October 22, 2024

What is a ‘Content Cocktail’?

The world of marketing can be an absolute minefield, but, with the help of a few simple concepts, your brand can easily create a content strategy that reaches, engages, and converts your audience. One of our favourite concepts to help develop this strategy is with the help of a ‘Content Cocktail’ – but what do we mean by this?

A ‘Content Cocktail’, more commonly known as a ‘Marketing Mix’, is a way of crafting the perfect content strategy. Each strategy will have a blend of ‘ingredients’, i.e. the types of content that you create. Your business’ target audience will prefer a different mix of content, compared to a business in the manufacturing industry, for example.

Read on to learn how to shake up the perfect content strategy for your business, plus tips on tweaking your strategy when your audience just isn’t as enthusiastic about your content any more. 

What Do We Mean By a ‘Content Cocktail’?

A content cocktail is a term I was taught very early on in my content marketing / SEO career. You may also refer to it as the ‘Marketing Mix’ or the ‘Four P’s’ but come on, who doesn’t love a good marketing pun!

A content cocktail essentially describes the way a content strategy should be created – balanced with all the right ingredients in order to hit that sweet spot for your audience. Your audience’s perfect drink will contain a mix of tasty ingredients (the content you create), all balanced to produce great results for your business.

Your Content Cocktail Ingredients

Now, let’s talk about ingredients! Not every cocktail is the same, and different audiences will have certain preferences as to what they drink!

In fact, your business will likely need a very different content cocktail compared to a huge brand like Oatly, for example. Let’s take a look at how your cocktail ingredients might change, depending on your business:

Take Wildcat Digital, a small digital agency in Sheffield. Our content ‘cocktail’ is made with a base of long-form articles and SEO-optimised web pages, contains a few shots of email marketing, and finished with a splash of social media to stay top of mind.

For us, SEO is critical – we rely on it to drive organic traffic and build authority in the SEO / digital marketing space.

Now, let’s take a very different business – Oatly.com, for ease. Oatly already ranks highly for “oat milk,” so they don’t need to focus heavily on SEO. Instead, their content cocktail might include a mix of PR campaigns and influencer marketing, with a touch of social media engagement. 

Oatly’s cocktail likely includes some strong-tasting ingredients like billboards and print ads, which help maintain its brand presence and reach a broader audience.

Mixing Your Content Cocktail

Once you’ve identified your ingredients, it’s time to pop them into the shaker to whip up something tasty. But how do you do that?

The goal is to create balance. Every element of your content mix should work together, just like the flavours in a great drink. For example, if one of our main KPIs is to drive traffic to the website, we may create lots of informative articles as the “main ingredient” in your cocktail. But just like a cocktail, one ingredient on its own won’t do the trick – it needs complementary elements to really shine.

To help balance our ingredients, we’ll:

Remember, a successful content cocktail isn’t about throwing every ingredient behind the bar into the mix, start with a few tried-and-tested ingredients, and tweak from there.

Measuring Your Content Cocktail

Like any delicious drink, accurate measurements are key. If you don’t track the performance of each ingredient in your content cocktail, you won’t know what needs changing, or what you need to do more of to convert your audience. 

At a minimum, you should actively monitor the following metrics:

Use these metrics to understand how your content cocktail is performing. Just like you’d adjust the sweetness or bitterness of a drink based on feedback, you should adjust your content strategy based on the data. Keep what’s working, and tweak what isn’t.

Tweak the Ingredients, Or Try a Completely Different Recipe?

Your audience’s tastes will change over time – the cocktail they liked when they first started drinking will definitely be different a few years down the line. Sometimes, all it takes is a tweaking of a few ingredients/content styles. However, there are times when a completely different content cocktail might be necessary. 

Maybe your current content cocktail is too bland, and your audience isn’t responding as expected. Or, a competitor has brought out a much tastier cocktail, that you need to be able to compete with!

Do your research before crafting your recipe – analyse your internal data and analytics, take a look at the market, and your audience, and of course, look at what’s working (and not working) for your competitors. Use your findings to create a new marketing cocktail for your business. Trial it for a few months, analyse the results, and tweak as often as needed!

Craft the Perfect Marketing Cocktail With Wildcat Digital

At Wildcat Digital, we love a great cocktail (in more ways than one!) – whether you need help adding the perfect PPC garnish or creating a brand-new SEO recipe, we’re here to help. 

Get in touch with our team of master mixologists for a free consultation either via phone, email or by using the contact form on our website.

What are you waiting for? Let us shake up your perfect content strategy today!

Post by

Jasmine Savery

SEO Team Leader

Will Hitchmough

Founder

Our founder, Will Hitchmough, worked at a number of high profile Sheffield Digital Agencies before founding Wildcat Digital in 2018. He brings an extensive knowledge of all things related to SEO, PPC and Paid Social, as well as an expert knowledge of digital strategy.

Digital Marketing can be a minefield for many businesses, with many agencies ready to take your money without knowing how to deliver results. I founded Wildcat Digital to deliver digital success to businesses with smaller budgets in a transparent way.

Chloe Robinson

Content Strategist Team Lead

With a degree in Marketing and a background in more traditional, offline marketing, Chloe joined Wildcat in 2021 after deciding to move into the digital marketing industry. She joined us as a Content Specialist and quickly moved up the ranks, becoming a Content Strategist and later an SEO Team Leader.

Outside of work, Chloe is an avid creative. If she’s not knitting, you’ll likely find her behind a sewing machine or in the kitchen trying (and often failing!) to make sourdough.

Paul Pennington

SEO Account Director

Paul has a strong background in SEO, having previously founded and ran a successful eCommerce business, as well as running a personal blog that achieves an average of 17K users per month. Paul’s knowledge of SEO is extensive, with a strong emphasis on client handling and technical SEO.

Outside of work, Paul enjoys spending time with his family and staying active with weight lifting and combat sports.

Nadea van der Merwe

Head of Operations

Nadea joined Wildcat in 2021 and has since overhauled the way we work. She has a background in various administrative, operations and HR roles, which gave her the experience and skills needed to lead and organise a growing business. 

Outside of work, Nadea loves anything that keeps her active, but she especially enjoys hiking, camping and mountain biking.

Molly Sturgeon

SEO Account Manager

With a background in sales, Molly is a natural Account Manager, brilliantly handling any issues that come her way. Having joined us as a Digital Marketing Executive, and working part-time through her final year of University, Molly is a shining example of how hard work pays off. She is now an SEO Account Manager with a particular interest in Content and Client Management. 

In her spare time, Molly loves to get out in nature, hiking and exploring the Peak District. She also loves cooking and likes to unwind with a bit of yoga.

Libby Oldale

Senior PPC Account Manager

Libby joined Wildcat in 2021 as our first PPC hire. With a degree in Digital Media Production, a Master’s in Digital Media Management and previous experience in Social Media Management, Libby hit the ground running and has since climbed the ranks to Senior PPC Account Manager and has a particular interest in the eCommerce sector.

Outside of work, Libby likes gaming, and cooking and likes to keep active by lifting weights.

Jasmine Savery

SEO Account Manager

Jasmine joined Wildcat in 2022 with a strong background in SEO and Account Management. At the time, she was finishing up a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Digital Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and has since worked her way up to SEO Account Manager. Jasmine excels at content writing and promotion, and particularly enjoys finding creative ways to join the dots on multi-channel campaigns.

In her spare time, Jasmine volunteers at a charity, helping combat loneliness & social isolation experienced by older neighbours. Outside of Wildcat, she owns a catering company, Savery Grazing, creating delicious grazing tables & platters for a range of events. She also loves skiing and exploring the Peak District.

Braden Godley

Senior PPC Executive

Prior to joining Wildcat, Braden founded and ran his own Social Media Management agency where he gained valuable skills in growing brands’ online presence, which has since proven invaluable in his role at Wildcat. 

Outside of work, Braden is a big football fan, regularly travelling to Pride Park to support Derby County. He also enjoys watching and playing snooker, hiking in the Peak District, and attending air and car shows.

Jon Herdman

Senior SEO Executive

After spending ten years managing businesses, restaurants, cafes and event spaces across Sheffield, Jon decided to change careers and joined Wildcat as an SEO Executive in 2022. He especially enjoys the client management side of the job, helping them to understand digital marketing and ways in which they can build their business’s presence online. 

Outside of work, Jon likes to keep fit with running, badminton and football, and also loves music. 

Rachel Davies

SEO Executive

Rachel joined us as a graduate, having recently graduated from Sheffield University with a degree in English Literature. Since joining, Rachel has proven herself to be a Content Queen, and particularly enjoys getting stuck into projects that allow her to explore her creative side. 

Outside of work, Rachel enjoys a wide range of hobbies, including rugby, singing, reading, and spending time with her family and three labradors.

Carl Atterbury

PPC Team Leader

Carl joined Wildcat in 2023 with a wealth of experience in PPC. He has experience working with a wide range of clients, industries and budgets, from small local businesses all the way to international e-commerce businesses. Carl has a particular interest in strategic planning and forecasting. He is passionate about data analysis and creating sustainable long-term cross-channel strategies.

In his spare time, Carl enjoys keeping fit by lifting weights, bouldering and running. He’s also a keen musician, having played the double bass and bass guitar for 20 years.

Dariusz Baczyk

Team Lead & Technical SEO Account Manager

With a degree in Computer Science and SEO experience dating back to 2017, Dariusz has a wide range of SEO skills and knowledge. His specialist knowledge of Technical SEO has firmly landed him the title of Wildcat’s Technical Wizard, and he has recently taken on the responsibility of Team Leader for the Panthers Team.

In his spare time, Dariusz loves hiking, experimenting and trying new coffees and loves learning new things. He is currently learning more about CRO and AI and how this could benefit our clients.

Jamie Stowe

SEO Account Manager

With a degree in Film and TV production, and a varied career history, Jamie made the move to marketing with a Masters degree in Digital Media Management. He has since worked in SEO at Agencies across Sheffield, before joining Wildcat and working his way up to SEO Account Manager. Jamie has a particular interest in backlinks and Digital PR and has recently gained a client a valuable backlink from Forbes!

In his spare time, Jamie is an avid foodie and loves trying new restaurants and cuisines. He also loves to travel and spent a year travelling to Australia after university.

Andy Blanchard

SEO Executive

Andy joined Wildcat in 2023 after starting his digital marketing career in-house for a local Sheffield company. Since joining, he has developed a strong interest in Technical SEO and has strong skills in Account Management. 

Outside of work, Andy loves music and plays in a couple of bands. He also enjoys rock climbing, cycling, photography and good food.

Siena Russell

Client Success Coordinator

Siena joined us in 2023 with a background in sales and digital marketing. She leads on client relationships across the company, ensuring that our customers are happy throughout their journey with us, from their initial consultation through to onboarding and beyond. 

Outside of work, Siena enjoys travelling and getting stuck into the local culture. She likes to make the most of her experiences and particularly enjoys watching sunrises and sunsets from beautiful locations around the world.

Thea Chapman

Senior SEO Executive

Thea has a wealth of experience in SEO, having previously worked for other Digital Marketing Agencies in Sheffield. She has a particular interest and skills in Technical SEO, but is more than willing to get stuck in and give anything a go. 

Outside of work, Thea spends most of her time with her children, but also loves reading, photography and gardening. 

Tom Brookes

PPC Executive

Before joining Wildcat, Tom worked across different industries, building skills in sales and customer service. He later developed a passion for digital marketing whilst working on personal marketing projects and freelance ventures, and gained numerous certifications in PPC and Social Media. 

Outside of work, Tom enjoys staying active by going to the gym and hiking. He also loves travelling and motorbiking.

Rich Ayre

Head of Growth

Rich joined us in May 2024 to head up our growth team. With years of experience helping other agencies to grow, Rich joins us at an exciting time as Wildcat is working on a five-year plan to become one of the biggest agencies in the UK.

Outside of work, Rich is a father to three children, which keeps him very busy! He’s also recently started running again to keep fit and loves a bit of DIY.

Kezia Humphries

SEO Executive

Kezia joined us in July 2024 after completing a CIM Certificate in Digital Marketing and gaining experience in Content SEO at another Sheffield agency.

In her spare time, Kezia loves to get outdoors, bouldering, hiking and travelling.

Amy Varley

SEO Executive

Amy joined Wildcat in 2024 with a background in journalism, having worked as a News Editor and Editor-in-Chief at The Sheffield Tab. She is naturally interested in Content SEO and research, so will no doubt prove to be a content power-house.

In her spare time, Amy loves watching crime shows, listening to music and hanging out with her dog, Eddie!

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