How To Build An Efficient Content Workflow
Let’s set the scene.
You’re getting ready to post a blog to your company website about the impact of Spandex on 80s fashion, only to realise you’ve got two versions in your inbox and neither of them have been signed off. Meanwhile, a social post for the same blog is nowhere to be found.
While one-off hiccups like this are completely normal, if this sounds more like your weekly routine, your content workflow could be at fault. It might be that your existing task management software hasn’t scaled with your company’s workload. Or maybe there’s no clear structure in place at all and your team is just throwing spaghetti at the wall in the hopes that, eventually, it’ll turn into a fresco.
Whatever the cause, it’s a sign to go back to the drawing board. Here’s our simple 4-step routine to building an efficient content workflow.
1. Assess your current content process
Whether it’s written down or only exists in your head, map your current workflow – from content ideation and creation to distribution. Be sure to make a note of what resources your team is using at each stage – for example, are they ideating with the help of an AI tool, or using an external agency to write content?
From there, it’ll be easier to identify common bottlenecks and potential delays, allowing you to move onto the next stage…
2. Streamline creation
If you’re constantly sending first drafts back to writers, the issue might lie with your initial brief. To minimise this, create a standard brief template that reduces the need for revision cycles – you can then use AI to fill these in every time you have a new content idea.
If you want to get even more granular, create separate templates for the different types of content you might need which follow a similar format – for example, case studies, thought leadership articles, and so on.
Then give your writers something to build on with a centralised set of guidelines that outline tone of voice, content objectives, and formatting to reduce decision fatigue. That way, your team should have a clear checklist they can tick off before sending work for approval. Speaking of…
3. Speed up approval
“I forgot to ask last week. Can you take a quick look at this whitepaper before it goes live?” Whether you’ve been the one saying it or the person on the receiving end, nobody likes rushing feedback.
Set up staged approvals and systems for tracking, approving, and storing work to minimise the need for out-of-the-blue messages like these. Tools like Asana, Trello, or even a humble spreadsheet can save the day here, making it clear who’s supposed to be looking at a piece of content and when. Be sure to loop the original writer back in, too, by using a platform that allows for collaborative editing and version control – like Google Docs.
4. Review and tweak things regularly
With a better understanding of what goes into the ideation, creation and approval phases, you’ll be in a prime position to create realistic calendars for content going forward – bottlenecks and all.
Just remember, your content workflow isn’t a ‘set and forget’ type of job. A process can always be improved – even after implementing all of the above edits. So, ensure you’re gathering regular feedback from your content writers, graphic designers, social media managers, web developers, and anyone else involved in the process to keep improving it.
Too much on your plate? Share some with us
We know better than anyone that finding the right rhythm for your content workflow can be hard. But we’ve got over a decade of experience doing exactly that.
Our biggest piece of advice? Start small – find your biggest bottleneck and work on ironing it out before biting off more than you can chew. As for the rest of the proverbial plate? Just leave that to us – we’ve got the appetite for it.
Whether you’re looking for a simple sit-down strategy session or a full-on content partner to take the weight off your marketing team, we’re happy to help. Let us know what issues you’re facing and we’ll do our best to solve them together.
