Your Guide to Marketing Content Workflow

A content workflow is a series of tasks and operations that your team uses to take content from ideation to publication. Without a content workflow, you might struggle to keep up with content demands and miss out on the benefits of content marketing.

If you want to optimize your content workflow, you’ve come to the right place. This post will break down the following topics:

• What is a content workflow?
• Why you need a content creation workflow
• How to create a content workflow

Read on to learn more, or call 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist about improving your content workflow!

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What is a content workflow?

Content Workflow Definition

A series of tasks and operations that your team completes before publishing content.

With any business task, there is a process for competing that task from start to finish. The same idea applies to content. Your content workflow is the process of brainstorming, writing, and publishing content, along with all the other, smaller tasks involved.

Your content workflow will look different depending on your company, industry, and budget. Larger companies that churn out more content might have a more in-depth workflow, while smaller businesses might have one person handle the entire operation.

Why you need a content creation workflow

Regardless of your current content workflow, you need some system to keep content moving to your site. Since content is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) and users’ experience with your site, the way you organize the process impacts your overall business.

Some reasons you need content workflow management include:

• Precise project tracking: Your content workflow should help you track your projects from start to finish and find bottlenecks. This process helps move projects along and maintain a clear schedule.
• Maximized resources: Content marketing generates 54% more leads than traditional marketing. As you invest in your content, you will earn more back and prevent wasted time and money.
• Better productivity: With an outlined process, you help keep everyone on schedule and prevent an uneven workload. All team members will have dedicated tasks that help move projects forward.

With all these benefits, you can also encourage better workplace communication and connection. Everyone on your team will be on the same page and working toward one goal, each having their own personal responsibility.

54% more leads

is how much more content marketing generates than traditional marketing.

Source: WebFX

How to create a content workflow

Now that you know what a content workflow is and why it matters, it’s time to start planning. Here are the six steps for creating a content workflow:

1. Set goals for your company
2. Assign responsibilities
3. Select content types
4. Create a schedule
5. Outline the content creation process
6. Document your process

Let’s take a closer look!

1. Set goals for your company

The first step to creating a content workflow is establishing your content marketing goals. Your content marketing should have a specific purpose — otherwise, it will be challenging to plan your content.

Some example content marketing goals could include:

• Boosting organic traffic and SEO
• Improving brand awareness through a company blog
• Getting more social shares
• Earning more conversions on your landing pages

These goals all have a specific purpose to help guide your content approach. For example, if you’re creating content for SEO, you should conduct keyword research on search engine results pages (SERPs). If you want more social shares, you might need to invest in social media marketing.

The video below explains how to create SMART goals — that is, goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Once you create goals, you can break them down into smaller tasks that appeal to your team.

2. Assign responsibilities

The next step is to figure out what team or marketer is responsible for each task.

For example, if your content marketing plan involves creating a company blog, you might have a project manager who outlines and creates blog posts, a couple of writers, and an editor. Each person will be responsible for a particular task regarding publishing blog posts.

Responsibilities might look like this:

Creating a shared responsibility sheet can help team members know whom to turn to for specific tasks.

3. Select content types

Your content types will also depend on your goal. Some types of content include:

• Blog posts
• Email blasts
• Product descriptions
• Social media posts
• Long-form informational content
• Company-specific content

Generally, websites will feature most of the content above. However, depending on what your existing site looks like, you might prioritize new content over revamping your base-level company content.

4. Create a schedule

Your content schedule will help employees know what content is going live and when they need to create it. Plus, scheduling out your posts will make sure that you keep content churning regularly, which looks great for SEO purposes.

Using a content management system (CMS) like WordPress can help you keep your schedule clear.

5. Outline the content creation process

Next, it’s time to nail down a content creation process from start to finish. At this point, you’ve established the content you want to write, how often you need to write it, and who is responsible for what tasks. This involves developing the steps writers and editors complete before publishing.

Your content process might look something like the following:

1. Project manager outlines a need for content and assigns the project to a writer through a CMS.
2. Writer does keyword research and drafts the content, sending it to the editor after completion.
3. Editor reviews the piece and makes changes directly. They send notes to the writer and pass the piece to the developer.
4. The developer incorporates multimedia where possible and posts the content on the website.

6. Document your process

Once you outline everything, you need to finalize and document your content workflow. Having a CMS and other content tracking tools can help you solidify and test the process.

Your content workflow will include more than writing and publishing — build out processes for reoptimizing old content and rewriting pieces when required. Also, remember that your workflow can be fluid. If your team finds a process improvement, that could help you enjoy an even better workflow.

Key Takeaways

1. Content workflows include writing, publishing, tracking, and re-optimizing content.
2. Your workflow is unique to your business and should reflect your team size and budget.
3. Tools like a CMS can help you get more out of your content.

Our digital marketing campaigns impact the metrics that improve your bottom line.

See Our Approach

WebFX has driven the following results for clients:

$10 billion

in client revenue

24 million

leads for our clients

7.14 million

client phone calls

Enjoy content workflow management with WebFX!

WebFX can remove the stress of creating a content workflow by being your source of web content.

Our content marketing services include managing your content creation, publication, and tracking for superior results.  Our team includes 100+ content writers who work with your company to create content that matches your branding and goals.

If you want an easier way to approach content while earning more conversions, revenue, and leads, we can help. Contact us online to learn more about how WebFX can streamline your content workflow!