Strategy
Part of How to choose an agency for your content strategy
What should a content agencies ninety day plan cover first?
A content agencies ninety day plan needs one decision per fortnight, a named owner and accessibility checks from week one. Here is how to sequence the work.
What to take away
- Start with the audience decisionwho the content must reach, what they need to decide, and what proof will move them. Use the W3C accessibility fundamentals for content teams to check briefs and templates.
- Choose the offer nextone commercial outcome for the quarter, with a pass or fail test.
- Pick one channel for the first test, then set the measurement date before work starts.
- Fix the renewal date and the evidence the client will see at day 90.
- Read the content agencies strategy and planning guide for 2027 before you lock the quarter, because it sets out the annual choices this plan must serve.
What does a 90-day plan need to decide in the first month?
Month one is about evidence, not output. Audit the current content estate: pages, owners, traffic sources, conversion points and legal basis for data. A small agency can use the IAB UK SME toolkit to frame a practical client conversation about budget and scope. Record the gaps that block sales or retention, then choose no more than two to fix.
Write a one-page brief for each workstream. It should name the audience, the decision and the date the client sees it. Set the approval route for copy, spend and data use. Without that route, week three slows.
Which planning route fits your agency's situation?
Use the table to pick one route for the quarter. The goal is not to cover every option. It is to match the plan to the client's buying stage and your team's capacity.
Pick one planning route
Fixed deliverable list?
Named outputs with acceptance dates
Demand generation needed?
Choose
- Fixed deliverable list
- Named outputs with acceptance dates
- Demand generation needed
- One channel test with a pass or fail metric
- Retainer drifting
- A day 45 review
- No strategy time
- A fortnightly 90-minute planning slot
- High compliance risk
- Legal review before briefing
Avoid
- Fixed deliverable list
- Open-ended ongoing content
- Demand generation needed
- Three channels at once
- Retainer drifting
- Waiting until renewal
- No strategy time
- A monthly full-day workshop
- High compliance risk
- Publishing first and checking later
Week-by-week schedule and worked example
This schedule uses a £400 a month retainer. Audience, offer, channel, measurement and renewal each have an owner and a date.
| Weeks | Focus | Output | Owner | Worked example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Audit and audience | Evidence pack and audience statement | Strategist | Operations managers at firms with 20 to 50 staff |
| Week 2 | Offer and channel | One offer with pass or fail test | Client lead | Free process audit on one LinkedIn series |
| Week 3 | Brief and approval route | Signed brief for each workstream | Content lead | Brief links audit offer to two lead sources |
| Weeks 4 to 8 | Publish and measure | Three published items a week | Content lead and analyst | Track two lead sources and one conversion path |
| Week 9 | Day 45 review | Continue, change or stop note | Account lead | Check retainer value against evidence |
| Weeks 10 to 12 | Renewal evidence | One-page decision summary | Account lead | Day 90 renewal review with client lead |
What should the second and third months cover?
Month two turns the chosen route into published work. Set a weekly production target, a quality check and a measurement read. For the £400 a month retainer example, a realistic target is three published items a week.
If you spot the same delay twice, read the content agencies strategy mistakes in England page, which diagnoses the delay as a brief, approval or measurement failure.
90-day plan milestones
- Month 1Audit content estate, brief workstreams, book slots
- Month 2Publish weekly, quality check, measurement read
- Day 45Review retainer if drifting
- Month 3Renew, change or stop each workstream
- Within 2 daysSend one-page summary to client
- Before team dispersesBook next quarter
Choose one measurement review date, not a dashboard tour.
Month three is decision month. Renew, change or stop each workstream. Document the evidence in one page. Send the one-page summary to the client within two working days. Then book the next quarter.
If planning capability is the constraint, CIM strategy and planning training covers objective setting, prioritisation and evaluation.
How do you keep a 90-day plan from becoming a wish list?
Attach a number to every action. "Publish two case studies by day 60" is testable. "Improve content" is not.
Run a weekly 20-minute review. Check progress, blockers and one decision. If an action slips twice, cut it or change the owner.
Keep a stop list. A 90-day plan should say what will not happen this quarter.
Common questions
How many objectives should a 90-day plan carry?
Three to five objectives is enough for most agency teams. Each objective should map to one client outcome and one internal owner.
What if the client buys a retainer mid-cycle?
Reset the plan at the next fortnightly review. Keep the evidence base, but replace the deliverable list with the retainer scope.
Who owns the 90-day plan?
A single accountable lead owns the plan, even if several people deliver the work.
Can a small agency run this without a strategy hire?
Yes, if the scope stays narrow. Use the templates in the parent guide and buy training only when a specific gap blocks delivery.
