Content production is a huge stumbling block for many marketers.
With so much competition for consumer attention online, it can be difficult to stand apart from the crowd with fresh, quality content that is updated regularly. Even with a great editorial calendar in place, keeping a campaign stocked with engaging content may be a challenge.
The good news is that content obstacles don’t have to stand in the way of marketing goals. The following tips can help get content marketing back on track.
- Strategy matters
Careful planning makes a world of difference in content creation, especially when working with a team of content specialists. It’s a simple step that too many marketers ignore.
When everyone on the team knows what to expect and when to expect it, content production becomes instantly easier.
To get started:
- Create a master list of all content elements, including blog, social, video, etc.
- Assign time estimates for each master list task
- Assign responsibilities to each team member
- Go over the plan with all team members
- Confirm buy-in from the entire team
- Track the plan with a single method such as project management software or a simple, shareable spreadsheet
- Batching content streamlines production
Working ahead by batching content is a great time saver for content marketers. Instead of scrambling each day or every week to product relevant content, batching can be done once for an entire month or more. Great content ideas, photos, videos, infographics, links and social media posts can be gathered in a single location well ahead of time, stored and ready for when they’re needed.
- Calendars for better management
Production and publication should be two separate elements in your content strategy. Create one master calendar for content production, identifying everything needed to create content, including responsible parties and timelines, links, graphics, scripts, images and videos. Maintain a different calendar for publication – at least a month in advance – with every channel identified, to help distribute content evenly over the month and outlets.
Conclusion
Effective content production can present real challenges for marketers, but solving this problem is actually quite simple. Set aside time each month to assign specific duties to team members, create batched content, and use separate production and publication calendars for an easy, effective way to overcome common content generation obstacles.
