The content management process can be terrifying if you don’t know what it entails, or how to incorporate it into your business’ content marketing campaigns. In this article, I’ve taken a simplified approach to explaining the somewhat overwhelming topic in a way that is easy to understand and implement.

PLUS – There’s a BONUS step in this 5 minute article. See if you can spot it!  

Define Content Management First

What does content management mean? Before we can look at what goes into the process of content management, we must have a basic understanding of what the process involves. 

According to Adobe, “content management refers to the end-to-end process of sourcing, creating, managing, and delivering content.”

Now that we have a simplified definition, let’s take a look at the steps we need to follow to successfully manage the content we research, design, share, and measure.

4 Key Steps to Content Management Success

1. Content Planning

A content plan is usually created at the start of any content management system. It requires developing a guide that will keep your brand’s content in line with your marketing goals. A content plan should also stipulate any measurable details that goes into the creation and publication of content.  

Keep in mind that there is much to the planning stage than simply drafting an overarching content calendar. There needs to be a clear understanding of how content will be distributed, what themes and topics will be covered, buyer personas’ intent, etc. 

More Reading: CoSchedule’s advice is on creating a content plan. 

2. Content Creation

When we create content, we are essentially manufacturing content assets that are publishable with the help of images, researched data, videography, etc.

Unless you have a team of collaborators and staff that can contribute to sourcing content, the effort required to source all the content for your brand can become overwhelming.

Remember: You want to work smarter – not harder. Rather outsource this stage to third-party vendors or freelance content creators. This way, you’ll be free to focus on other tasks.

3. Content Publishing

The process of publishing content refers to the work that goes into converting content into published assets. 

Think of this:  Blog articles, social media posts, webinars, podcasts, e-courses, podcasts, etc. are all forms of assets that can be published according to the goals identified in your content plan.

It is safe to say that this stage generally requires a great deal of editing and revision. Here are a few key tips to help you minimise the effort of publishing:

 – Create templates of your content assets that you can repurpose on a regular basis. This way, you won’t have to start from scratch every time you need to write a new blog post. 

– Choose content assets that you will be making use of and avoid committing to overwhelming, complex, or even costly outsourced content assets that you don’t need right now.

– Make a content calendar that will help you plan, flesh out, review, and publish content consistently without losing track of where your assets are.

4. Content Distribution

Probably the most multi-faceted stage is the distribution of published content. It’s common knowledge that by making use of both organic and paid distribution methods like email marketing, AdWords, SEO, social engagement and sharing, etc., you are more likely to achieve your content plan’s objectives.

Ideally, you should determine which distribution channels or platforms will best suit your brand whilst helping you hit your marketing goals. Once you’ve pinned them down, stick to them. If you commit to too many tactics, your distribution will become inconsistent and your brand will suffer.

BONUS: You’ve come to my bonus step (Congrats!) that will help you see greater success in the way you manage your content!

5. Content Analyses

Whatever metrics you decide to employ to measure traffic, interaction, leads generated, ROI, and content performance overall, it is the most important stage of the entire content management process.

Analysing the performance of your content will give you valuable insight into any underperforming content that require more work. Make a point of funnelling these results back into your content planning stage, otherwise key metrics will get lost in the process and your asset types will remain unchanged.

Summary 

In the end, content management should be manageable at any level – whether you’re an entrepreneur just starting out or a company looking to expand on current content systems.

The goal is to make each step your own in a way that will reduce the amount of time and effort you invest in managing your content assets whilst also improving in quality and quantity. 

If you’ve found this post helpful, let me know in the comments below. Constructive criticism is also welcome. (Wink*)