Where are you on your content marketing journey? The path to content marketing nirvana isn't a smooth one. Download this handy map to Content Land to help you on your journey.

1. YOUR GUIDE TO
THE LAND OF CONTENT
Brought to you by
Sonja Jefferson & Sharon Tanton of VALUABLE CONTENT
© Valuable Content Ltd 2015
Illustration & Design © Lizzie Everard

2. WHERE ARE YOU
ON YOUR CONTENT
MARKETING JOURNEY
?

3. C
R
K
E E
SH
TI
STRONG
CURRENT
QUICK
WINS
the
PORTof
L O N
{ T H E P I L G R I M ’ S T R U E P AT H }
E L Y C R
GA
C
R
K
E E
SH
TI
F O G G Y
B O T T O M
GRAFTER’S
GORGE
W
ISDOM WAY
YOUR CONTENT MARKETING JOURNEY IN
THE LAND OF CONTENT
OF DESPAIRROUNDABOUT
PEAK
TOO QUICK TOO SOON
High Altitude Basecamp
POW•WOWPLAIN
M A R S H E S o f t h e
I L L - P R E PA R E D
S H I N Y
SCHEDULED
TWEETS!
FAC T O R YFARMEDCONTENT!!
KEYWORD
STUFFING
HERE
Alight Here
T
he
Vale of GOOD INTENTIO
N
S
UM25
BOUNTIFUL
BAY
YOUR CONTENT IS
VALUABLE
LANDTHE
RIGHT WORK
M
ARK
ETIN
G
PEOPLE LOVE

4. BOUNTIFUL
BAY
M
ARK
ETIN
G
PEOPLE LOVE
YOUR CONTENT IS
VALUABLE
LANDTHE
RIGHT WORK
Welcome to the Land of Content and
join the travellers heading for content
marketing nirvana - where all the
customers you really want come to you.
Here’s your guide to the highs and
lows of the content marketing journey.

5. Alight Here
T
he
Vale of GOOD INTENTIO
N
S
The Vale of Good Intentions
You start with all the enthusiasm of the convert – you’re going
to share great content, make friends and influence people.

6. QUICK
WINS
the
PORTof
S H I N Y
SCHEDULED
TWEETS!
FAC T O R YFARMEDCONTENT!!
KEYWORD
STUFFING
HERE
The Port of Quick Wins
You get distracted by shiny things that
promise the world but don’t deliver.
From SEO keyword stuffing to factory-
farmed content, there are lots of ways you
can get distracted from the valuable path.

7. F O G G Y
B O T T O M
UM25
Foggy Bottom
You realise you don’t know what to say with your content.
What content do your customers want? What content will help
your business? You just can’t see the way forward, and run out of ideas.
Get your strategy straight. Make your next destination.POW•WOWPLAIN

8. M A R S H E S o f t h e
I L L - P R E PA R E D
Marshes of the Ill Prepared
Your website’s not up to the job, or your blog
looks rubbish. Your content may be great but
nothing’s connecting like it should.
Hook up with the technical wizards at
.POW•WOWPLAIN

9. C
R
K
E E
SH
TI
STRONG
CURRENT
F O G G Y
B O T T O MB O
G Y
Shit Creek
Quickest way here is spending all your cash in the
Port of Quick Wins, but spend too long on Foggy Bottom
or the Marshes of the Ill Prepared—­or circling endlessly
between them on the Roundabout of Despair­—and
you’ll end up here too.

10. C
R
K
E E
SH
TI
STRONG
CURRENT
From here, scramble your way out and start again at
the .
Set coordinates for , and head out again
along or to .
The Vale of GOOD INTENTIONS
BOUNTIFUL BAY
GRAFTER’S GORGE POW•WOWPLAIN

11. G
R AFTER’S GORGE
The hard road – Grafters Gorge
Going it alone is one route to content nirvana.
Try, test, adapt, try, and keep going.
Write your way to clarity and eventual success.

12. { T H E P I L G R I M ’ S T R U E P AT H }
W
ISDOM WAY
{ D I S C O V E R C O N T E N T S T R AT E G Y }
POW•WOWPLAIN
A straighter path – Wisdom Way
Doing some hard thinking and getting your content
strategy straight will make the path easier. You’ll know
what to say, and be able to say it more easily.

13. { T H E P I L G R I M ’ S T R U E P AT H }
W
ISDOM WAY
{ D I S C O V E R C O N T E N T S T R AT E G Y }
POW•WOWPLAIN
Pow Wow Plain – the place you go for some content
marketing wisdom. Take time out with some expert
help. Want to know what your customers want?
Want to know which content will best hit your
sweet spot?
Get your content strategy and plan
straight on Pow Wow Plain, then
head out again on Wisdom Way.

14. PEAK
TOO QUICK TOO SOON
High Altitude Basecamp
Too Quick Too Soon Peak
You may have things clear, but PACE YOURSELF. Launch at warp speed and
you won’t keep it up. 20 blogs a month, new video channel, weekly podcasts –
if you set yourself impossible targets you can end up stranded here.

15. L O N E L Y
C R
GA
Lonely Crag
Often the place where you’ll find the freelancer, steadfastly
turning out content and sharing it alone. Can be effective, but
it’s hard and lonely work. Businesses who leave one person
to handle content marketing alone end up here too.

16. A retreat at can recharge your spirits,
and help you find ways to share the load.
POW•WOWPLAIN
L O N E L Y
C R
GA

17. BOUNTIFUL
BAY
M
ARK
ETIN
G
PEOPLE LOVE
YOUR CONTENT IS
VALUABLE
LANDTHE
RIGHT WORK
Bountiful Bay
You’ve made it to valuable
content marketing nirvana!
Your content is just right,
and your dream customers
are drawn to you.
The system works perfectly.
Your community does your
marketing for you, all you
need to keep doing is carry
on creating the content
people love.

18. W
{ D I S C O V E R C O N T E N T S T R AT E G Y }
POW•WOWPLAIN
And back to Pow Wow Plain again
Business doesn’t stand still. If your market and model changes
(and it probably will – as ours has recently), you’ll need to make
a trip back here to reset your content marketing coordinates.
The thinking and the hard work is fun, but it doesn’t stop!

19. WORK HARD,
HAVE FUN AND
LOVE THE RIDE IT’S WORTH IT.!

20. EVERY ADVENTURER NEEDS A GOOD GUIDE
The totally updated, second edition of our book
is published July 3rd 2015. Download a sample
chapter and pre-order via Amazon.
valuablecontent.co.uk
“Valuable Content Marketing goes beyond words and lofty vision.
It tells you what to do. In a landscape growing increasingly
crowded by noise, this gets you to a higher ground.”
Chris Brogan

21. Brought to you by
Sonja Jefferson & Sharon Tanton of VALUABLE CONTENT
info@valuablecontent.co.uk
Valuable Content Ltd
Illustration & Design © Lizzie Everard 2015