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July 29, 2019 Content Chat Recap: Building And Managing A Highly Effective Content Marketing Team

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Whether it’s writing the latest company blog, analyzing the results of a recent email campaign, planning the next quarter of content, or identifying content gaps in the customer journey, a content marketer’s job is never truly done. But, there’s only so much time in the day, and when resources are spread thin, content marketers need to know how to establish priorities and make best use of the team at their disposal.

In this #ContentChat, we explored ways that content marketers can stay on top of their game by discussing what modern content marketing teams look like, best practices for building and managing a content team, and what we think the future holds for the function.

Q1: What size is your current full-time, in-house content marketing team?

The majority of respondents reported having a small team, most with one team member, and 2-4 team members as the next most common team size. Remember that this is just including full-time, in-house content marketing team members, which won’t include part-time or freelance workers (which we discuss later), or team members whose roles are divided across departments.

Q2: What, at a high level, are the roles and responsibilities of a content marketing team? (can be your existing team or a dream team)?

At a glance, the content marketing team exists to plan, create, distribute, and measure the success of content designed to support the business goals.

This includes creating a content marketing strategy, developing and maintaining an editorial calendar, and defining and documenting the brand voice.

Exact logistics and day-to-day will vary by company, and the roles and responsibilities will likely evolve as the company grows its content marketing efforts. Common focuses for a content marketing team include: SEO, social media management, email (newsletters, customer communications), online or offline community management, blog writing, and more.

Q3: What are some specific areas where a content marketing team can/does use freelance or contract help to achieve its goals?

With the right foundation in place (a documented brand voice, creative brief for a specific project), any content-related task can be completed by a freelancer. It’s a question of whether a freelancer should be involved.

Freelancers are amazing when your team lacks specific skills or tools. Video, graphic design and coding tasks are often more efficient to outsource, especially with one-off needs.

Many freelancers are experts in certain spaces and can lend industry knowledge when needed, especially with content relevant for your buyer’s journey. Educational, top-of-the-funnel content is one area that freelancers are great for.

Time crunches can be alleviated with freelance help⁠—although as much notice as possible should always be given, as well as the necessary company resources for the freelancer to complete the task.

Patrick recommends WriterAccess to get connected with freelancers, and comment below if you have other site recommendations. Your colleagues and other business connections can introduce you to their go-to freelancers as well.

Q4: Do you have ongoing career planning sessions with your content marketing team members? What does that entail?

If you don’t have ongoing career planning conversations, you should. 1. It shows that you care about your team’s professional growth and goals. 2: It identifies trainings that your team may want to implement. 3. It assists with planning upcoming projects and roles/responsibilities.

Career development conversations do not be a heavy lift. Consider an annual career goal setting session for direct reports, and then have weekly or bi-weekly 1:1s to discuss progress and identify needs.

Q5: How do/can you keep all of your content team members aligned with your company goals and how the work your team does contributes to them?

Critical step: Communicate goals to your team. There should be a discussion of content goals at the start of any new project, as well as during project management meetings with the team, in 1:1s, and via collaboration tools like Slack and Asana.

Explain the role of each team member during initial project meetings, including how their work helps achieve the content goals. Consider documenting your content marketing process and roles/responsibilities at a high level for general baselines, then do project-specific tweaks as needed.

Define KPIs for each project and regularly report on the team’s progress.

Q6: What are some emerging roles or responsibilities that you see content marketing teams taking on over the next year?

Customer experience is rising in importance for companies, and we predict that content marketers will play a bigger role in that space.

Partially tied to the customer experience, marketers will likely have an increased focus on the KPIs surrounding their content. By understanding what is and is not working, marketers can continually optimize their strategy.

We anticipate content marketing taking a greater leadership role in companies. This can include: providing competitive intelligence for departments across the organization, partnering closer with recruitment teams to develop the employer brand, and coaching customer-facing team members on best practices.

There’s a shift toward specialization, and we expect to see more content specialists vs generalists.

Q7: In our final moments of today’s #ContentChat what are some of your fave tips when it comes to building or managing content marketing teams?

Always think about how you can provide value for your team and give them the resources they need to flourish.

Avoid groupthink by recruiting diverse team members and developing a culture that encourages respectful disagreement.

Keep communication lines open and solicit feedback on ways your team can improve. Be transparent about ways that your team can succeed.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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