The expression \u201ccontent is king\u201d rings as true today as it did some twenty odd years ago when Microsoft\u2019s Bill Gates coined it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bill knew the score and you should, too. Without top-notch content it doesn\u2019t matter much what the rest of your business is up to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential to have an effective content operations process in place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Content operations – or \u201ccontent ops\u201d – is a process that involves the combination of people, processes and technology that it takes to create and publish your content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It encompasses the strategy, creation, publication and distribution of the marketing content you produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are three integral components to content operations: people<\/strong>, processes<\/strong> and technology<\/strong>. Without any of these, it\u2019s hard to create an effective content ops team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It goes without saying but the people that produce your content \u2013 the strategists, the writers, social media manager and publishers \u2013 play an essential role in the content operations process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As such, the key to producing quality content<\/a> is understanding who is involved in the process and where they fit into the bigger content production picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You need to make sure to properly define the roles and responsibilities of your team members so that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perform a thought exercise: think as if you were a newbie joining your team and ask yourself a few questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you understand exactly how the business produces content? Do you understand where to find the tools that will let you do your job? Do you understand the overarching workflow? <\/p>\n\n\n\n To make it easier for employees to answer these questions with a big \u2018Yes!\u2019, make sure any templates, conventions and style guides you use are available to team members and they understand how to use them properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Software is essential to the content production process \u2013 from scheduling tools through to data analysis and reporting. It\u2019s worth finding out which tools will speed up the creation process and make your workflows smoother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Software to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related:<\/strong> Learn more about organizational operations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strategy and ops are sometimes confused, but they are not the same thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In short: content strategy<\/a> is the plan; content operations is how you put that plan into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good content delivery requires big-picture strategic thinking, but this overall plan can\u2019t work without the implementation of that strategy and daily action. That\u2019s where content operations come in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s little point in having a content strategy if your content ops aren\u2019t in place to execute it. Clear content operations allows organizations to streamline every task and avoid confusion and process duplication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are just a few benefits that content operations bring to your business:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your job as a content operations manager is to make sure your marketing content is relevant to your audience and up-to-date. Sounds simple, but this can mean sifting tons of data to get to the stuff that\u2019s the best fit for your marketing campaign and audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, you\u2019re likely to have lots of voices competing for attention and have input from a diffuse range of stakeholders and individuals. This can lead to confusion and data duplication. In fact up to 36% of marketing data<\/a> finds itself repeated at one stage or another in the content operations process, and duplication is waste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To make your content operations as effective as they could be, you need a unifying vision directing the management of the content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But you can only achieve this by having a process that lets you see the bigger picture. That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential that your content operations do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s simple really. The purpose of content operations is increased engagement with your audience and growth of that audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPeople<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Processes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Technology<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Content operations vs content strategy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The benefits of content operations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to make your content operations more effective<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Talk to the experts!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n