[Guide] How to Make Your Content Work Harder for You—Not the Other Way Around
Ever feel like you’re working unnecessarily hard for your content—and not the other way around?
When it comes to content, a common misstep that organizations make is failing to establish a content strategy and clear processes for planning, creating and distributing that content. As a result, many marketers struggle to coordinate content marketing efforts among multiple departments and maintain consistent messaging. This leads to conflicted messaging, siloed content, wasted budget and lower marketing ROI.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Your organization can plan, create and distribute content more efficiently and effectively in five steps.
5 Steps to Make Your Content Work Harder
1. Create a holistic content strategy.
If your organization is creating content, but you haven’t first established a holistic content strategy to govern your efforts, you’re likely working harder than you need to, and your content is probably underperforming.
If your organization creates content, you need an owned, dedicated website or microsite for posting it. Hosting your own content comes with a host of benefits.
3. Break down departmental silos.
In organizations large and small, it’s easy to build walls around various departments or teams who produce content. To plan and create content more efficiently and effectively, break down these barriers and create collaborative processes.
4. Create content with a long lifespan and potential for multiuse.
Developing content with multiple entry points allows you to extend the life of your content, be more efficient with resources and tell your story in multiple ways to meet your audience where they are.
5. Measure your content marketing’s ROI.
Measurement is a part of any content strategy that simply can’t be overlooked. This can include UTMs, a dedicated call center phone number, reader surveys or focus groups. But if measurement isn’t accompanied by analysis, you’ve missed the mark and are not likely to achieve maximum audience engagement.
What Happens When Your Content Works Harder Than You?
By allowing your content to work harder for you, and not the other way around, you’ll no longer have to wonder whether your message is clear, effective or worth it. The proof will be in your engagement and ROI.