When it comes to creating content, most companies leave it entirely to a small team to manage everything. What those companies may not realize, though, is that there’s a two-in-one benefit that accompanies engaging your entire organization in the content creation process: Your content quality skyrockets, and so does employee satisfaction.
At PowerPost, each employee is tasked with writing upward of four content pieces a month. The content must be relevant, accurate, and offer a distinct point of view. And it’s this third point that has become an unintended (yet pleasant) surprise.
We’ve found that, through content creation, many of our employees have unleashed untapped potential and found what they’re passionate about. Some of our more reserved employees discovered an outlet to express their viewpoints, and that helped drive their confidence and career acceleration. And the employees who were already known for their strong opinions were able to build their online reputations with our platform.
Organization-wide content creation is so important to us, we even created a program for it called Novice to Master. Each employee starts at the “novice” level, and as she improves her skills, she’s rewarded with a higher ranking and other benefits related to title and compensation. Once an employee reaches the level of “master,” she’s been published nationally or has received industry accolades for her work.
A Win-Win Scenario
When employees actively participate in the content creation process, it benefits the employees and the company.
For the company, the process tackles the most common content marketing challenges. Among business-to-business content marketers, about 60 percent cite trouble producing consistent, engaging content. Drumming up a variety of content plagues another 35 percent. And with 75 percent of marketers increasing their spending on content marketing, we can see that content is an increasingly valued tool for gathering leads and revenue.
For employees, it sends them a “we’re all in this together” vibe, assuring them that their ideas are being heard and that everyone is rooting for one another’s success. It also creates an atmosphere of mutual respect and admiration, and friendly competition is born as team members work to outperform one another with the content that receives the most attention.
We’ve also seen team members who were not at all excited to begin their writing journeys, but they blossomed into prolific writers with authentic and powerful perspectives. These instances have been life-changing for employees, and they’ve proven to everyone else that we have a culture built on making sure everyone’s voice is heard.
When employees actively participate in content creation, both employees and the company benefit.
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Creating a Plan of Action
While the importance of getting everyone involved in creating content can’t be emphasized enough, that doesn’t mean you should simply jump right in without giving it a second thought.
To ensure you and your employees are getting the most out of the process, it should be implemented properly, and awards should be attached to it. For starters, compensation and annual reviews should be linked to content quality, but there are other steps to keep in mind before integrating a program like this into your organization.
1. Start on day one.
Make sure employees know what’s expected of them from the very start by introducing the concept of content creation on day one. Encourage them to experiment with different forms of content—including social media, video, blogging, short- and long-form writing, etc.—so they can get their feet wet and decide which types are most appealing.
The key in this stage is to reward effort over quantity. Creating minimum requirements will lead to a “content farm” feeling, which is a great way to suck the passion out of content creation. A mission statement and editorial guidelines will also help ensure integrity and efficiency, as well as give new writers a place to start if they feel stuck.
2. Leverage your calendar.
One of the trickier aspects of getting your entire organization involved in creating content is scheduling all of it. You’ll want a steady flow of content across all of your channels, including your company blog and social platforms.
To do this in the most efficient way, establish an editorial calendar. At PowerPost, we use software as a service, in calendar form, to track all of our content. The tool also has built-in editorial and grammar safeguards to prevent anything unprofessional from slipping through the cracks.
Your calendar doesn’t have to just track your scheduled posts; you can use it to brainstorm content ideas, plan themes, and organize content across all of your different platforms, too. When you have everything together in one place, it’s far easier to manage content created by dozens of writers.
3. Build confidence.
Appreciation and acknowledgment go a long way in boosting confidence and improving employee morale, and creating content is a great way to show off your team members’ writing skills and unique points of view.
As our novice employees grow as writers, they eventually increase both the quantity and depth of their content output, which, in turn, maximizes their growth. Then, once they become masters, they’re recognized both internally and within their industry as legitimate thought leaders with sought-after opinions.
Regardless of a writer’s skill level, this approach helps build a community out of an organization. Employees feel their contributions really do matter and that they’ll be recognized for their hard work and growth.
The Key to Distribution
As all content marketers know, content creation is only half the battle; distribution is an entirely different beast that requires a different set of skills. A sophisticated distribution strategy must be thoughtfully implemented and executed, and various platforms are built specifically to help tackle these tasks.
PowerPost does just that, and this type of software allows content professionals to automate content curation, distribution, and analytics with minimal effort. Social media use is growing, and it’s more important than ever to reach customers on these social platforms. With the help of automation software, you can plan and schedule posts across each of your channels, so your main focus remains creating quality content and becoming a power publisher.
Content creation isn’t easy—even for the professionals—so it makes sense that many companies choose to leave it to the experts. But by getting your entire team involved, you’re positioning your brand as a leader in your industry while simultaneously helping employees learn, grow, and feel like valuable members of the team.
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