With so much noise on the internet, your audience can feel light years away. You’re probably already aware that just about anyone can generate content, but succeeding as a trusted, reliable source is another story. The key in reaching this success is establishing and fostering a culture of content.
A culture of content benefits all those involved. It allows all employees to play a role, it does a better job at engaging an audience, and it creates a solidified voice for your brand. Let’s dive into some of the ways that you can start building this culture.
Establish a Shared Vision
The purpose of your brand’s content is to develop a consistent voice that will appeal to your audience and build meaningful relationships. In order to carry out the various stages of the content cycle – coming up with topics, creating content, posting it on social media, sharing the content, etc. – you’ll need the right people on your team.
Start with a shared purpose that will unite both the people in your company and the people that create your content. This unified vision gives company members an editorial game plan and sets the tone for your brand’s content.
Facilitate a Team Effort
Your company has a dynamic team, but not everyone will have the interest or skills to create content. But, this doesn’t mean that they can’t contribute in some other way. Content creators are often reaching for ideas, so company members can offer suggestions based on stories they’ve read or pain points they’ve heard from customers. This gives everyone a role in the creation of content.
You can also have employees write a post for your company blog from time to time, mixing up the content while still holding true to your original vision. As you grow your business and hire new employees, strongly consider attitude over aptitude. You want to create a brand that is filled with doers, makers, and inspirers that will not just work for your company but positively influence it as well.
Reinforce Content
Great content doesn’t just explode overnight. It requires constant reinforcement, and this reinforcement comes from the people in your company. Your employees will need education and training to understand the importance of content and why/how it should be supported, so don’t expect to see results right away. Start by holding meetings where company members can share their latest project developments.
Establishing a content team is the most effective way to reinforce content because each member will have a role to fill. A VP of Content, for example, may handle the value and creation of the content as well as employing a strategy. Senior leaders, on the other hand, may not implement the content but will have a role in funding projects and expanding on certain ideas.
Make Communication a Priority
When only one or a few people are responsible for the content, it’s easy for everyone else to ask questions like, “What is this blog post about? Where did the writer get this information from? How does this topic relate to our company?” In order to avoid having your brand’s content be disconnected from the rest of the company, communication must be a priority.
Make it clear that all employees have the potential to be publishers. If they don’t care to be, there are other opportunities to get involved. To help achieve cohesive communication and streamline technology. For example, set up a public editorial calendar so that employees know when case studies, articles, and ebooks will be released. This way, they can contribute their own findings or materials.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, a culture of content will benefit everyone. It’s not something that will happen overnight, but you will progress whenever you work toward a friendly, supportive culture. Ultimately, it will improve the lines of communication, create a unified brand voice, establish your brand as a thought leader, and pull in better engagement rates.
