Dear Content Manager: Creating a Culture of Content
Dear Content Manager, We really hope you are well, because we know just how hard your work can be, especially if your company is not in the creative industry. And sure, you still love your job, and you are grateful for it, but you just wish the culture was more content oriented so things could be easier, smoother, fun. Between management that think marketing is all fluff and departments that have no creative genes in their DNA (shh), it can be tough. We get it, we feel your pain, have some ice cream. And that is exactly why we are writing to you, we wanted to check in, see how you are holding up and share some ideas that might help. A good place to start is acknowledging that you have a job in your company as a CONTENT MANAGER. Take a moment to let that sink in. You get to do something you love every day. Even if management does not totally understand the true value of your role, they understood it just enough to create your role, and hire you. See, hope is not completely lost. With hope restored (LOL), you can begin to take action that will foster the change you want in your organisation, particularly creating a Culture of Content. Here are five we think could help:
- Convince Management: How?! Testimonials! Have you heard stories of other organisations that utilised Content Marketing and achieved positive results? Find those stories, do some case study analysis, and present it to your Marketing Manager or whoever you report to. Show them how those principles can be applied in your organisation to achieve the positive results you want. Seeing is believing, they should be convinced or at the very least, eager to try.
- Involve Everyone: This is much easier if your company is in the creative industry. But how do you do it if you are NOT in the creative industry? Well, with one member of management convinced about or at least more interested in the value of Content Marketing, it is a little bit easier to inform Department Heads of Content Marketing activities and how their cooperation is needed. Next, you want to take an approach that we like to call – Flatter for Content. Cheesy, but worth it. Flatter for Content is a simple but productive approach that will help you get content out of “those without creative genes.” It starts with forgetting about what YOU want them to create. We know you have lots of creative ideas you want to explore but how many times have they listened to you? It’s not their thing, right? Next, you want to get them talking about themselves and their jobs. If you’ve ever been on a good date, this should be easy for you. But this isn’t about you, it’s about providing value to your customers/audience and ultimately your organisation. So, keep in mind that no matter how boring it is to you, your customers/audience will find it useful, and if they do, you get the results you want which further convinces management of your value as a Content Manager. Record these conversations or take notes, ask questions (make them feel important) and thank them for their time. At the end of the conversation, you would have started a friendship that will bring you great benefits long term. And more importantly, you will have plenty of content and ideas in your bank. Some of those recordings could be transcribed and turned into articles, podcast scripts, a short course. And something you noted might inspire an idea for a video, a post, a series etc. Imagine if you did that with two people from each department? Imagine if you did that with the Sales Department (they talk to customers every day, they are content wells).
- Do your thing: With enough content and content ideas, it’s time to work your creative magic. Put your spin on it, make it searchable, make it appealing, make it entertaining to your audience/customers. And don’t forget, it’s not about you, it’s about value!
- Share the Glory: After you released your content and you’ve had some satisfactory results – conversions, leads, inquiries, relationships, reach, exposure, etc. Take that back to your new friends. Show them the videos, the articles, the posts and how many views, comments, likes, shares, messages they got. I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t want you to talk to them again after that. Oh, and of course we don’t need to tell you to do that with the member of management that gave you a chance too.
- Take it a Step Further: With friends made and results achieved, you can start to encourage a company-wide Content Creation Culture in your organisation:
- Ask your friends to send you emails or messages with content topics or ideas;
- If you think some of them are ready for it, ask them to draft an article, record a voice note or video talking about whatever they want;
- If someone’s article is really good, proof read it and post it on your blog with their name on it. If it’s a video you like, invite them to shoot with you some time. If it’s very good, post it as is and tag them.
- Introduce group videos;
- Ask Senior Management to officially adopt this culture and get them to create content too.
Remember, it’s a gradual process, it may not happen as fast as you want it to or how we’ve described it. You might take a different route. But you will get there in the end. We hope these ideas help you with your job. We’re rooting for you! If you’d like to chat some more, don’t hesitate to contact us. Yours in Content, R:VEALSTUDIOS.
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