As you plan your next content strategy meeting, it’s important to think about who you’ll have sitting at the table. Of course, you’ll expect to see some of the same faces — the content strategist, the SEO expert, and the editor — but it’s time to start including others, like someone from the graphic design team or even the sales team.
Your content strategy can affect everyone in the company, and there’s plenty of value in having additional people in the loop.
Content Goes Beyond Words
It’s easy to forget that “content” isn’t only the words that you put out. You’re designing a content strategy to fit the needs of a particular buyer, and your brand positioning needs to be across the board. For instance, if you’ve decided that customers respond to an authoritative facts-and-data approach, then the people in the graphics and website design departments need to have images that fit that. A cutesy design wouldn’t match your strategy. Likewise, you want the marketing and sales team to be putting forth that “expert” image in all of their materials.
A Well-Oiled Machine
When everyone in the company is on the same page about the content strategy, they just work better together. The messaging is tight and focused. Additionally, employees will feel more empowered about sharing ideas and taking action when they understand the overall strategy. You won’t have to slow down processes waiting for approvals or making adjustments due to misunderstandings.
Taking Advantage of Strengths
Employees — including contract workers like your freelance writers — often have strengths you didn’t realize. Salespeople, for instance, will help you really get to the heart of what your customers want. They’ll have plenty of ideas for what type of content you could be producing. Any employee might have a great idea based on something they saw on a recent trip abroad. They just have to know that you’re interested in hearing their ideas.
Help Identifying Gaps
Restricting your content strategy development to a few professionals limits your scope and sometimes causes you to lose sight of the big picture. Including others helps you find those little pieces you’re missing. Your graphic designer might have a good idea for an infographic, but needs help with the research and writing. The customer service reps could let you know that they’re spending a lot of time answering the same questions and that customers could benefit from a written or video tutorial. Different people can give you a fresh perspective on your content, and this will drive your vision forward.
How to Keep Everyone in the Loop
Once you’ve decided that keeping everyone in the loop is worth your while, you have to decide how you’re going to make that happen. Nobody wants to sit in a meeting where they don’t feel like their input is necessary or valuable. At the same time, you want to be able to get people together.
You know your company best. You could email a monthly update. You could have a suggestion box. You could set up an internal website. You could start a Slack group for real-time chatting. Employees often respond to these types of techniques.
At WriterAccess, we allow you to connect with experienced professional writers who can help you build and grow your content strategy. Even a training writer can have some good ideas for your industry. We offer messaging options and conference calls so that you can include your writer in the process. Give us a try, and you’ll be pleased with the results.
Shannon T has been writing professionally for over 10 years. In addition to the thousands of articles, blog posts, and web pages she’s ghostwritten, she has bylined work that’s been published on sites like Headspace.com, ModernMom.com, Chron.com, and Fool.com (The Motley Fool).
