You don’t need to be convinced of the importance of creating and sharing killer content that resonates with your audience. You know that all types of content (written, visual and interactive) that’s helpful and relevant helps prospects identify your company as the solution to their problem, and helps retention of current customers.
If you read our previous post, 5 Ways to Make Your Content Count, you already know how to get started if you’re looking to make the most out of your content strategy with a less-than-ideal team size. Let’s be real – everyone wants to make the make out of their content marketing strategy. And, most don’t have a large content team that can churn out the volume and quality of content required.
Today, we’re diving into rolling up your sleeves and get the job done.
Start Small
When you’re wrapped up in the excitement of developing your content marketing strategy, it’s easy to set your sights on churning out as much content as humanly possible. While we applaud your valiant efforts, try to avoid going from 0 to 60 in the earliest days of executing your newfound strategy. However, don’t be your own worst enemy by waiting to “get your ducks in a row.”
Start slowly and ramp up to a publishing cadence that pushes your team without overwhelming them. Be realistic about how much your team can produce and distribute – don’t be tempted to opt for quantity over quality.
Don’t Fear the Freelancer
It’s not uncommon for companies to rely on outside help. According to a TopRank Marketing study, 64% of B2B marketers outsource writing projects. If you find yourself thinking you might benefit from outsourcing, rest assured that you can do it affordably and efficiently. The key is to find writers who are knowledgeable in the topics you’ll be writing about.
Do your research. Look at the topics writers have written about in the past and types of content they publish. Give them a test assignment so you can get a feel for their style and voice. From there, determine if it’s a good fit. This is a great way for both sides to agree on whether it’s a good fit.
Your freelancers should understand your business, customers and the industries you serve. Once you’ve found your roster of perfect matches, set them up for success with a proper on-boarding program to further their knowledge of your business.
Perfect the Brief
Few things contribute to the quality and clarity of your content more than the brief. Don’t fear the creative brief. The brief is your friend. The brief is a wonderful thing – for you and for your writers.
Your work isn’t done once you onboard your team of freelancers though. There’s still a wealth of information for you to share on an ongoing basis. Remember, you and your internal marketing team are constantly immersed in researching and interacting with your target audience. Your freelance writers don’t have that luxury, so a detailed brief is your chance to share those small but critical details.
Fight the urge to skimp on details and helpful resources. Remember, you can’t expect them to read your mind. Developing an in-depth brief with a lot of guidance beyond the topic is going to get you the high-quality result you want.
A detailed brief can also cut down on the time it takes to write and greatly reduces (or eliminates) rounds of edits. A thorough brief is essential to mutual success all around, but also leave room for your writers to bring ideas to the table that can keep your content unique and fresh.
Digestible Content
There’s a common misconception that companies who excel at content marketing have a large team and create everything from scratch. But, that’s just not true. In fact, repurposing your content is critical to your success.
According to LookBookHQ, nearly 60% of marketers reuse content 2-5 times. Not sure how to reuse and recycle your content? Here’s a quick example to get you started.
You just published a phenomenal eBook. But, it should end there. From that eBook grab snippets of valuable information and present them in different ways. You can transform those snippets into other formats like infographics, blog posts, and SlideShare presentations. This approach gives you evergreen content that you can continuously share with your audience. Plus, it’s giving your audience exactly what they need from you: consistently valuable content.
By leveraging these strategies, you can finally work efficiently and effectively to support your marketing initiatives.
