Chapter 5
IN THIS CHAPTER
Understanding the content workflow
Solidifying roles and responsibilities
Using an editorial calendar
Finding content writers
A chapter about systems and processes? You may be thinking that this content is reserved for people who love to talk about workflow. Well, it is. But it’s also important for everyone else who has to participate in getting his or her content to market. So that must include you, too.
In this chapter, you get into the nuts and bolts of your content framework. After your digital marketing strategy is in place and you know what kind of content you need, you’ll want to create a system that you can rely on to get the job done. This chapter also delves into how content systems and documented procedures make everything easier.
Why should you care about developing a system for your content efforts? The best answer is that everyone benefits, even those who are not directly involved in the process. You would probably not consider mounting any other kind of project in your organization without detailing how things will work. The same should be said for your content system.
Of course, if you’re a solopreneur who doesn’t use freelancers, you can probably get away without documenting anything. But the moment you bring on another person, you need to let her know how things are done so that she doesn’t reinvent the wheel.
When you implement a documented content marketing process, you provide everyone in the organization with clear expectations about
On the opposite side of the coin, here’s a brief look at what can happen if you don’t have your content systems in place. You could have the following:
Obviously, people make mistakes. Even with a content system in place, you will still incur errors. A content framework simply helps you eliminate as many nasty errors as possible.
You can begin by focusing on what’s involved in putting your content system together. No magic is involved. As with any project you create, you need to know what the tasks are, how to get them done, and what your budget constraints are. It’s important to make sure that everyone on the team understands how you deliver quality content using the highest standards.
It’s also critical to give all team members the opportunity to make suggestions and improve procedures. In fact, even those who are not actual team members can benefit from understanding the content process. You should welcome anyone who is interested in learning how he can assist or support your efforts.
So, now you’re tasked with getting the system in gear. You have buy in and you need to get to work. What needs to happen next? The next paragraphs consider just a few of the tasks ahead of you.
You need to
You also need to evaluate and measure the results of your efforts, as covered in Book 9.
How’s that for a list of tasks? Now that you understand the magnitude of the project, you can work on getting your systems in place.
When you think about content writing and publishing, you probably don’t think about governance. In reality, though, governance is crucial to your content strategy. Governance refers to the rules of the road that guide your decision-making throughout the content lifecycle. After you determine the scope of your project, you have to create the rules that guide you.
For example, if you, as the editor, intend to publish a controversial article on the company blog, how will you go about reviewing it and getting approval? When everything goes smoothly, the topic of governance seems unnecessary or heavy-handed. When you run into a conflict, however, either internal or external, you’ll be glad you have them.
So what goes into preparing for governance? You need to
You also need to ensure that there is adequate training for all involved. The following sections look at each of these governance roles in turn.
When it comes to the average workplace, sometimes it’s hard to know who is in charge. People often assume the mantle of authority even when they have no real power. But before you determine who is in charge, it’s important to know how decisions about the project will get made. Governance models are typically one of three types:
After your organization has decided on the method of making decisions, several roles must be assigned in a content management system, as described in Table 5-1.
TABLE 5-1 Roles Needed for a Content System
Role |
Description |
Project Leader |
Corporate leader who approves the overall budget and goals and is ultimately responsible for the overall success or failure of the project |
Project Manager |
Manages budget, staffing, guidelines, and so on |
Content Managers |
Determine what topics are written about and what formats are used |
Editors |
Assign and schedule writers; evaluate writing; supervise revisions; approve for publication |
Contributors |
Write articles, ebooks, and other content |
Designers |
Create images and design page layouts |
Content System Administrators |
Evaluate content to ensure that it will render correctly; create pages; check links |
Web Administrators |
Ensure that content is formatted for publication and meets all web standards |
Developing an efficient workflow is a vital part of the content system. When you document your systems, you help yourself and others learn the process. You also make it easy for others to spot mistakes.
Here are several tasks to consider in your workflow process:
The following sections explain each of these tasks.
Your content is only as good as the people who create it. If, like IBM (http://IBM.com
), you have subject matter experts (SME) in almost all technical and business fields, your problem is solved. You can have your in-house writers interview an SME and create great content.
But what if you have only a few people who can write, or worse yet, no one who can produce content? You need to look outside of your organization to engage writers and editors to do the job. Doing so requires a budget and an understanding about what constitutes great content specifically for you.
To assemble a team of content creators, you have several options that vary in the amount of time and money you have to spend. Here are some options that you can try:
http://contently.com
)http://www.writeraccess.com/
); see Figure 5-1http://www.zerys.com/
)http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com
)https://expresswriters.com
)http://www.brafton.com/
); see Figure 5-2.Of course, you can mix up all these options and build a system that’s perfect for you. As you experiment, you’ll find the best combination of services for your needs.
Would you schedule a trip without looking at a calendar? Probably not. So why not use an editorial calendar when scheduling your content? If you wonder whether a calendar is necessary, you’re not alone. Some content marketers don’t want to be bothered with establishing one and keeping it current.
If you’re a solo business operator or have a very small team, you might think that a calendar is overkill. Think again. Would you prefer to keep the schedule in your head and have everyone ask you about it? And could you even keep everything straight in your mind? Why take the chance of missing deadlines?
If you work in a large corporation, you probably already see the need for a robust organizational tool and may be looking for a good editorial calendar.
Take a look at the tasks that a calendar helps you perform. When you have a calendar, you can
Prevent the problem of not knowing what to write about with a deadline looming. A calendar will allow you to schedule topics in advance so that you’re never wondering what your people should be writing about.
It is critical that you keep a steady stream of content ideas so that you can plug them in and get them written. Keep a growing list of ideas for content in online tools like Evernote (http://evernote.com
), a content organizing tool.
Or you might use Trello (http://Trello.com
), a collaboration tool. If your group already has a collaboration tool, use that. The key is to make sure that you capture ideas as you think of them so that you’re never at a loss for a juicy topic to write about.
So what calendar tool should you choose? That depends on what’s available to you. Here are some options to consider:
http://Kudani.com
) content platform. It has all the built-in features you need for finding content and publishing it to your blog or website — all without leaving the application.http://coschedule.com
).https://wordpress.org/plugins/editorial-calendar/
). Figure 5-3 shows one.Documentation isn’t considered a very exciting topic, but it’s certainly a very necessary one. Documenting your content strategy can mean the difference between the success and failure of your project. This is also true of documentation for your systems and procedures. You need to ask several key questions about your documentation on an ongoing basis. These questions include:
Table 5-2 lists the kind of documentation you need for each of the content system areas. In the upcoming sections, I explain each of these areas.
TABLE 5-2 Documentation Needed for a Content System
Who Uses It |
Documentation |
Content managers |
Taxonomy |
Editors |
Editorial guidelines |
Writers |
Style guides |
Designers |
Visual and branding guides |
Content system administrators |
Social platform requirements, CMS |
Web administrators |
Systems and security |
In larger organizations content managers are different from the editor, who ensures that the content meets its goals and doesn’t violate any company policies. A content manager has a more strategic role. She is responsible for knowing about the personas and the data collected about customers. With that knowledge she maintains the taxonomy and determines what topics and formats of content should be created.
Editorial guidelines are critical for any publisher. They explain to everyone concerned what your goals are for publishing. The guidelines tell your contributors who your audience is and what you want them to get from reading your content. It also explains the approval process so that writers know how their work will be evaluated.
Obviously, documenting what authors need to know about writing content for you should be available in a style guide for authors. The type of style guide you provide for your in-house writers will be extensive and will also include specific information about your CMS, if you have one.
HubSpot provides a free style template (see Figure 5-4) that can be helpful if you need to create guidelines from scratch. Go to http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31247/The-Simple-Template-for-a-Thorough-Content-Style-Guide.aspx
.
Blogs that use outside contributors normally have a document available on the blog’s website that informs contributors about what is acceptable and desirable in a post they submit for publication.
Designers rely on the visual guidelines that have been created for the website properties. They can also refer to brand guidelines if issues arise.
The content system administrator makes sure that the CMS is functioning and will refer to the CMS documentation when necessary. He also keeps social platform guidelines with the details about formatting content for other channels.
The web administrator is the keeper of the important security guidelines for the company’s web properties. She’s also responsible for system maintenance documentation.
Of course you know that getting all the systems in place is only half the job. People must be trained to effectively use the systems. Some of the training occurs by using the systems and getting comfortable with how they work.