May 9, 2022 Content Chat Recap: How To Build Instant Authority With A Content Anchor Strategy

• Updated on: 2022-06-11
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May 9, 2022 Content Chat Recap: How To Build Instant Authority With A Content Anchor Strategy
May 16, 2022
by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment
If you try to reach everyone through your content marketing, you will likely fail to meaningfully engage or delight anyone. Instead, your content should center on clear pillars and anchors that effectively convey the value you can provide—not random acts of content.
In this #ContentChat recap, Kami Huyse ( @KamiChat ), CEO of digital marketing and public relations agency Zoetica Media and host of Smart Social Secrets , joins the community to discuss how to build instant authority with a content anchor strategy (or, as Kami’s team calls it, a Cornerstone Content Strategy that uses Content Pillars). Read the below recap to learn:
Why content anchors are an important part of content marketing
How to get started with mapping a content anchor strategy
Our favorite tools to assist with keyword identification and measuring the success of our content marketing
Q1: What is a content anchor?
Content anchors give your audience a clear understanding of your expertise and topics of interest. Your content anchors should support your main platform.
A1 a I am old-school, content anchors serve the same purpose as do content categories for a blog. They give a clear understanding about your expertise to both people and bots so they know if your content is for them #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/gb1W7iqOBj
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
A1b I also think about content anchors as the legs of a stool, supporting your main platform. Example: I am a social media consultant, so my anchors are Clarity, Connect, Create, and Calibrate. All of my content and services revolve around these topics #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/5cY3nnjLEr
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
As Erika explains, a content anchor is often a piece of content that is widely shared and becomes a cornerstone for your content marketing campaign.
A1: A content anchor is a piece of content that becomes a cornerstone for your content marketing program. It’s those pieces that get all the backlink, pageviews, engagement, and act as the hub for your primary content topics. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
A1b: i.e. if you were making a highlights reel showcasing the most exemplary/definitive pieces of content your brand created, those anchor pieces are what would be in it. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
A1: I believe the content anchor consists of the key pieces of content that best sum up your brand/showcase the best of your brand ~Julie #ContentChat
— Mahima Kini (@Mahi2weets) May 9, 2022
Q2: Why is it important to use content anchors as part of your content marketing strategy?
Content anchors address specific audience needs.
Q2a In a word, content anchors are important because they bring CLARITY. As marketers we don’t want to leave anyone out, but the only way to succeed is to create specific content for specific people and problems #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/onyzCT0gQw
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
You should have a content anchor for every priority topic for your business or brand. This way, your audience understands the value you can provide.
A2a: You know how sometimes you see a link to a post on Twitter, you go to the blog and read it, then take a peek at the blog homepage or resource center to get a sense of what it’s all about? Content anchors ensure you have that elevator pitch for your content. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
A2b: Without content anchors, it can be hard for potential community members to know if you have other content that’s relevant and of interest to them, or if you just have a random assortment of content. And with focus, comes authority. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
A2: It makes a strong foundation for your whole strategy, making it more coherent and providing strong reference for future content ~Julie #ContentChat
A2 – To show your expertise in your niche
– Establish your personal brand on Social Media on a certain topic
– Help out other people/ Build a engaging community, content anchors are necessary as part of your content strategy #ContentChat https://t.co/hM3uwj0yba
— Dipali Thakkar - Digital Marketing Analyst (@dipalit) May 9, 2022
Content anchors pay off over time if they are nurtured.
A2. Content anchors are strategic investments that yield compounding interest/dividends. When done well and maintained over time, they serve as the foundation for your content marketing strategy and build awareness, credibility and authority for your expertise. #ContentChat https://t.co/kX84sSBYU1
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) May 9, 2022
Love this @carmenhill They are deposits in the bank!  #ContentChat https://t.co/dSRTuSCrfJ
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
Q3: How can brands get started in mapping their content anchors?
Use Kami’s step-by-step suggestions below to find your perfect content pillars.
Q3 Grab some sticky notes! To find your perfect content pillars you need to reverse-engineer your genius. Read my step-by-step suggestions in the graphic. All of your content should support how you help your customers #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/6wM1fRLwfr
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
To start, define the main problem you solve and the various ways you help solve that problem. Focus on your audience needs: who does your content serve, what do they need, and how are you different from other resources?
A3: Start by working out your content mission statement.
Then go deep on defining:
– Who does your content serve?
– What do they need that you can provide them through your content?
– How can you differentiate that content from what is already out there? #ContentChat https://t.co/6OxgVB1ulz
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
A3. I like to start by defining the overarching content mission/theme & develop pillars to support that. Then, map topics/assets for different journey stages & audience personas as well as publishing cadence that aligns to yearly GTM strategy and calendar. #ContentChat
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) May 9, 2022
A3: Establishing what they want to communicate immediately while collecting the best-performing content. That way they can get a sense of what their audience likes and create the most effective and engaging content ~Julie #ContentChat
— Nimble (@Nimble) May 9, 2022
Tools like MindNode or Plectica can help you visualize your content anchor strategy.
A3b: It can be helpful to use @mindnode or @Plectica or another mapping platform to brainstorm the various answers you have to those questions, and how to interconnect and support them. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
Q4: What mistakes do marketing teams often make with content anchor strategies, and how can they overcome these?
Avoid these mistakes (and Kami explains each below): Only talking about products; talking about features, not value; and trying to create too much.
Q4a The biggest mistakes people make with content strategy:
1. Only talk about products
2. Talk about features not value
3. Try to create too much, more is less
I’ll unpack these in the next few tweets #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/mjDvn8FaNo
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
Q4b #1 Mistake: When you only talk about your products, people tune you out. Haven’t YOU learned how to tune out ads? It’s the same for your readers #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/p3pqYastrw
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
“Why isn’t anyone reading our blog?”—asks the company whose blog is all about themselves and their products every single day. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
Specially only talk about Product or product promotion.
It would be good if one can talk about How to solve particular problem with their product.
– Provide Value for free, charge for the implement as I read somewhere.
IMHO, it’s the best content strategy #contentchat
— Dipali Thakkar - Digital Marketing Analyst (@dipalit) May 9, 2022
Q4c #2 Mistake: There is a tendency to talk about a list of features when all our audience wants are solutions and how the content will help them succeed #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/Y61Dvt1wWz
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
Q4d #3 Mistake: Overwhelming our audience with TOO MUCH content. Content anchors are like a classic outfit. Other content should accessorize this main piece #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/B6qSvOyVYB
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
A big mistake is not having a content anchor strategy. Brand leaders often want teams to jump on all trending topics, but a consistent content cadence on focused topics will drive better results than random acts of content.
A4. Biggest mistake is not *having* a content anchor strategy (or, worse, any content strategy). #ContentChat https://t.co/b0JR1snsgG
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) May 9, 2022
A4a: I often hear brands hesitate to commit to consistently creating content that exclusively ladders up to the same set of content anchors over time. There is a sense of FOMO for not being able to jump on all the trending topics. #ContentChat https://t.co/ssSE8yOclw
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
A4b: But if you aren’t an industry news site, with a big budget and a robust editorial staff, you are never going to be able to respond to or leverage every new trending topic. It’s far better to be known as an authority in a smaller topic set than as a randomizer. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
When you have clarity around your key topics you can keep eyes & ears tuned for news & trends that are in your wheelhouse. So you have relevant hooks for existing anchors. (But be aware of governance—today’s trending topic may quickly become tomorrow’s old news!) #ContentChat https://t.co/JLTCpaMScl
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) May 9, 2022
This is so true! Those timely posts can start to look like those avocado green refrigerators and burnt orange shag rugs… #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
A4: Not really putting a strategy in place or doing it haphazardly. Also, trying to keep up with every trend is a big mistake! It’s not always going to be relevant to your brand! ~Julie #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
A6. I like @convince ‘s TV Guide approach. It’s a simple framework that everyone—even non-marketers—understands and can consume at a glance: Yearly or quarterly “specials,” weekly series, regular daily programming, etc. #contentchat https://t.co/w1MGybN2d9
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) May 9, 2022
In my experience with C-Suite, they are very busy and have a short attention span. Less is more. 1-3 slides, or a video with a 1-sheet with stats. Let them know what is in it for THEM. #ContentChat
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
WIIFM for the win! #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) May 9, 2022
Always, no matter which audience or stakeholder or customer it is ALWAYS #WIIFM They could care less about you and how it impacts you, and YOU YOU YOU. #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/Fqp5VZWSSB
— Kami Huyse | Social Media Strategist  (@kamichat) May 9, 2022
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