No one likes to take the blame for problems or mistakes, but passing the buck (or refusing to take rightful responsibility) is one of the fastest ways to slow down progress. Understanding the best ways to work through misunderstandings with your freelance writers and claim responsibility for mistakes when necessary, is incredibly important when working with a cloud writing team. The margin for misunderstandings is pretty big when you are working with remote team members, so every bump slows down your content project significantly. Here are a few tips on how to more efficiently and more quickly deal with mistakes and misunderstandings.
Be Specific in the Beginning
Prevention is the best cure with colds and content writing. When you are getting ready to launch a content project provide very specific instructions and resources so that your writers are not confused. When content writers are not sure what their client needs, they do one of two things; assume what they need and push on to meet the deadline or they spend valuable time asking questions that should have already been answered in the instructions. Both of these approaches can slow down the content process and be frustrating to you as the client.
Make Certain About Mistakes
If you think that mistakes have been made, double check all of your instructions before jumping to conclusions. Did the writer make a mistake based on your instructions or your lack of instructions? Did you actually need something you entirely forgot to ask for? Did project needs change without the writer being properly informed? If so correct it and forge ahead. The world of content marketing has such a quick turnaround time there is really no room or time for ego. If the mistake is the fault of the writer, point it out and specify what you want. Your writers do want to please you. Nothing makes them happier than to exceed your expectations.
Don’t Give Up On Your Team
It is very important to remember that revisions and bumps are all part of the team development process. You may be tempted to drop a writer simply because revisions were needed, however you should keep in mind that if you have a writer or a group of writers that have already gone through a round of revisions for you, that means they now better understand you, your brand and your needs. They are much closer to becoming your ideal content producer. If you drop them and start over with someone else you are starting the entire process over at the beginning.
When you are willing to admit mistakes and also willing to let your writers correct their mistakes, your content team will quickly fall into a nice groove together and you can expect a great content producing relationship for the future.
Sarah R is a freelance author, content developer and single homeschool mother. She spends the early hours of the morning producing great content for her clients and the rest of the day lost in a world of sentence diagrams, construction paper, fractions, and spelling rules that, hey let’s be honest, make absolutely no sense.
