Determining a Content Roadmap That Works For You
It’s one thing to craft effective content and another to do so regularly and reliably.
Establishing a robust content roadmap as part of your overall marketing plan is a perennial pain point for marketing and business leaders everywhere. The reality is that most companies struggle with the strategic and practical management of content.
This is no surprise: content management is multi-faceted, with a lot to consider and many possible approaches. Thankfully, certain core practices and precepts can help you cut through the confusion and help you keep to a sensible content roadmap.
Your content process shouldn’t be an afterthought—it should be a core component of your business marketing plan. How well you "do content" can strongly influence the success trajectory of your business.
Having a content roadmap is essential for reliable output. With a bit of advanced planning, you’ll find that being intentional about your content workflow can help your company juggle multiple tasks, freeing up time to take on more projects.
A Checklist For Success
There’s no fixed recipe for a content roadmap. After all, content comes in many forms, and the optimal workflow for writing an ebook will be different than for crafting a newsletter or blog post.
This flexibility isn’t the same thing as “anything goes”. Creating a content roadmap is like baking a cake: there are many different recipes, but certain common cooking skills underly all of them. Here are some considerations that will help you cook up a roadmap that works for you and your company.
Continually revisit and refine the target audience for your content. Exactly who are you seeking to address? How can you best reach that audience?
Double check that your team is selecting and creating content with this target audience in mind, and that everyone involved in the content creation process is crystal clear about who your audience is and is undertaking the appropriate research on content titles and types.
Determine what is the objective of each type of content in your content plan. Where does it fit into the customer acquisition/retention pathway? How might it contribute to a positive customer experience? Knowing the target audience is only half the battle: you also must know what impact you want your content to have upon them.
Establish a content calendar within your marketing plan. Not having a schedule in place for content creation is a fast path to disarray, and a regular rollout will project reliability.
Calendars aren’t just for content creation, however. Have a calendared approach to promotion and distribution of content assets. Discuss the strategic approach for distributing and promoting each asset in advance, and have a sense of when content should be refreshed and republished.
Take a healthy approach to repurposing your content. If it is worth saying once, it is worth saying again — you can extend the reach of your content by using it in different contexts.
Ascertain the process by which the content will be produced, and how many staff are needed to bring tasks to fruition. Think through division of labor: rather than assigning three articles to three people, it might make sense for one person to research, one to draft, and one to edit and rework.
Set clear editorial parameters for content creation, including guidance around brand voice and house style. Make sure these parameters are clearly communicated across the organization.
Ensure rigorous training around the operation of whatever publication platform you use. When it comes to articles or social media, a scattershot approach can potentially lead to embarrassment.
Institute robust quality control checks. These checks shouldn't slow down the momentum of your content operation if you build them smartly into your content schedule. Keep things moving along but don't be afraid to exert strong discipline along the way.
Instill a disciplined approach to content asset management. All contributors must categorize and store content in a predictable and retrievable way, with appropriate training and oversight.
Have a firm grasp of how your specific marketing goals relate to your overall business objectives. This helps you align your content marketing process with your firm’s overall aims.
Face the hard questions about the value of content head on, and know how to make the strategic and financial case for your content output. If you don’t, you may miss a chance to secure senior buy-in.
Delineate between content collateral (product descriptions, sale decks, etc) and content marketing assets. Content marketing assets are generally several degrees of separation from your products and services, and are critical components in high-value audience development. Neglect these assets at your peril. A content calendar without a strong commitment to audience development through content marketing is a massive missed opportunity.
Ensure content performance data is regularly analyzed and informs the content process cycle moving forward. This is a forward-feeding mechanism.
Rinse and repeat.
Avoiding Half Measures
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to creating an effective content roadmap. You need a firm grasp on your target audience and objectives, a set schedule, clear expectations for writers and editors, and a sense of how different types of content tie into your firm’s overall goals.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and when it comes to your content roadmap, going in half-hearted won’t work. There's little doubt that committing your business to content requires a sustained investment of effort and resources. Apply these practices smartly and assiduously in your business, and they will set you up for long-term success.
“It’s more important to do what is strategically right than what is immediately profitable,” marketing expert Philip Kotler said. Wise words worth heeding when devising and implementing your content roadmap.
Think of it as a labor of love. The hard work and discipline will pay off.