management – Page 5

Four Qualities to Look For in a Content Writer

Content marketing is a critical component of any web or social media strategy. As such, don’t you think it’s time your company started to produce quality content . . . or found someone who could do it for you?

Content marketing, the kind that catches eyes, minds, and hearts, takes more than words. While anyone can write, the real feat of creating quality content doesn’t come from putting words on paper or hitting publish on your latest blog post. It comes from the ability to produce a narrative that resonates with your audience. Quality content is masterfully crafted to increase awareness, generate interest, and ultimately inspire a reader to take action.

Who’s in charge of your content?

If you’re trusting your content to an intern or an administrative assistant, simply because they “know how to write,” you’re making a big mistake. Just because someone knows how to string sentences together doesn’t mean they have the talent, experience, or ability to deliver your message in a manner that will convince and captivate your target audience.

You wouldn’t hire a marketing manager to handle your accounts receivables, so why do you trust an inexperienced writer to produce the vast majority of your marketing materials?

If you don’t have the talent on staff, now’s the time to find an experienced content outsourcing partner. According to a recent report from Custom Content Council, 55% of companies outsourced their content development in 2011. This number increased to 62% in 2012. More and more companies are waking up to the importance of quality content—isn’t it time you did too?

Qualities to look for in a content writer

Not sure what to look for when searching for a quality content writer? The following are five important characteristics:

1. Punctuality

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. When it comes to content marketing and business writing, punctuality is paramount. If your writer can’t get assignments done on time, you’re just causing yourself more work and hassle.

2. Proven research experience

Quality content needs to educate its audience. It needs to include useful statistics and source information. Exceptional writers are constantly reading, researching, and learning—that’s how they’re able to create content that’s both accessible and educational. Which leads us to characteristic three . . .

3. Flexibility and adaptability

It takes a very specific kind of writer to produce marketing content. Like other writers, content producers are detail-oriented fact-finders. However, when it comes time to produce a blog post or publish an online resource, they know how to adapt their voice and style so that it suits their audience and medium.

4. Readiness

Content marketing is all about the here and now. Your audience doesn’t want to hear about yesterday’s news tomorrow. They want to know what’s happening in their industry today. Companies need to have content producers that are readily available.

A Beginner’s Guide to Content Strategy

Using content as part of a marketing strategy requires time, expertise, planning, and proper management. Don’t produce bad content. Plan for the publication and distribution of unique, relevant, and engaging content through the implementation of a content strategy.

What is a content strategy?

There are a number of definitions for content marketing floating around the Internet. Here are a few good ones worth pondering:

Content strategy has been described as “the practice of planning for content creation, delivery, and governance” and “a repeatable system that defines the entire editorial content development process for a website development project” (Wikipedia).
Content strategy is using “words and data to create unambiguous content that supports meaningful, interactive experiences.” (Rachel Lovinger, Content Strategy: The Philosophy of Data).

Kristina Halvorson, author of the book Content Strategy for the Web explains content strategy in the following way:

“It plots an achievable roadmap for individuals and organizations to create and maintain content that audiences will actually care about. It provides specific, well-informed recommendations about how we’re going to get from where we are today (no content, or bad content, or too much content) to where we want to be (useful, usable content people will actually care about).”

A well-thought-out content strategy takes into consideration the culture, approach, and end goal of delivering information about your company, product, service, or brand. Where should you publish content? When? How often? What kind of content is best suited for this purpose? When done properly, content can be used strategically as an asset and a quantifiable ROI.

Why do I need a content strategy?

Many companies think they can simply “wing it” when it comes to creating content. A couple of articles here, a press release or infographic there — easy, peasy.

Not quite.

Think of it this way. You wouldn’t try to cook a complicated meal without the help of a recipe. Nor would you try to drive to a remote destination without the aid of a GPS or Google Maps. A content strategy acts in a very similar way. Not only does it provide you with an end goal to work towards, but it also enables you to outline detailed instructions for achieving these results.

What should my content strategy contain?

Before you plan your content strategy, check out Kristina Halvorson’s article The Discipline of Content Strategy. In this post, Halvorson explains that every content strategy should start with the following elements:

key themes and messages
topic recommendations
purpose (how will your content close the gap between what your audience is looking for and what your business is offering?)
content gap analysis
metadata frameworks and any necessary content attributes (including various search engine optimization techniques)
any implications of strategic recommendations on content creation, publication, and governance

These basics will then lead to a more in-depth analysis of editorial strategies, content management, content delivery and distribution, ongoing optimization goals, and key performance metrics.

And you thought you were just publishing a blog!

Putting together a content strategy will help ensure that you have the right resources in place to produce the content you need to set your company apart from the competition.

What To Look For in a Chief Content Officer

Creating and managing content within a company is a big job. Now, more than ever, brands need to make clients and customers smarter about their product, service, organization, and how they do business. Traditionally, this job falls on the shoulder of the marketing and promotions department. Eager to get word out about their company, these tenacious individuals sit alongside agency partners, discussing brand strategies, campaign catchphrases, creative concepts, and media master plans, and yet, rarely is there a top-level executive assigned to oversee the very foundations of the creation and execution of these marketing messages.

In today’s content crazed world, brands are becoming more and more like social enterprises, as such, the need for companies to tell their stories through engaging, educational content is becoming increasingly paramount. Enter the CCO, or Chief Content Officer. The mastermind behind content-driven programs, it’s the CCO’s job to manage, coordinate, plan, and distribute content as part of an inbound marketing strategy.

And yet, very few organizations have extended their C-suite to include a communications professional. Not surprisingly, this is because many management teams aren’t entirely clear on what a CCO should do. The following are five basic qualities that every CCO should have:

1) Be a leading content creator and curator

The old models of marketing (press releases, product launches, video advertisements etc.,) need to be remodeled for the new world of engaged marketing. The best Chief Content Officers know how to turn customer success stories into sales pitches, and external recognition into community engagement.

2) Have a keen understanding of everything

This may seem like an impossible request, but it’s what sets exceptional CCOs apart from the pack. When you’re working across an enterprise, it pays to know what’s happening in each and every department. This will enable you to create content that ties in a wide variety of components. Remember, your goal is to guide the type of content that is being produced so that it can be used to draw more people into your brand circle. As such, you need to have a strong understanding of everything that’s happening in the marketing, public relations, product development, and editorial management departments.

3) Share your knowledge

The best brands understand the power of knowledge distribution. So don’t be shy. Give your CCO the duty of researching, coordinating, creating, and packaging content campaigns that provide your customers with insightful, relevant, and useful information. Become the expert in your chosen topic in order to gain credibility and customer loyalty.

4) Be capable of building relationships

CCOs need to be connected. From Google+ to Twitter, marketing conferences to media events, CCOs know how to find, engage, and maintain relationships with top writers, reporters, and reviewers in their industry. Always remember that people connect with people. So don’t just send out a faceless pitch or stock press release. Your CCO is there to bridge the gap through the creation of newsworthy content and network building interactions.

5) Be a content DJ

The best brands understand that content can no longer be produced in singular, simplistic forms. The digital world has provided us with countless was to express our stories — text, photos, graphics, videos — the list goes on and on. A CCO understands the nuances of narrative delivery and is willing to remix content in order to engage audiences in a way that encourages engagement.

There’s no question that content can have a major impact on your company. Unfortunately, few organizations have the leadership in place to head up successful content strategies. Make finding your company CCO a priority in order to enhance your company narrative, and enjoy the cost savings that come with a disciplined content plan.