Building a content program with 1 team member or less
Does it seem like everyone is always talking about content? Demand generation always needs more of everything to promote within their programs. Sales always wants more case studies and fact sheets showcasing product info and ROI. PR has a seemingly endless hunger for articles. And let’s not forget the corporate blog–regardless of what team manages it, we never quite feel like we’re doing enough.
So how are you keeping up with all this? If all of these team members just did their part, shouldn’t that be enough? Don’t forget that creating and publishing content requires a considerable amount of effort. This includes ideation, drafting, editing, reviewing, more editing, publishing, and tracking performance metrics. And sometimes, this can require input from different parts of your go-to-market team. This is where a content program lives, at the intersection of all these areas.
If you’re a large organization, you probably have an entire team of people dedicated to this–collaborating with different parts of your organization to make sure quality content is published as needed. If you’re a smaller team, you might only have 1, 2, or maybe just a 1/2 of a team member available.
So if you are a smaller team with limited resources, here are four things you can do to build and maintain a robust content program that will keep your go-to-market team happy:
#1 Designate a Content Manager.
Find someone to manage your content program. Even if they can only spare a few hours a week, having a person designated to manage the program gives it a better opportunity for success.
This person will have an understanding of the various content related programs going on at any given time. They can help various team members collaborate and combine efforts so they are working smarter, not harder. Why not create one piece of content, instead of three, that serves everyone’s needs. This person will also make sure you’re keeping things moving along and publishing on a regular cadence. And finally, this person will share performance metrics so that everyone has visibility into how their content is performing.
#2 Create a writers program.
Publishing on a regular cadence takes a lot of effort. One of the first places you can look for support is within your organization. Often the people closest to the product have the most knowledge about it. Unfortunately writing is not a skill many people have, or at least feel confident in. One way to address this is to create a program that provides support for internal team members who want to write.
When building your program, consider how you can help people produce content they’re proud of. This can include education—show your team members how writing is a process. Share how much time one might set aside for writing a draft, and give recommendations on how long an article should be. Another way to support your team is to share a list of ideas or topics people can write about. Make sure your writers have an editor to help refine their work, and wherever necessary provide a technical review. And after your writers are published, be sure to follow-up and let them know how audiences liked their work. Hopefully they’ll be inspired to write another piece next month or quarter.
#3 Find external Experts.
Be realistic about the resources you need. Once you’ve determined the critical pieces your organization needs for planned campaigns and the on-going blog schedule, take a moment to review what is necessary to deliver on time. If you have a lot of content on your list but few internal resources for production, consider outside help.
There are many groups and individuals that can help with writing, editing, video production, etc. Bringing in outside help is a great way to give your team the support they need to stay on target, especially when working towards time sensitive events. Be thoughtful about bringing in resources that can produce quality content–this includes strong writing as well as technical acumen. You want writers that have an understanding of your target audience and the industry segment you’re focused on.
#4 Create a plan.
We’ve talked about how beneficial it is to have a content manager. Whether they are full time or can only give a couple hours a week–having a point person ensuring deadlines are met is important. But more than that, having a plan in place that provides everyone with guidance will help you increase efficiency.
Taking time to make a plan is a great way to see how different areas can collaborate and work together. Also, having focus means you know your resources are working on pieces that will make an impact. Ultimately, creating a plan, even a high level outline, gives you something to measure against. At the end of the quarter or year, you can look back and have a clear sense of what served you well, and what you can eliminate.
If building a plan is something you don’t have time or resources to do, it’s worth bringing in outside support. Even if you bring in someone at the beginning of the year to complete a quick audit and make a list of recommendations, get the support you need. Make sure your extended team is set up and focused so they can work smarter, not harder, together.
