That’s the question that leaves so many organizations stuck. And the truth is, there is no universal answer. A company’s content strategy touches all facets of an organization from sales and marketing, to product development and even engineering. Content plays an important role in every aspect of business where human beings need to communicate with fellow human beings.
Ideally, your team will have a dedicated content strategist or content marketing manager who can centralize communications, develop a central brand narrative, and create cohesive, consistent messaging. This individual would have at least two direct reports—an editor and a writer, with a roster of consultants who can lend an extra hand.
But not every organization has the luxury of bringing on extra hands. From an organizational leadership perspective, hiring is risky—especially if your content program is brand new or if your company is in a critical growth stage. Not every company is ready to take this kind of leap. Furthermore, it’s tough to find talent with the skills necessary to develop a successful content program.
So what should you do instead?
Make content marketing a shared responsibility across your entire organization. Take a modular approach. Here is the type of content that you’ll likely need to create:
Case Studies
Ask your sales, customer success, or sales enablement teams to guide the development of these mission-critical sales assets.
Long-form Guides
These resources are essential for guiding audiences through your company’s marketing funnel. Your organization’s demand gen leaders will have significant input into what types of topics will resonate and why.
Blog Posts
Anyone on your team can be a writer. Figure out who’s interested in creating content for your company, create an editorial calendar, and make the process fun for everyone on your team. Encourage the people within your organization to have fun, work collaboratively, and devote time to writing.
Product Marketing Copy
These resources include landing pages and other product-centric explainers and collateral—from videos to short explainers. A marketing generalist (or product marketer) will have the skills necessary to architect your content strategy and vision.
Analytics
A metrics-driven marketer can help build a feedback loop to determine how your content translates into marketing qualified leads—and ultimately, sales. The person who oversees your analytics should pay close attention to the story behind the story, seeking ways to make optimization and drive progress in your content program moving forward.
Final Thoughts
Content marketing requires right-brained and left-brain minds that move in parallel. In reality, even if you have an in-house content strategist, that single person will still need extra support to be successful in his or her role. This process involves working with consultants, writers, and editors to bring an idea to fruition.
If you’re a one-person team, focus on long-term strategic planning as your backbone. Modularize your approach, spread responsibilities across your entire organization, and find people you can work with to form a cohesive plan. Remember that content can take many shapes and forms within your company. There is no right or wrong approach. There’s only yours.
How does your company run its content program? The Kapost team is curious–holler at us on Twitter, @kapost!
