The single most important thing to remember about the state of marketing right now is that it’s just as much about the reinvention of your marketing strategy as it is about the transformation of your marketing operations. To guide you along the path to improving I offer actionable tips in the form of 10 questions you must answer as you begin deploying social media and content marketing in your organization. By no means is this an exhaustive list, just 10 to get you started.
Building A Content Marketing Operation
1. When was the last time we conducted a content audit? When will be our next?
You have been creating content for years. Webinars, sales presentations, customer training, white papers and the list goes on. How old is it? Where does it all reside? Conduct an audit and get the full picture of the content available for your new initiatives.
2. Who have we assigned to govern our content on an ongoing basis?
Producing content on a regular basis makes it extremely important to assign someone in your organization to maintain and govern it. Ideally this is a content strategist.
For those of us without the luxury of the ideal, be sure to select someone with high attention to detail and a knack for organization.
3. Who will lead our brainstorming session to determine ways to re-purpose all of our existing content?
There are numerous way to take advantage of your existing content. Once you’ve completed your audit, get your team together, buy lunch, and brainstorm. The point is, don’t underestimate the assets you already own, get creative and find new ways to use it.
4. Who will be the Editor In Chief of our blog?
One person should be given the responsibility for ensuring the overall quality and editorial integrity of your blog. This person should also be responsible setting guidelines for post types and length, ensuring posts are on topic, and comments get responded to. I am not suggesting that this necessarily needs to be a full-time role, but if this role goes unassigned, your blog will become an afterthought and it will be far less successful.
5. Have we documented each step of blog posting process? And assigned owners to each?
This is probably the most important question on this list. It’s not until you start blogging, that you truly experience all that is involved. Writing the post is just one step in the process. Don’t forget copy editing, optimizing for search terms, and adding it to your blog software, to name just a few more. Take the time to write the process down, it becomes very helpful for resource allocation.
6. Who is responsible for creating our social media code of conduct? When will the training be conducted?
This doesn’t have to be a super formal document, however there should be a framework that guides your company’s approach and voice on the social web. It’s as easy as starting with a simple list of do’s and don’ts.
7. Who will monitor how well we are at adhering to the social media code of conduct?
It is one thing to have a policy, it is entirely another to see how well you are doing against. Someone should be paying attention and providing coaching when necessary.
8. Who will monitor the social networks that we participate in for negative comments?
It may be the same people responsible for participating in these networks, but for obvious reasons, you need to be extra sensitive to negative comments. Monitor for them so you can respond accordingly.
9. What is the procedure we will follow when we receive a negative comment on our blog and the social networks we participate in?
One of the largest areas companies are slipping when it comes to social media is quickly and sincerely handling negative comments and mentions. Don’t let your company fall into this trap. Prepare your team by creating a procedure that describes the steps to take when the event occurs. It’s this preparedness that will allow you to turn your complaints into opportunities.
10. How will we ensure the sales team is aware of the engagement and participation of our customers and prospects?
This is a big one. One of the core objectives of content marketing is to nurture customers through the buying process. Once you begin interacting with them online in social networks, it is important to make sure both sales and marketing have visibility into the conversations that are taking place. Break down the walls, and create new ways of working together.
I know, I know. That’s a lot to think about. Nobody said this was going to be easy. Just remember, it’s as much about marketing strategy, as it is marketing operations. Developing the answers to these questions will ensure your company is prepared to reap the benefits of social media and content marketing. If you need help, you know how to find me.