How to Develop a Strong Content Team
The rise of content marketing is obvious to anyone with half an eye on current online trends, and with a whole new dictionary of related buzzwords now in use it is easy for firms to get swept away on the tide of change without paying enough attention to what it is they actually need to do.
The point is that good content, and effective marketing of that content, needs to be an integral part of your business now and for the future. Tactics will invariably change over the years (they have already done so), but the importance of carefully crafted text will remain.
So the one thing that firms can and should do now to get their content marketing off to a good start and stand it in good stead for future years is to develop a strong content team. It could have huge benefits – research by the Customer Content Council with Roper Affairs reveals that 61% of people feel better about a company which provides custom content.
Where do you start when it comes to creating and managing a dedicated content team? First, break it down into four steps:
1. Plan
2. Create the team
3. Develop
4. Monitor
Let’s go through the list.
1. Plan
At the start you need to define your goals and identify how you will achieve them. There is no point writing content with no real aim, so be clear about who you are writing for, what you are writing about, and what you hope to achieve by doing so.
Think about whether you want to use content to grow your reputation within the industry, engage with customers, attract new people to your site, and so on.
Then consider what kind of content you will need in order to achieve these aims – in-house blogs, social media updates, opinion articles in external publications etc.
2. Create the team
Now you can gather together the people who will write this content, and there are several options.
Larger companies might already have people on their marketing, PR or digital teams who can step into a content creator role. Or they might be able to bring in new people and create a new department.
Smaller firms or those who want more flexibility can look to content or digital agencies and/or freelancers.
Whatever you do, ensure that each person in the team knows their role and responsibilities.
3. Develop
Once members of your team are in place you will need to train and develop them to ensure that they stay ahead of the latest trends and developments in both your industry and the wider world of content marketing.
Starting off with high quality writers and editors will allow you to hit the ground running, but do not just sit back and let their talents stagnate over the months and years – challenge their creativity and encourage them to enhance their skills.
4. Monitor
This means tracking the team and the content to assess how they are performing and what results they are bringing for the business.
Do not simply look at the bottom-line figures of whether visits to the site or conversions are increasing, but also consider brand awareness and recognition and customer satisfaction, as these too are influenced by quality content.
Get in touch with the team at Content Hero today to maximise your content marketing strategy with engaging, relevant and searchable content. Email us at info@contenthero.co.uk.