Benjamin Franklin as soon as stated “Failing to plan is planning to fail,” and with regards to content material and media technique, more true phrases have by no means been spoken.

Till 2020, that’s.

Within the final two years, 99% of content material planners, strategists, or entrepreneurs who pivoted their technique did so in 2021.

Unsurprisingly, the #1 motive they gave for this was the worldwide pandemic.

To make issues extra difficult, 39% of those that pivoted in 2021 modified their content material plan a whopping thrice all year long.

Regardless of all that turbulence, 62% of media planners say their content material carried out higher than their objectives in 2021. And, if something, 2020 and 2021 taught advertising and marketing groups how vital content material planning and re-planning is.

To get a way of how entrepreneurs deliberate or pivoted their method via such an unpredictable yr and the way they may strategy media planning in 2022, we surveyed 600+ media planners to assemble information on their objectives, methods, the instruments they use, and the way they met the distinctive challenges of 2021.

Inquisitive about some methods and insights particularly? Click on under to leap to the part you’d wish to learn first.

The Prime Targets of Advertising Media and Content material Planners

As you may see under, partaking and rising new audiences, maximizing the ROI of their content material, and understanding which channels or platforms their viewers spends essentially the most time on are prime priorities for media planners and content material entrepreneurs in 2022.

However which methods are only to attain these objectives?

Media and Content material Planning Methods

The Most Efficient Media Planning Methods

The highest methods media planners and content material entrepreneurs charged with planning use are conducting market analysis to know their goal demographic and discover the simplest channels to succeed in them, leveraging media planning templates, and operating content material audits.

Unsurprisingly, these techniques line up pretty properly with the highest objectives, which embody rising audiences with content material and concentrating on the proper advertising and marketing channels.

Media planners additionally rated setting a clearly outlined price range (57%), analyzing the outcomes of your content material technique (57%), clearly defining objectives/KPIs (55%), and utilizing a calendar to schedule content material (48%) as the simplest media planning methods they use.

To perform most of those, entrepreneurs can leverage media planning templates, a method I’ll speak about in additional element later.

Finally, all the above methods are extremely efficient and can see considerably elevated use and funding in 2022. As you progress ahead in planning, you may need to contemplate a mixture of them quite than simply operating with one or two techniques.

Subsequent, let’s dive a litter deeper into every main planning technique and alternative.

Market and Demographic Analysis

Market analysis is leveraged by 43% of media planners and can develop considerably in 2022, with 45% planning to leverage it for the primary time.

• 64% of media planners who use it say it’s the simplest media planning technique they leverage.
• 16% of all media planners will make investments extra on this than some other technique in 2022.
• 70% of media planners who do channel analysis say it’s the simplest media planning technique they leverage (the very best of any technique.)
• 22% of all media planners will make investments extra in it than some other technique in 2022.

Whereas technically the second-most-effective technique, I made a decision to convey this one up first as a result of understanding the demographics of your target market isn’t simply important for correct media planning, however important for any advertising and marketing technique to succeed.

You possibly can look at a variety of information together with age, location, schooling, and earnings to begin constructing purchaser personas, that are fictional representations of your splendid prospects which you can cater your content material in direction of. And right here’s the most effective half – you seemingly have already got most of this information obtainable to you free of charge.

In fact, you would additionally conduct market analysis research of your individual, or undergo an out of doors company for a extra holistic view of your trade.

However when it comes to media planning, I’d argue that figuring out which channels your viewers is spending their time on is simply as vital as figuring out who your viewers is.

Channel and Platform Analysis

Studying about your viewers does not simply cease at personas or demographics.

In 2021, 43% of media planners carried out market analysis to seek out the simplest channels for reaching their targets. This share will develop considerably in 2022, with 53% planning to leverage it for the primary time.

The info above is not too stunning. Earlier than you know the way a lot of your price range to put money into every space of your media combine, you may need to get an thought of which channels your target market spends their time on.

You can too profit from utilizing your individual information by which channels are only at serving to you meet your particular objectives. However, you also needs to leverage exterior analysis as it might present essential demographic information on the precise channels you employ.

For instance, in our 2022 Social Media Report and survey, we discovered that youthful audiences like Millennials and Gen Z favor shorter video content material that’s humorous, fashionable, and displays a model’s values – on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

In the meantime, Child Boomers favor interactive/instructional content material similar to interviews/podcasts/professional discussions, and dwell movies, with Fb being their platform of selection.

These info will provide help to plan out your media combine by supplying you with perception on important questions, similar to whether or not your demographic is embracing social buying instruments on platforms like Instagram or different platforms.

As soon as the analysis is full, media planners are utilizing templates to assist allocate and manage their media combine with most effectivity.

Media Planning Templates

Media planning templates are leveraged by 40% of media planners and 46% of them say it’s the simplest technique they use to succeed in their enterprise objectives.

The usage of media planning templates will see vital development in 2022 as 39% plan to leverage them for the primary time and 11% of all media planners will make investments extra in templates than some other technique.

There are all kinds of media planning templates to select from, all designed with a special goal, however in the end they exist that can assist you observe, plan, manage, distribute, and analyze all of your media content material.

The preferred templates are social media technique templates that provide help to align your media content material along with your viewers and analytics and reporting templates for Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Drive that make the processes of pulling, organizing, and sharing information easy.

Fortunately, HubSpot has each of these templates obtainable so that you can obtain proper now, with a handful of others that will additionally come in useful.

As soon as their media plans are totally organized and executed, entrepreneurs are leveraging content material audits to investigate their efficiency and inform their future content material plans.

Content material Audits

Working content material audits to tell media planning technique is utilized by 37% of media planners and is the third-most-effective tactic for media planners to succeed in their enterprise objectives.

• A whopping 81% of media planners who run audits say they’ve been efficient for reaching their enterprise objectives and 67% say the outcomes of their content material audits have had a reasonable to vital impression on their media planning technique.
• The usage of content material audits will develop considerably in 2022 as 37% plan to leverage them for the primary time and 15% of all media planners will make investments extra in content material audits than some other technique.

So what are the objectives of a content material audit?

By analyzing the efficiency of the content material you create, you get insights on what exceeded expectations, what falls flat, and why

Figuring out content material gaps is the #1 goal of content material audits, however that doesn’t imply it needs to be onerous. Right here’s a information on how you can run a easy content material audit particularly to seek out and fill these content material gaps.

Figuring out points along with your web site and bettering the person expertise is one other extremely efficient technique for driving site visitors to your internet content material, bettering SERP rating, and growing engagement. In our survey of 400 internet site visitors analysts, we discovered that internet analysts who reported an efficient web site technique in 2021 have been 25% extra prone to optimize their web site for loading pace.

In case you’re nonetheless not satisfied to audit your content material, we additionally requested media planners in regards to the largest advantages they’ve seen from auditing. Right here’s a graph with the outcomes:

How typically do you have to run a content material audit?

Most media planners who run content material audits achieve this on a month-to-month or quarterly foundation. In case you’re prepared to begin auditing your content material, you may both create your individual template or use this one from HubSpot.

Not solely did we craft it ourselves, however 46% of media planners who use templates for content material audits use it, making it the preferred third-party template. Our information additionally exhibits that 86% of those that use HubSpot’s template say content material audits have been efficient for reaching their total enterprise objectives, so it is best to give it a shot.

Which Channels Entrepreneurs Use in Their Media Combine

The highest channels media planners leverage are paid and natural social media content material, e mail advertising and marketing, and natural search.

As this information is instantly according to our earlier advertising and marketing analysis, listed below are just a few fast bullets on every:

• E mail advertising and marketing is essentially the most leveraged media channel utilized by 1 in 2 media planners and can proceed to develop this yr with 22% planning to leverage it for the primary time. E mail advertising and marketing has the third highest ROI of any channel.

• Paid social media content material is utilized by 47% of media planners and has the very best ROI and highest engagement of any channel. Channel utilization will develop considerably in 2022 as 14% of all media planners plan to speculate extra in it than some other channel and 25% plan on leveraging it for the primary time this yr.

• Natural social media content material is utilized by 43% of media planners and can proceed to develop this yr with 22% planning to leverage it for the primary time and 9% planning to speculate extra in it than some other channel in 2022. Natural social has the 2nd highest ROI and 2nd highest engagement ranges of any channel.

• Natural search is leveraged by 36% of media planners and 45% of them say it has the very best ROI of any channel they use. It can develop in 2022 with 23% of media planners planning to leverage natural seek for the primary time.

• 84% of media planners leverage a mixture of natural and paid media.

However, what is the splendid media combine appear to be? Try this beneficial information with much more information. 

The Advantages and Challenges of Media Planning

The Advantages of Content material and Media Planning

Media planning might help you manage, plan, and analyze your content material, however what are the most important advantages entrepreneurs get from having a devoted content material plan? Right here’s a breakdown of our survey outcomes:

One fascinating theme to notice above is that the highest three advantages relate to understanding channels, the place your viewers is, or the place and how you can goal them. From what we have seen over the previous decade, the key to efficient, ROI-generating advertising and marketing or content material is knowing and figuring out the place to satisfy your targets.

So, whereas the concept of media planning may appear daunting in occasions when plans always change – it is nonetheless extremely invaluable, value your time, and is prone to return on its funding.

Finally, the work you do as a media or content material planner will educate you ways and when to create new content material, when to pivot, or how you can successfully change course in occasions the place opponents are struggling to know altering shopper ideas and behaviors.

Media Planning Challenges

For all its advantages, media planning additionally comes with some challenges. Listed here are the most important challenges entrepreneurs face with media planning:

Figuring out the simplest media combine is an extremely vital side of media planning, but additionally the one media planners battle with essentially the most. Try this article for recommendations on optimizing your media combine.

Apart from discovering the simplest media combine, a restricted price range is the second largest problem media planners face, so let’s check out some information on content material advertising and marketing budgets.

Budgeting Your Content material Advertising Efforts

How A lot of Your Funds Ought to Go to Content material Advertising?

Chances are high you have already got a price range devoted to content material advertising and marketing, however in the event you don’t, it could be a good suggestion to affix the 94% of media planners who do.

The true query is how a lot of your complete advertising and marketing price range ought to go to content material advertising and marketing, so right here’s a have a look at our outcomes:

Half of manufacturers spend underneath 50% of their advertising and marketing price range on content material, with 72% of media planners saying the first model they work with spends between 20%-60% of their complete advertising and marketing price range on content material advertising and marketing.

The place Entrepreneurs Make investments Their Content material Advertising Funds

So, how a lot is that content material price range we simply mentioned above? Here is a have a look at how a lot advertising and marketing departments delegate to content material. 

• 1 in 4 manufacturers have a quarterly content material advertising and marketing price range underneath $40K
• 38% of manufacturers have a quarterly content material advertising and marketing price range between $40K-$100K, whereas 35% have a price range over $100K.

Together with your price range in thoughts, let’s check out how typically you have to be making a media plan and the way far upfront to begin laying the groundwork on your content material technique.

Timing Your Media Plan

How Usually Ought to You Create A Media Plan?

Practically half of media planners create a media plan for his or her major model as soon as per quarter:

Whichever cadence works greatest for you, you’ll additionally want to begin your planning course of forward of time. Let’s learn how far upfront entrepreneurs are creating their media plans.

How Far in Advance Ought to You Begin Formulating Your Media Plan?

In keeping with our survey, 41% of media planners will change their media combine in 2022, however how far forward will they begin planning?

Over 80% of media planners formulate their methods lower than 4 months forward of time.

One other essential piece of formulating your media plan would be the instruments you employ, so let’s have a look at which instruments entrepreneurs discover the simplest.

Content material Planning & Advertising Instruments

The highest two instruments media planners use are HubSpot Advertising Hub (38%) and HubSpot Media Planning Templates (34%).

Right here’s a chart displaying the most important advantages of leveraging media planning instruments:

One other device leveraged by 78% of media planners is automation, right here’s what content material strategists and media planners use it for:

Pivoting Your Content material Plan

Pivoting may be intimidating because of the uncertainty of abruptly switching up your content material plan, so this is a high-level have a look at our survey information on the subject. You can too discover a deeper dive into our information and ideas on this put up.

Is Pivoting Your Content material Plan Efficient?

Whether or not you had each advertising and marketing marketing campaign for 2020 and 2021 totally deliberate out or have been simply winging it, the pandemic pressured us to toss no matter plans we had out the window and adapt in real-time.

As we talked about above, most entrepreneurs who pivoted their content material plan in 2021 did so due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The excellent news? A whopping 74% of media planners say their most up-to-date pivot was efficient for reaching their total objectives and 78% of media planners say their content material plan modified a reasonable to vital quantity the final time they pivoted.

When do manufacturers pivot a content material plan?

Right here’s how media planners knew it was time to pivot. Spoiler! It isn’t at all times resulting from world occasions. 

Of the media planners who’ve ever pivoted, over two-thirds did so to strive a brand new social media platform, and 77% pivoted to strive a brand new function.

Which platforms or options have media or content material planners pivoted to?

Fb and Instagram Purchasing platforms; YouTube Shorts; and dwell chat rooms like Instagram Stay Areas, Clubhouse, and Twitter Areas have been receiving excessive curiosity from strategists recently. 

What’s extra, our survey found that:

• Entrepreneurs who say their final pivot was efficient are 10% extra prone to have pivoted to make use of Twitter Areas.
• Entrepreneurs who say their final pivot was efficient are 10% extra prone to have pivoted to make use of Fb Stay Purchasing.
• Entrepreneurs who say their final pivot was efficient are 8% extra prone to have pivoted to make use of YouTube Shorts.
• Entrepreneurs who say their final pivot was ineffective are 9% extra prone to have pivoted to make use of Spotify Inexperienced Room and eight% extra prone to have pivoted to make use of Spoon.

What must be your first steps to pivoting a content material plan?

Switching up your content material plan can really feel like going into uncharted territory. That can assist you, this is how the media and content material planners we surveyed tackle the problem. 

I discovered that entrepreneurs who speak to gross sales and customer support groups to raised perceive their prospects and their ache factors have simpler pivots than those that don’t. They’re 16% extra prone to say pivoting was efficient.

Additionally, those that alter their media combine to replicate altering shopper habits have simpler pivots. They’re 9% extra prone to say pivoting was efficient.

To get a extra detailed step-by-step information on how you can pivot, take a look at this put up.

How typically do you have to pivot your content material plan?

Whereas, most manufacturers that pivoted did so not less than thrice in 2021, this does not essentially imply it’s a must to make large modifications as soon as 1 / 4.

Nonetheless, it is sensible to have versatile facets of your planning that may change if exterior components, like world occasions, come up.

And, if and when the unprecedented does occur, you may need to take a stp again and ask your self what adjustment or technique is correct on your model. 

Though customers care about responsive content material, additionally they care about moral advertising and marketing and social accountability of the manufacturers they comply with. Due to this, they’re going to be fast to identify (and name out) inauthentic and opportunistic habits, which may harm an organization’s picture.

And whereas we’re on the subject of avoiding errors, I additionally requested media planners in regards to the largest errors they’ve made when altering their content material plan. Let’s check out the place they’ve gone flawed.

Errors to Keep away from When Pivoting Your Content material Plan

Pivoting your content material plan is efficient, but additionally has its pitfalls. These are the highest errors media planners have made when switching issues up:

As you may see above, altering your content material technique drastically to cater to only one phase of your viewers isn’t really helpful.

And to reiterate the recommendation of Karla Hesterberg, the Sr. Supervisor of Content material Development Technique at HubSpot, “Do not forget that content material technique is at all times an extended sport —your short-term technique can’t compromise your capacity to unravel for the continued, long-term wants of your content material property.”

Talking of long-term objectives, switching up your media plan on the go may wind up being costly. Right here’s how a lot of their price range media planners are spending once they pivot.

Key Takeaways for Content material & Media Strategists

Content material and media planning can get advanced and sophisticated in at the moment’s world the place the whole lot – together with your goal purchaser – is continually altering.

Finally, sturdy preparation will provide help to be able to create and optimize your content material technique to cater to your evolving target market.

Though we went over a handful of various methods and information factors above, listed below are three key themes which you can take away from this put up.

• Understanding your viewers is significant: As a marketer, creator, and media planner, it is advisable know your viewers to know what they’re going to reply to, what is going to encourage them to interact with you, and the place they’re going to go to devour content material. You’ll additionally need to know the place your viewers spends essentially the most time. With this information, you’ll create campaigns that meet them the place they’re and nurture them into shopping for your product.
• Plan to re-plan: The world is at all times altering. An efficient media planner creates a plan, but additionally prepares for issues to vary and identifies methods they will optimize, shift, or pivot it when one thing surprising occurs.
• At all times be auditing: One technique will not work without end, in any area of selling. So, it is vital to proceed to trace and audit your efforts. That method if one thing stops working or must be fastened, you may optimize it or shift away from it promptly with out dropping time or cash.

Need to see much more information on this matter? Try the free, downloadable useful resource under which highlights the majority of the info from our survey multi functional place.