INSIGHT
Building a content habit that sticks: advice for busy comms teams
Most content calendars start with the best of intentions – a burst of enthusiasm and creativity, a few well-researched blog posts, and then…enter, tumbleweeds. We’ve all been there, in fact two out of three B2B marketing teams are still producing content on an ad hoc basis, without any process in place.
When you’re part of a busy marketing or communications team, it can be disheartening to fall behind on your own company’s content production, but have faith, dear reader, because it’s not a capability or discipline problem – it’s a structure and systems issue.
Here’s why your content habits get stuck
The curse of the blank page: starting from scratch is daunting – it brings out the procrastinator in the best of us, especially if that killer headline was dreamt up over a rocket-fuel coffee six months ago, and now you can’t remember why you volunteered to author the blog.
Getting the measure of things: measuring the performance of your content is really important. Your audience could be responding well to case studies or videos, for example – but infographics or downloads might be out of favour. If you’re missing this vital feedback, it’s hard to stay motivated.
Sharing is caring: So often, the task of content creation sits with one or two already over-stretched people. When they’re juggling other projects, writing owned content is often the first thing to drop.
Busy comms teams will often review their own content plans sporadically, when they have a headspace to be creative, or feel inspired. But here’s the thing, none of us is motivated 24/7; we can’t be inspired on demand. So, to make sure we stay on track and produce regular, consistent, high quality content, then a robust infrastructure must first be in place.
How to make a plan that sticks (and what that means)
Contrary to popular belief, and in this emerging age of AI slop (more on that later*), speed and volume do not equate to engaging content. For a plan to stick – that is, for it to be realistically achievable, and designed with goals in mind – it needs to be consistent.
Whether that consistency is once a week, or even once a month, for your lead content, so long as it’s as regular as clockwork then your audience will come to expect and rely on your nuggets of wisdom and advice.
If you’re part of a busy comms team, you must consider how many people can realistically contribute to the content plan, and on what regularity. Consider, also, the different formats content takes – some people (and topics) are better suited to longer form articles, while others best fit creating snazzy graphic for your social platforms instead.
Make it as obstacle-free as possible for the team to follow, and you’re on the road to success.
Our top tips for getting your content in order:
Think ‘system’ not ‘calendar’: yes, you’ll need a baseline quota of content to achieve per month, but don’t be too beholden to rigid dates. Instead, invest time in creating a variety of templates, content themes, and repeatable content formats that act as a blueprint for your monthly output.
Assign ownership, but accept that sometimes life gets in the way, and a content understudy for each task who can step in during hectic periods will be a lifesaver.
Get used to measurement. We’re pretty sure you already do this for your own customers, so start doing it for the content you’re producing. Pick metrics that are relevant to your goals, start small and keep it simple. Review this monthly, and listen to the feedback!
What a batch! Batch cooking is all the rage, and we apply the same thinking to content production (leaving room for reactive content to news stories). If there are topics that are ‘evergreen’ or not time sensitive, aim to get the next few months covered in one focused session.
*A word on using AI for content production: Morris Tate stands firm in its approach that our high quality written content will forever be created by IQ, not AI. We get it – when teams are snowed under, it’s a tantalising option to just press a button and in seconds have a big word salad at your fingertips. But – and it’s a big but – AI is fast becoming the least-trusted format in content marketing. LinkedIn has introduced an AI slop flagging button, and savvy readers steer clear of anything that reads like mass-produced AI content. Gaining an audience’s trust is worth its weight in gold, and when it’s lost, it’s lost for good.
If you need help managing an out of control content plan, then drop us a line. Our team of journalists and PR and content consultants can help with everything from content strategy, and planning to campaign management and production.
Kentec
OMRON
Milestone Systems
WAGO
Sherwin-Williams
Reliance High-Tech
Therakos
Therakos
3xLOGIC
PACOM
SONITROL
