Content strategy is more than just creating content.

With how much content we consume every day, I think it’s easy to overlook the planning behind what we see online. Whether it’s an Instagram post or a promotional campaign, creating something visually appealing doesn’t necessarily mean it will be effective. What matters is understanding why that content exists and whether it serves both the organization and its audience.

In Nielsen Norman Group’s video Content Strategy vs. Content Tactics, Catherine Toole explains that while tactics focus on individual actions, strategy considers the larger purpose behind them. This distinction stood out to me because it’s easy to become focused on creating something without considering what it should accomplish.

How Has Content Strategy Evolved?

Although content strategy is often associated with digital media, its foundations existed long before social media. In An Uneven History of Content Strategy, Rahel Anne Bailie (2020) discusses how IBM researchers were already studying ways to make information easier to use in 1981. Rather than simply providing instructions, they focused on organizing information around what people actually needed to accomplish.

For example, a computer manual should help someone quickly find instructions for a specific task instead of forcing them to search through unnecessary information. I think this is interesting because the same principle applies to content strategy today. While the platforms have changed, organizations still need to consider how audiences will find and interact with their content.

Over the past 15 years, I think the biggest change has been how organizations approach different platforms. Content now needs to be adapted to how people interact with websites and social media while maintaining a consistent message. Organizations also have more opportunities to understand audience behavior through analytics, allowing them to adjust their approach based on what actually works.

More recently, artificial intelligence has introduced another major shift. In The Evolution of AI in Content Strategy, Tilly Bell emphasizes prioritizing useful content over producing large quantities of material. I agree because AI can make content creation faster, but that doesn’t necessarily make the results meaningful.

Personally, I find AI most helpful when organizing research or structuring larger projects. However, I believe creativity and personal insight should remain central to the process.

Why Do Budget, Buy-In, and Preparation Matter?

In The Content Strategy Toolkit, Meghan Casey emphasizes understanding an organization’s challenges and securing support before implementing a strategy. I think this is important because even a promising idea can fail without the resources or cooperation needed to execute it.

A realistic budget helps determine what can actually be accomplished, while stakeholder buy-in ensures decision-makers recognize why the work deserves investment. Preparation allows teams to identify potential challenges and establish expectations before moving forward. Without this foundation, content creation can become disconnected from the organization’s larger goals.

I experienced this while working as a social media co-manager for TEDxQuinnipiacU. Creating promotional materials involved more than designing graphics. I had to consider what information would encourage people to attend and how our content contributed to promoting the event. Coordinating these efforts also helped me understand why having a shared direction matters.

Kristina Halvorson (n.d.) reinforces this idea in What Does a Content Strategist Do?, explaining that content strategists play an important role in connecting the different people responsible for creating and managing content. She emphasizes that their work extends beyond publication, as they also help establish guidelines and evaluate whether existing content continues to meet audience needs.

This is an important distinction because a strategy shouldn’t end once something is published. Organizations need to recognize when their content is no longer effective in the way it used to be, so they have to willingly make changes rather than continuing with the same approach.

Ultimately, I think content strategy has become more important as technology has made content easier to produce. While the tools continue to evolve, the challenge remains creating something that people find valuable rather than simply adding more information to an already crowded digital space.

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References

Bailie, R. A. (2020, September 2). An uneven history of content strategy. Medium. https://rahelab.medium.com/an-uneven-history-of-content-strategy-d514cfd7eee5

Bell, T. (2026, May 20). The evolution of AI in content strategy. Quibble. https://quibble.digital/insights/the-evolution-of-ai-in-content-strategy/

Casey, M. (2023). The content strategy toolkit: Methods, guidelines, and templates for getting content right (2nd ed.). New Riders. https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780138059279/samplepages/9780138059279_Sample.pdf

Halvorson, K. (n.d.). What does a content strategist do? Brain Traffic. https://www.braintraffic.com/blog/what-does-a-content-strategist-do

Toole, C. (2017, January 5). Content strategy vs. content tactics [Video]. Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/videos/content-strategy-vs-content-tactics/