How to Build a Content Roadmap That Drives Leads

Content roadmap. Content plan. Marketing map. Whatever you want to call it, you’ve probably realized by now that your team needed one yesterday. 

But when it comes to actually creating a content roadmap, you might be feeling a little lost—where do you even start?

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with where to begin, but here’s the thing: creating a content roadmap isn’t about filling a calendar with random posts. It’s about crafting a strategic plan that speaks to your audience at every stage of their journey—from learning about their problem to deciding to solve it with your product.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to create a content roadmap that’s not only easy to implement but also effective. And best of all, it’ll help turn your prospects into buyers.

Step 1. Get to know your audience with buyer personas

So, where do you start when developing a content roadmap? It all begins with your audience. 

Without them, well... you’ve just got a bunch of content with nowhere to go. Time spent creating content for the wrong people (a.k.a. those who aren’t buying) is time and money down the drain.

Pro tip: Use AI-powered tools inside your CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce to segment your audience into more precise groups, creating content that speaks to them personally. 

To make sure your content hits the mark, it’s crucial to create buyer personas. HubSpot defines them as semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers, based on real data from your existing clients and market research. Without these personas, it’s like shooting in the dark—your content won't speak to the right people or address the right problems.

Align your sales cycle with the buyer’s journey

Here’s the kicker: for this to work, you also need a clear understanding of your sales cycle. When you align your sales process with the buyer’s journey, you're better equipped to spot any roadblocks your prospects may face—and you can proactively address those challenges in your content.

The primary stages to focus on when creating a content roadmap include:

• Awareness: Your buyer knows they have a problem, but they may not be sure how to fix it or if a solution like yours even exists. Build content that educates, introducing them to the potential solutions available.
• Consideration: By now, your prospect is exploring different solutions. This is your chance to showcase why your product is the right fit. Highlight its best features and how it compares to competitors. (And if you’re feeling bold, use your content to make a direct comparison, like Asana did here.)
• Decision: This is the final hurdle, where your prospect might have lingering doubts. What’s holding them back from pulling the trigger? Use your content to clear up objections, providing reassurance and showing them that buying your product is a smart decision. Content like buyer’s guides, sell sheets, or testimonials can tip the scale in your favor.

Bottom line: The more time you spend really getting to know your audience, their needs, questions and their journey, the better able you will be to create content that converts.

Step 2. Audit your current content to see what you already have

It’s hard to know where your audience needs your content to go if you aren’t sure where it’s already taken them. Performing a content audit can help make sure you aren’t creating pieces that are redundant while showing you where crucial information gaps might exist.

Auditing your entire content archive can feel a little daunting, but it’s about identifying what’s working and what’s not. With this in mind, we've broken the process down into four easy steps:

1. Create a label for each buyer persona and stage by referencing the materials you defined in the previous section. This will give your audit structure and help you categorize your content effectively.
2. Review existing content you have—blogs, case studies, videos, sell sheets, etc.—and place each piece of content under the appropriate buyer persona and stage. This will give you a visual map of where you’re strong and where you may need more content.
3. Identify any areas where you may have content gaps and where you might be lacking content for a particular persona or stage. Are there buyer questions you haven’t addressed yet? Are there stages in the buyer’s journey that don’t have enough content to move prospects forward?
4. Update existing content—don’t overlook older content! Sometimes, a quick update can make it feel new again, especially if it’s been a while since it was last touched. Repurposing content into a new format (like turning a blog into a video or infographic) can breathe new life into it and help fill gaps in your roadmap.

Taking the time to do regular content audits—aim for once every 6 months—will help ensure that you’re always offering the most helpful and relevant information to your audience. 

By keeping your content fresh and aligned with buyer needs, you’ll stay on top of your game and be ready to meet your audience where they are.

Step 3. Get strategic (and a little creative) with fresh ideas

This step is a brainstorming session only. Let go of any pressure to write outlines, full blog posts or scripts right now and give yourself permission to write down every idea that comes to mind. Nothing is set in stone yet—just get it out. You can filter through your ideas in the next step.

Remember, every piece of content should provide real value—whether it entertains, educates, or empowers your audience. If you don’t like spammy sales content in your own inbox, neither will they. Content that genuinely connects is what your audience will subscribe to, share and remember.

Here’s how to set yourself up for success:

• Get the good ideas out of your head and onto paper. If new content ideas come flooding in during your content audit, write those down first. Nothing is more frustrating than knowing you have a million-dollar idea—if only you could remember the details. If you know what direction you want to go with each topic, go ahead and write that down too.
  
  Pro tip: This is where ChatGPT can be a helpful brainstormer! We love using ChatGPT to kickstart strategy.
• Take note of current content gaps. Based on the notes you took during your content audit, identify information gaps your audience may be experiencing. Jot down topics and ideas that can fill those spaces and make special note of where in the buyer’s journey this piece of information might be the most helpful.
• Zero in on specific challenges of each buyer persona and stage of the sales cycle. Your buyer personas play an integral role at every step of the content creation process (that’s why we work on those first!).
• Take a close look at each buyer persona you’ve created, making special note of their stage in your sales cycle as well:
  • What challenges is this buyer facing?
  • What questions do they have at this stage?
  • What’s holding them back from making a purchase right now? (Do they need more information? Are they struggling to get team buy-in? Are they worried your product won’t serve their particular needs?

Pro tip: Not all topics fit all stages. For example, a blog about “how to choose the right software” won’t help someone who hasn’t even realized they need software yet.

Bonus ideas for engaging content

• Entertain your audience.
  B2B doesn’t have to be boring. Use GIFs, pop culture references and current events to create fun, relatable content. Just make sure it stays on brand. (Bonus points if you can tie it to your buyer’s journey!)
• Educate your audience.
  Show them behind-the-scenes processes, break down your pricing or share the secret tools you use. Help them see you as the go-to expert.
• Help your audience use your services better.
  Create how-to videos, webinars or quick guides that answer common questions and make their lives easier. Bonus: fewer support tickets and happier customers.

Bottom line: For every topic you brainstorm, your audience’s unique needs, challenges and stage in their journey should drive the inspiration. This is the key to creating a content roadmap that not only looks good but also drives real results.

Step 4. Build your content roadmap

Here’s where all the prep work we’ve done above really starts to pay off. You’ve already built out all the elements of your roadmap—now it’s time to organize them into an easy-to-follow plan.

1. Re-examine your content and prioritize

Start by realistically thinking about how much your team can handle each month to create consistently great content.

Then, re-examine the topics you brainstormed and the pieces of existing content you flagged for updates. Prioritize them by the stages of your buyer’s journey:

• Start with awareness. Do you have foundational pieces of content that bring attention to who you are? Is the content geared toward drawing in new leads?
• Work your way through every stage and buyer persona. Make sure you’re addressing real concerns your prospects have at each point in their journey.
• Order your content strategically. Every piece should build upon the last, priming your audience for what’s coming next.
• Collaborate with your sales team. Check in with your sales team to see if they need specific materials—like an updated sell sheet or a fresh case study—to help close deals. Incorporate these into your content planning.

2. Map out content for the next 6 months

Label each month (or quarter, or week—whatever cadence fits your team best) with a buyer persona and a stage of the journey. Plug in the topics you want to cover, making sure each piece logically builds on the one before it.

As you map it out, consider the best format for each piece. Some ideas lend themselves naturally to blogs, while others might be stronger as videos, webinars or a more comprehensive ebook. 

Other formats to keep in mind:

• Sell sheets
• Infographics
• Case studies
• Podcasts
• Email funnels

Don’t forget distribution! Plan out not just the content itself but how you’ll share it. Could that blog post turn into a week-long LinkedIn series? Can an infographic become a carousel post on Instagram? Are there nuggets you can pull into an email nurture sequence?

In order to create the most effective content roadmap, make sure you plan for every detail:

• Who each piece is geared toward
• The topic
• The format
• The due date
• The distribution and repurposing plan

How to get the most out of your content roadmap

Now that your roadmap is in place, it’s time to start creating your content! Here are a few tips to help you get the most ROI out of your roadmap—and make sure your efforts pay off:

• Remember, your roadmap is a flexible guide, not a strict rulebook. Even with all the planning in the world, you can’t truly predict what will happen in the next 6 months. A solid roadmap gives you the space to pivot when needed—whether that’s a new regulation impacting your industry or (gasp) another global curveball.
• Keep tabs on performance and adjust. If your audience is eating up videos but ghosting your ebooks, it might be time to shift your format focus. Pay attention to the data—your audience is always telling you what they want (even if it's in clicks, not words).
• Pull in your customer-facing team members. Periodically review your roadmap with your account managers and sales managers. They’re on the frontlines every day, hearing firsthand what your audience is asking, loving and missing. Their insights are gold for keeping your content aligned with real buyer needs.
• Stay consistent. Don't lose momentum! Create a new roadmap every 6 months to keep delivering high-quality, high-demand content that your audience actually looks forward to consuming.

Quick reminder: Every piece of content you create should provide value first. If you don’t want to read it, they won’t either. Focus on helping your audience better serve their customers, too, because when they win, you win.

Ready to create?

At Accelity, we build content that your audience actually wants to read.

Our team of experts helps brands like yours stay agile, strategic and ahead of the curve. Whether you need fresh ideas or a full-fledged content takeover, we're ready for whatever you've got.

Let’s create something your audience can’t wait to enjoy. 

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