How to create good content from within the company

create good content from within the companyContent marketing.., content creation.., content sharing… content, content, content.
You have all the likes and fans and followers you could ask for, but without content for them to read and share.., there is not much value in it.

I will try and offer some options for a company to tackle one of the most basic principles of the social web.

Content is Important

The importance of content is effectively listed in these 24 stats. No need to repeat them here. Suffice to say, it’s important.
However, it is also quite the challenge to tackle. You can’t just point at somebody within the company and order her to spew out content on a regular basis and expect amazing results. And employing freelance writers or an agency can prove to be expensive.

It is something that needs to be considered in future budgets and available time.

The Company Blog

An excellent place to start focussing is a company blog. Depending on the size this can be just the one blog, or several. Dell for instance has many blogs in many languages. I, of course, have only this one. However, I do suggest you start with one. Unless you have an amazing and ambitious plan.., but than you’d not need this article.

Also, when starting a blog, make sure you follow some etiquette, you must reply to comments on your content.

The Content

A storyline for the blog can derived from the yearly business plan. This plan should clearly state the path the company wants to take and the key values it holds.

This can work as the thread which holds the story together.

The Creators

Finding people to actually write from within the company might be difficult, but there are ways.

The most prominent way is volunteers, if they want to write.., let them write. Guide them in the right direction, edit them to get a well balanced blog, but do not deny them the opportunity.
A more productive approach might be to find employees who already have a blog, this shows their interest in the medium and possible skill. Their blog might be off topic, but given a subject they should be able to adapt.

Tie it all together in an editorial calendar and before you know it, you have a blog.

Social Media Platforms

Once the content is created, and you do want this as good as possible, you can share it on the social web. Sharing the blog gives your followers something to read, something to share and possibly (hopefully) something to comment on.
Of course, your blog is not the only thing you share on these platforms, it’s just one thing, albeit an important one.
Through the various platforms you can engage followers leading up to a blogpost and afterwards, asking for their opinion or asking them about topics they want covered.

The in-house Journalist

Depending on available budget you could consider employing a full time writer.., and why not a journalist (this can also be an intern).

My point is that Communication and Marketing are both departments with a very specific task. Writing a blog (or a story) might not necessarily be one of them. Writing the yearly business rapport or launching a new product is more up their alley.

A journalist can seek out interesting stories within the company. Stories of employers, clients, partners, executives or products. But also fans of the brand. The journalist can seek them out, look them up and interview them.

When you combine this with the launch of a new product the content created can be quite powerful.

How do you create content within the company?

Author: Rogier Noort

Digital Transformer | Thinker | Listener | Speaker | Podcaster | Writer | Blogger Twitter or LinkedIn.

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