marketing plan answers: why (goal), for whom (audience), what (topics), where (channels), how often (schedule) and how we'll know (measures).
- Build topics from real customer questions, not from what competitors post.
- One useful article a month plus repurposed social posts beats a daily schedule you abandon in March.
The six parts of the plan
| Part | Question | Example answer (fictional landscaper) |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | What should content achieve? | More quote requests for spring installs |
| Audience | Who is it for? | Homeowners within 20 miles planning a garden project |
| Topics | What do they need to know? | Costs, timing, plant choices, before-and-after ideas |
| Channels | Where will it live? | Website articles, Google Business Profile posts, Instagram |
| Schedule | How often, realistically? | 1 article a month, 2 posts a week |
| Measures | How will we know it works? | Search impressions, article visitors, quote requests from those pages |
Finding topics that bring customers
The best content topics come from conversations you already have. Spend 20 minutes listing:
- Questions customers ask on the phone or before booking.
- Objections: "Is it worth it?", "Why does it cost that much?", "How long does it take?"
- Comparisons: option A vs option B, DIY vs hiring.
- Seasonal questions: what to do before winter, before summer, after storms.
Then check which ones people search for. Google's free tools help: autocomplete suggestions, "People also ask" boxes, and later your own Search Console data showing what you already appear for. Prioritise topics that are close to buying ("cost", "vs", "best for") over general curiosity.
Formats and repurposing
Write once, use many times. One solid article can become:
- A Google Business Profile post with a link to the article.
- Three or four social posts, each covering one point.
- A short video answering the main question.
- A section in your monthly email to past customers.
- A reply you can send when customers ask that question.
That's how a small team keeps a steady presence without writing something new every day. See Content vs email marketing for how content and email work together.
One-page template
| Month | Article (website) | Main question it answers | Repurposed into | Call to action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | Your topic | The customer question | GBP post, 3 social posts, email | Book / call / quote |
| Month 2 | … | … | … | … |
| Month 3 | … | … | … | … |
Fill in three months, not twelve. Review after three months, keep what got traction, drop what didn't. For the wider business plan around it, use the Marketing plan template.
Measuring results
- Early (weeks 1–8): are pages being indexed and showing up in search? Check Google Search Console.
- Middle (months 2–6): are visitors arriving on those pages and staying to read?
- What matters: are calls, bookings or quote requests coming from them? Add a "how did you hear about us?" question and track it.
Content is slow, but it compounds. If you'd rather not write it yourself, my Content & website copywriting service and SEO services plan (which includes two new pages or articles a month) handle it with you.
Who should write it?
| Option | Strengths | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| You (the owner) | Real expertise and voice | Time; tends to stop in busy season |
| A team member | Close to customers | Needs guidance and editing |
| A writer working from your interviews | Consistent output in your voice | Cost; needs your review for accuracy |
A practical middle ground: you record short voice notes answering customer questions, and a writer turns them into pages you approve.