The Elements of Content Strategy - Erin Kissane [28]
Worst of all, because it’s a popular trend, content curation may be selected for the wrong reasons—because it’s a buzzword and a seemingly simple way to pump out large quantities of content, rather than because it meets demonstrated user needs. And since resources are finite, tactics that don’t serve user needs divert resources from tactics that do. Like blogging, content curation can be a useful component of a larger content plan, but over time, it requires substantial quantities of time and attention.
Getting it done
So! To summarize, content development is tricky and takes time and money. But there are plenty of things you can do to make it easier and more efficient.
Designate an editorial lead with strong organizational and editorial skills. Whether you rely on internal writers or hire outside creators, this person will manage the content development process. Give that person as much authority and backup as possible. If the leaders of your organization make it clear to internal writers that your content lead’s requests are high priority, the work tends to magically get itself done.
If you have dedicated content producers, help them set up in-person, telephone, or email interviews for collecting the information needed to write the content. Plan on more than one round of interviews, as the first round almost always raises as many questions as it answers.
After that, plan on a factual review of the final content by the expert in question to make sure that their information has come through intact. Experts who speak only jargon or who aren’t especially good communicators can still do factual reviews, and content producers should have backup in their attempt to keep fluff and jargon out of final content.
Before you begin asking for content (or raw information) from internal experts, persuade someone in a leadership position to communicate with them—preferably in a group, and ideally in person—about the kind of content you need, the ways in which the content will benefit the experts’ departments, and the relevant deadlines. Doing so can dissolve lingering internal resistance, soothe frazzled nerves, and convey the strategic importance of the work.
If your internal sources are genuinely overworked, seek concrete ways of temporarily reducing the experts’ workload—perhaps by delaying other work or temporarily cutting a routine but non-critical process—so that they can produce the content you need.
Create detailed descriptions of the kind of content you need to receive. Content templates can be hugely helpful.
If the deadline is approaching and content isn’t flowing despite your attempts to explain the project and free up time, consider holding a few half-day or day-long content working sessions, and require that experts who are behind their deadlines attend one or more working sessions.
Planning for Content Management
Although some content strategy consultants assist with content maintenance, many leave projects well before long-term content management issues arise. For these consultants, it’s especially important to deal with both content production and ongoing maintenance in recommendations delivered throughout the project, rather than in an afterthought that flits across the client’s radar just as the project ends.
If your client has a dedicated web editor and a reasonably effective publishing process, they may not need much beyond a content style guide and advice on content reviews. But if the client’s publishing process is more tenuous, you may need to help them design or overhaul their publishing and approval workflow. Editorial calendars can provide structure for ongoing content development and management, and can also encourage regular strategy discussions between content creators and the people who develop organization-wide communication strategy.
But the truth is, none of these tools can replace a skilled in-house editor. If your client will