Blog strategy and editorial calendar

As an industry super fund, Media Super’s primary responsibility is to create positive retirement outcomes for their members. Outside of investment, one of the key ways the fund can achieve this is through education. Super is a complex concept that many Australians don’t think about until it comes time to retire, but Media Super recognised that by providing quality educational content, they could foster stronger member engagement, and encourage members to take a more active role in managing their superannuation.

We worked with Media Super to develop a strategy and editorial calendar that would guide the creation of blog content and support member needs and broader organisational goals.

Setting the direction of the Media Super blog

We identified an opportunity for Media Super to lead the market by providing high-quality, in-depth content marketing that addressed the evolving needs of both Media Super members and the broader superannuation industry.

We began by setting a purpose and direction for the Media Super blog, and identifying how blog content would differ from static site content. We then conducted a deep dive into Media Super’s member statistics and audience makeup, to better understand the issues and challenges the audience would be facing at different points in their super journey. From here, we were able to develop a sense of the content types and topics that the blog should seek to address in order to deliver the most value to its readers.

Strategic pillars to guide content creation

We then developed a set of core content pillars that would go on to form categories within the blog. These pillars were split into Phase 1 categories (to be implemented first), and Phase 2 categories (to be implemented in future).

Some pillars included:

• Tips and tricks – educational content designed to inform members and provide instruction and advice about how to make the most of their super
• News and updates – legislative and regulatory updates affecting the fund, as well as product and service updates from Media Super
• Investment notices – updates on Media Super’s investment performance
• Community stories – sharing the stories and experiences of individual members or employers, and celebrating the success of the print, media, and arts industries.

Aligning with industry regulations

Superannuation funds are bound by an Australia Tax Office provision known as the ‘sole purpose test’, which states that all fund activity “must be for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits to their members”. Any content marketing efforts Media Super undertakes must therefore have a clear link to the fund’s ultimate purpose of providing retirement benefits to members. In constructing the content pillars and identifying possible blog topics, we kept the sole purpose test front of mind at all times, to ensure that Media Super members would gain true value from any piece of content the fund created.

Developing an editorial calendar

With our content pillars established and agreed upon, we then went about developing an editorial content calendar that would guide Media Super’s content creation efforts for the following quarter.

To identify the topics each blog should address, we conducted keyword research to gain a better understanding of the common questions or misconceptions Australian internet users have about super. We then combined this data with Media Super’s existing insight into upcoming legislative changes and industry hot topics to develop a series of blog topics that would appeal to the member and employer audiences, as well as industry partners

Supporting Media Super with content creation

Now that the blog strategy and editorial calendar have been endorsed and implemented by Media Super, we are continuing to support the organisation with content creation activities, providing research, copywriting, and SEO keyword expertise.

The blog strategy and editorial calendar provide the Media Super Engagement Team with a solid foundation for the future of their content marketing program. Using the strategy to guide their efforts, and the editorial calendar to structure a program of work, Media Super will be able to manage their content marketing activities more easily and ensure that all their blog content aligns to member needs, organisational objectives, and industry regulations.