4 simple tips for content project management

Even with the right talent, launching a robust content marketing initiative is challenging. It requires dedication, not only to a content schedule but also to a ‘preemptive creativity’ that not all marketing teams can grasp. As a result, many would-be successful content initiatives fall to the wayside before they even get off the ground.

In a world where 72% of marketers say content marketing increases engagement, that’s not a winning long-term status quo.

Consider how you approach your content marketing campaigns today. Do you approach new initiatives on a project-by-project basis, or as part of a comprehensive strategy that spans the whole year? Are you coming up with creative content ideas weeks ahead of time? Or, are you thinking them up in a reactive, inconsistent way?

Perhaps one of the most important questions I ask myself is, ‘am I successfully turning all of my good content ideas into real initiatives?’ I realized that the better I am at capturing my ideas and turning them into winning projects, the less hard-pressed I will be when I need ideas that perform later. But as simple as this sounds, not many internal teams have the methods in place to turn ideas into content successes. In fact, that’s why I’ve put together my five best practices here for content project management.

1. Create a ‘Living’ Content Calendar

Even if you’re not ready to plot out specific content items date-by-date for the next calendar year, you can set content goals using a realistic annual timeline. Your calendar should reflect not only your goals in terms of leads and business value but also subject matter context.

For example, if there is an event surrounding a certain topic you’d like to cover, consider publishing content around the time of that event. If you have a product launch coming up, consider preparing a press release ahead of time.

This may sound simple—but remember, you want to put your ‘all’ into your content. Putting your plans on a calendar opens each piece of content up to opportunities for enhancement well ahead of the publication date and gets your team thinking about the best ways to disseminate it before you go live.

2. Adopt a Project Management Platform That Does the Legwork

We’ve all heard the project management (PM) adage ‘write everything down,’ but that’s a bit outdated. For 2020, let’s replace it with, ‘automate everything you possibly can.’ It’s one thing to keep track of a single content initiative on paper—but when you’re managing multiple team members on several, ongoing and iterative projects, you almost need a team member whose sole job is managing dates and timelines.

That’s where your project management tool comes in. Winning PM won’t just manage and automatically update the team about timelines, either—it will support inter-personal communications, host files, and even connect teammates across departments and organizations. Tools like Basecamp, for example, make it easy to onboard external designers, copywriters, and business partners from other companies and geographical locations. The more you automate, the more you can focus on the ‘meat’ and not the ‘management.’

3. Start with Ideas—Capturing and Nurturing Value

If your internal conversations about content start with something like, “We should do more blog posts,” you might want to reassess your content strategy. If they begin with something like, “Mike’s idea would work great as a blog post,” you might be on the right track.

What’s the difference? In the case of the latter, the initiative began from a desire to disseminate value, not from a requirement to create collateral. When you’ve already created a timeline outlining your future needs for collateral, you can spend the rest of your time “starting with ideas.”

4. Choose the Best Option, Not the “Safest”

One great thing about content marketing is that there are hundreds of creative ways you can disseminate insights and drive business value. As you build out your calendar, leave room for exploration and innovation. If you’re not sure what you’ll want to produce for a certain event, for example, build in time to explore doing something different.

Remember, your goal is not to produce content. It’s to capture your audience’s attention and amaze them. Putting yourself ahead of your content with forward planning isn’t about setting up a rigid schedule—it’s about freeing yourself from the tedium so you can focus on what you and your audience love most.