This is the original version of the blog:
9 Questions to Help You Prioritize Content Creation [Template]
as posted on the Content Marketing Institute blog on the 21st of April 2013... I'm sharing it here as an interesting comparison with the final version which is less quirky, and a bit more Americanized...
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So you've got a great content creator (or
maybe even a team of them – physical or virtual) and a content calendar; you know who the personas are that you're
creating content for and you've already started writing insightful, valuable,
shareable content. You're coming to be seen as a valuable part of the
organisation and they're loving your content.
That's great, right?
Wrong.
This is where you need to learn the art of
saying 'no' to content requests that simply don't fit within your overall
business objectives, that aren't clear enough in their intention, or that are
simply requested too late for you to be able to do a good job with them.
How
late is too late?
This is a question that good content
marketers should be asking themselves, and have answers ready to provide, based
on good business reasons and a dollop of common sense. When preparing to say
no, a good place to start is to write your own 'content creation rules’.
A very short (1 page is more than enough)
tip sheet could include timelines, responsibilities, and what kind of content
will and won’t be created. This gives you a helpful starting point that can be
bent when necessary and stand strong when required. And then make sure these
are communicated to the rest of the organisation.
1)
Consider using a
content request form
You might also want to consider putting a
content request form or process in place like the one pictured in the image, if
the demands simply become too large or frequent to manage easily.
What is a content request form?
A content request form is basically a set of guidelines to help the
requestor consider what they want in more detail, before they ask you to write
it for them. Often requestors only have a vague idea of what they need when
they ask for content to be created. Drilling down into the real nitty-gritty of
the issue can help identify better ways their ideas can be used to reach their
target audience.
What
should a good content request form look like?
Keep it short – 1 page or less is best. It
should help answer (amongst other things):
-
What
people need the content
-
How
it aligns with business objectives,
-
How
long they think it will take to produce (then surprise them with the real
timelines).
To help you decide whether it’s important,
or just urgent, it’s also worth asking what the consequence will be of not
producing the content – will the world end, will it critically affect a
campaign, or will their boss just be unimpressed?
How do you use them?
-
Fill them in with the requestor, initially. A
blank form can be a daunting prospect, and put people off. Help them understand
what is involved in creating the content and identify where it should and can
be used. For example, they may want to create a white paper when the content
would actually be more appropriate for a blog.
Explaining the whys and hows not only educates your colleagues; it also helps
people understand why you are paid to do what you do.
-
Use it as a reference doc. That way, everyone
knows what to expect of the final content. It keeps you all on the same page,
literally.
The content created as a result of using this kind of form is more
targeted, more appropriate, and often better thought-out, laid out, and
therefore more likely to deliver the kind of results its requestor expects.
2)
Prioritise - is it
important, or just urgent?
If you have a great content calendar, with
space to put in some unexpected activities that add value and are in keeping
with the business goals and objectives that's great. But what happens when there
are desperate requirements that fall between the gaps. What is the difference
between urgent and important?
This old phrase comes to mind: "Lack
of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
But, unfortunately, sometimes it does. In business emergencies – such as PR
disasters or the hacking of a social media account – it does mean that
everything has to stop, so you put recovery measures in place. Hopefully,
however, your business will have already put back-up plans in place for
PR/social emergencies. And, if you haven’t already got a plan, maybe now is a
good time to start preparing one?
3)
Pull a content
rabbit out of a hat
When it comes to ‘urgent’ requests from
other parts of the business that demand content resources the key is to keep
the ego and emotions out of it – at the end of the day, content creation is a
business function that should help get clear, trustworthy and valuable messages
out to customers and prospects. Don’t dismiss a request just because you’re
having a tiff with that employee, or your business groups have differing
objectives.
Sometimes there’s value in pulling a content
rabbit out of a hat to meet an urgent need – not only does it make you a
valuable content creation resource, it also builds cross-functional
relationships. And, you never know, it might even result in that huge sale that
keeps your content team in work, and in demand, for another year – while
boosting your reputation: a win-win situation.
5 key
takeaways
So in conclusion, when it comes to managing
demand for content creation some top tips are:
1) make ‘content
creation rules’
2) develop a ‘content
request form’
3) plan for
emergencies
4) prioritise
requests, and
5) consider requests
with an open-mind and a collaborative attitude.
That way saying ‘no’ when necessary,
becomes much easier and much less personal.
