That may sound a little overwhelming, but it's important to think of your content strategy within the context of your business. If you are a plumber, you want your content strategy to set you apart from other plumbers as the best in the area. You may provide tips and techniques individuals can try at home before calling a plumber. You might talk about some of the best places to get plumbing parts or tools. You could even share entertaining stories of your plumbing adventures. The main thing is that you provide meaningful content that has value to your website visitors. By setting yourself apart from your competition through your content strategy, you are building value and trustworthiness into your business.

According to Fast Company, Content Is The New Currency.

"The implications of great communication as a currency for change (and ultimately for profit) is a massive untapped opportunity..."

To continue the example of the plumber, it is essential that you understand, giving away free tips or instruction on your website is not going to cost you business. I understand the hesitancy, you feel like you need all the business you can get and allowing certain projects to be fixed by your customers themselves feels like you're losing business. You're not, You're building name recognition. You're building authority. And most importantly, you are building value!

Your content strategy also plays a dominant role in your site's search engine rankings.
As long as your content stays within your expertise and you regularly add new articles to your site each month, you should soon begin to see a positive effect on your site's ability to generate leads. Your target should probably be between 1500 and 2500 words per month. Whether that sounds like a lot or a little to you, the first thing you need to consider is what amount of content to add per month is realistically attainable. Don't under-estimate the time investment here. It is better to start out adding just a little new content per month and do it consistently, than to provide a ton of new content one month and none the next. The consistency is what Google is looking for.

In "A Website That Works" Mark O'Brien discusses a content strategy in depth. He said:

"In order for a prospect to find you, your site needs to have a wealth of unique and search engine-indexable content. Once a prospect arrives, the job of the site is to take them on a tour that showcases who you are, what you do, what you think about, why you are or are not the right fit for them, and what steps they can take to get to know you better."

The last part of what Mr. O'Brian said here brings me to my last point; your website is a sales tool unlike any other. Your website gives you the opportunity to speak to every prospect that is considering hiring you or buying from you. They have the ability to take as much time getting to know you and your abilities as they wish to take. Your website is available to them 24/7. It's not limited to the 8-5 work week, or 30 minute sales meetings.

As internet marketing continues to grow and improve, it is clear that a consistently implemented content strategy is essential. You don't have to start out writing a book every month, just start writing something. Make sure it is informative and consistent with the services you offer. Remember, content is the new currency and the sooner you start will just put you that much further ahead of your competition.