By Christina, Content Department Manager at Incline Marketing
Anyone can create content, especially now that we have AI tools that can do most of the heavy lifting. And for a lot of people, they don't see the value in human-generated content and a proper content strategy.
But it's 2026, and "content is king" doesn't ring as true as it once did.
Writing blog posts, running social media marketing campaigns, and sending out emails are all critical parts of digital marketing, but with AI coming onto the scene, it's become more important now than ever to invest in the quality of content over publishing as much as you possibly can.
So the question is, how do you gauge the quality of content?
The way we see it at Incline is that your content strategy is the perfect place to start.
What Is Content Strategy?
Content strategy is the planning, creation, management, and distribution of content to support your business and marketing goals. In 2026, it's now going further than just publishing blogs or staying "active" online.
At Incline Marketing, we use content strategy to drive traffic to our clients' sites, build brand recognition, and foster a relationship with potential customers that ultimately leads to conversions. Content and copy support almost every angle of digital marketing, including SEO efforts, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and even Google Ads.
Using a strategic approach is what helps set you apart from your competition, not just posting more content than the other guys.
Why Content Strategy Matters More Than Ever
As someone who has been working in digital marketing for years now, I've had the opportunity to observe the ever-changing landscape of content creation, specifically written content.
Based on what our team at Incline has been able to discern, in 2026, businesses are competing not just with local competitors, but with AI-generated answers, aggregators, and platforms that summarize options before a user ever reaches your website.
A content strategy ensures your brand is part of those conversations and is trusted within them.
Without a strategy, content becomes reactive, and performance is harder to attribute. But with strategy, content supports revenue goals, and content reads much more intentionally (and helpfully) to your audience.
The Core Components of a Modern Content Strategy
1. Deep Audience Understanding
Effective content in 2026 starts with understanding how your audience thinks, searches, and makes decisions. That means going beyond basic demographics and focusing on:
Search intent
Customer questions at different buying stages
Local and service-specific nuances
Objections and trust signals
For service-based businesses, this is especially critical. The content that helps someone evaluate a provider is different from the content that helps them book.
2. Content Built for Search (and AI)
Search engine optimization is no longer optional, but it has evolved. In 2026, content has to be optimized for traditional search engines and for AI-powered results, summaries, and recommendations.
That means:
Clear topical authority
Structured, high-quality information
Content that demonstrates expertise, not just keywords (That's right, keywords can only take you so far if your content strategy is lacking!)
At Incline, content strategy works hand-in-hand with Local SEO, GEO, and paid media to ensure content supports visibility across each discovery path.
3. Strategic Content Creation (Not Just Production)
Content creation today is about quality, clarity, and usefulness.
Formats still matter (blogs, landing pages, email, etc.), but only when they serve a defined purpose. The best-performing content in 2026:
Educates and solves problems for your customers
Matches the user's stage in the decision process
Reinforces trust and credibility
Supports conversion without being pushy (Hint: blog posts are NOT ads for your business!)
AI tools absolutely play a role, but they don't replace strategy or expertise. At Incline, we use AI to enhance research and efficiency, not to replace human insight, brand voice, or subject-matter depth.
Content Distribution Strategy
Creating strong content is only half the equation. Distribution determines whether it actually performs.
Effective content distribution includes:
Owned channels (website, email, CRM-driven messaging)
Search visibility (organic, local, AI-driven)
Select paid amplification
Mobile-first optimization for real-world usage
Automation helps, but strategy guides where content lives, how long it stays relevant, and how it's repurposed across channels.
Measuring What Matters
One of the biggest mistakes I still see businesses make is measuring content success in isolation.
In 2026, content strategy measurement focuses on:
Engagement quality (not vanity metrics)
Assisted conversions
Lead quality and intent
Performance across channels, not just pageviews
Tools like Google Analytics are valuable, but they're only a small part of the picture. Regular content audits and performance feedback loops allow content to improve over time instead of getting stale.
Content Strategy Must Serve Business Goals
Content strategy only works when it's tied directly to business objectives.
Whether the goal is:
Increasing booked jobs
Improving lead quality
Supporting sales conversations
Retaining existing customers
The content plan has to reflect that reality.
At Incline, we don't separate content from revenue. Content supports Local SEO, paid media, email marketing, and long-term brand authority, each reinforcing the other.
Content Strategy Is Your Competitive Advantage
A well-planned content strategy is no longer a "nice to have." It's a massive advantage over your competitors.
Businesses that are doing it right are:
Understanding their audience deeply
Creating content with intent
Distributing strategically
Measuring what matters
Adapting continuously
At its best, content strategy doesn't just support marketing; it supports the entire business.
And when done correctly, it ensures your brand is found, trusted, and chosen long before the first phone call or form fill ever happens.
