[et_pb_section admin_label=”Top skinny IC Logo Section” global_module=”26126″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#cc4315″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”on” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” custom_css_main_element=”@media only screen and (min-width: 1350px)||.page-id-25059 .et_pb_section_0, .page-id-25059 .et_pb_section_0 .et_pb_row_0 {||padding: 0 !important;||}” custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_row global_parent=”26126″ admin_label=”Row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” padding_mobile=”on” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” padding_top_1=”0px” padding_right_1=”0px” padding_bottom_1=”0px” padding_left_1=”0px” column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” custom_css_main_element=”@media only screen and (min-width: 1350px)||.page-id-25059 .et_pb_section_0, .page-id-25059 .et_pb_section_0 .et_pb_row_0 {||padding: 0 !important;||}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image global_parent=”26126″ admin_label=”IC logo Image” src=”https://iriscontent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IC-logo-horizontal-framed-e1468862028685.jpg” alt=”Iris Content logo” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”off” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_css_main_element=”@media only screen and (min-width: 1350px)||.page-id-25059 .et_pb_section_0, .page-id-25059 .et_pb_section_0 .et_pb_row_0 {||padding: 0 !important;||}” url=”https://iriscontent.com”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”section” background_image=”https://iriscontent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/pine-universe.jpg” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#ffffff” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” color=”#ffffff” show_divider=”off” height=”200″ divider_style=”solid” divider_position=”top” hide_on_mobile=”on”] [/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text admin_label=”Blog Post Title Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” max_width=”620px” text_font=”Cantata One||||” text_font_size=”72″ text_text_color=”#ffffff” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” text_line_height=”1.1em” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” text_font_size_tablet=”52″] Mistakes in Your Content Creation Workflow That Can Cost You Your Business [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Blog post main Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”FDF3E7″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” custom_padding=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”on” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Blog post Date Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font=”Montserrat||||” text_font_size=”10em” text_text_color=”#cc4315″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” text_line_height=”1.1em” custom_margin=”0px||0px|”]
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NOVEMBER 2016
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With just a few clicks, you could uncover a plethora of more or less interesting and useful articles telling you how to step up your content marketing game by embracing new trends and addressing the ever-changing needs and expectations of your audience. On the other hand, very few resources offer you the information you may require to improve your content marketing flow.
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5 Content Creation Workflow Mistakes That Stop You from Giving 110% and Preserving Your Resources
An unbalanced workflow may lead to exhaustion and frustration, while also lowering the quality of your ideas, and making it increasingly difficult for you to maintain a meaningful dialog with your public. If you feel overwhelmed by your daily responsibilities, or simply need a few pointers to successfully manage your content from creation until consumption, start by identifying and avoiding the following five crucial mistakes in your content creation workflow, which could jeopardize the future of your business.
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Your Idea Generation Process Is a One-Person Show. Fishing for ideas should be a fun process involving the active participation of all your team members. More heads are always better than one, especially when you’re on a quest to find new ways to educate, inform and entertain your readers. By working closely with employees, stakeholders and freelance writers to add value to your marketing materials, you may very well come up with fresh, reader-focused, palatable content that will keep more readers on your page for a longer while, and boost your conversion rates. Not involving frontline staff and management in your brainstorming sessions is a big mistake that you shouldn’t repeat if you’re determined to come up with better ideas presented from multiple perspectives.
Content Creation Responsibilities Are Not Properly Divided. Smaller companies with insufficient marketing budgets tend to collaborate with writers who are expected to match the profile of the modern Renaissance Man having vast areas of knowledge and a myriad of impressive talents. In reality, very few people can multitask and deliver exceptional results when it comes to conducting research, prioritizing topics, optimizing written pieces for search engine results, collaborating with different professionals, such as web designers or photographers, to craft or improve existing content, write and edit each material, and distribute it via multiple social media channels. Since all the tasks listed below requires a specific skill set and timeframe, if possible, you should assign each micro process to a different team member to avoid duplicates, delays, and misunderstandings that would only cost you and your staff time, energy and money. By using calendars and other tools to document your workflow you could keep track of new and ongoing assignments, and make sure every team member knows his or her schedule and list of priorities at all times.
You’re Not Tapping into New Marketing Opportunities Provided by Big Platforms. If you’re still relying solely on your blog and website to keep your brand into the spotlight, you are definitely missing out on a bunch of great opportunities to become active and visible on several channels that can be used for both promotional strategies and native publishing. From sponsored content, to email lists and social media, these platforms can help you boost brand awareness, increase conversions, and achieve every other marketing goal that may be on your agenda. In order to focus on all these channels without losing your direction, you should adjust your workflow a bit to cope with the inherent changes in a successful manner. For instance, as Aaron Agius of SalesForce points out, content should no longer be seen or created as a pillar meant to boost website traffic; instead, it should be crafted as a standalone product tailored to each platform or channel that you will want to target to interact with your audience. When it comes to editing and publishing this type of content on other platforms, you will also have to follow external editorial rules and guidelines. Also, when promoting new content, you will have to publish long-form pieces on each networking website you target for effective content consumption, instead of just posting links to your blog posts via email or social media. To accommodate all these changes, you should adjust your workflow a bit, and make certain that you delegate certain micro tasks to improve your performance.
You’re Still Relying on Manual, Old-School Notifications to Assign and Manage Tasks. From creation until consumption, your content reflects the efforts of several team members who have been assigned one or more tasks, ranging from research to graphic design, SEO optimization and editing. As talented, experienced and cooperative as they may be, your employees require a constant monitoring and support to work like a team. This is precisely why old-school notifications via email or verbal communication don’t always do the trick, and make it virtually impossible for content managers to make sure deadlines are being met, and everyone is doing their part. If you are faced with the same challenge, opt for project management software, such as Asana, Orchestra or Flow, to create and assign tasks, list and keep track of due dates, and insert comments to improve the dialog you maintain with your stakeholders and staff on a daily basis.
You’re Making Decisions without Taking a Closer Look at Your Analytics. Adjusting your content strategy (and content marketing flow) without taking a glance at key analytics metrics is like trying to find a needle in the haystack in the dark. Take the guesswork out of your content creation and distribution processes by consulting key metrics for every single channel you target, including social media, email, and your own blog and website. By ignoring analytics, you could repeat many preventable mistakes, such as expanding on topics that are not perceived as interesting or relevant by your audience, or targeting keywords that won’t ensure improved rankings. On the other hand, by consulting analytics, you could shed some light on several key aspects, including how your users interact with your content, how your published materials work on different social media channels, and how much money you should actually spend when promoting your materials on social.
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Save Time, Money and Energy by Improving Your Content Marketing Workflow
Documenting and constantly adjusting your content marketing workflow would give you the chance to review your past performance, learn from your mistakes, and make changes accordingly. At the same time, a clear focus on your content marketing flow will automatically lead to a better team coordination and collaboration, making it easier for you to manage daily responsibilities, including content creation, distribution, and everything in between.
Need help? Reach out to us and we can transform your content delivery process overnight.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_divider admin_label=”Divider” color=”#cc4315″ show_divider=”on” divider_style=”groove” divider_position=”top” hide_on_mobile=”on”] [/et_pb_divider][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Blog post main Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”FDF3E7″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” use_custom_gutter=”off” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https://iriscontent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/author-image-annie.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”left” sticky=”off” align=”right” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_team_member admin_label=”Person” name=”Annie Ianko” position=”Content Happiness Advisor” animation=”off” background_layout=”light” facebook_url=”https://www.facebook.com/IrisWebContent/” twitter_url=”https://twitter.com/Iris_Content” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_main_element=”box-shadow: 0 0 20px rgba(0,0,0,.1);||”]
Annie has 18 years’ experience as an editor and content creator and manager. With work in television and written media, she has dedicated her past 10 years to learning the ropes of online content creation, from writing to editing, from SEO to content management.
[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” global_module=”27319″ transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#c97824″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” custom_width_px=”780px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_2=”off” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_method_3=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row global_parent=”27319″ admin_label=”Row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”on” width_unit=”on” custom_width_px=”780px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text global_parent=”27319″ admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”center” text_font=”Cantata One||||” text_font_size=”36″ text_font_size_tablet=”26″ text_text_color=”#fdf3e7″ text_line_height=”1.4em” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”||70px|” disabled=”off”] Want new articles before they get published? [/et_pb_text][et_pb_signup global_parent=”27319″ admin_label=”Email Optin ‘graph text” provider=”mailchimp” mailchimp_list=”6d2efc3306″ aweber_list=”none” title=”Subscribe to our email list” button_text=”Sign Me Up!” use_background_color=”on” background_color=”#c97824″ background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left” use_focus_border_color=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”20″ button_text_color=”#cc4315″ button_bg_color=”#fdf3e7″ button_border_color=”#cc4315″ button_letter_spacing=”0″ button_use_icon=”default” button_icon=”%%%” button_icon_color=”#fdf3e7″ button_icon_placement=”right” button_on_hover=”on” button_text_color_hover=”#fdf3e7″ button_bg_color_hover=”#cc4315″ button_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ disabled=”off”] Yes, I want to learn more about content marketing! I want to incorporate the latest marketing strategies to improve my brand, reach a wider audience and sell more stuff! [/et_pb_signup][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]