The Oscars are known for posh gowns and slick tuxedos, awkward jokes and on-stage blunders, tears of joy, and glares of disapproval. While the drama is endless and the glamour intoxicating, for us word-nerds, there’s nothing like the speeches. Here, we catch glimpses – however carefully rehearsed – of the people behind the role. But from Hollywood egos to humble acceptances, nervous lines to poised presentations, each winner has something in common.
They thanked the team that got them to that stage, that made it happen.
Like any profession, success is owed to the organized, motivated people who play their parts spectacularly in service of the bigger picture. And like casting the most qualified actor, finding the right screenwriter, or knowing which director can make a story shine, each carefully filled role is a crucial element to realizing the full potential of an organization.
The same rules apply for modern marketing departments taking on content marketing and operations. To face the challenge, to engage and entertain your audience with content that performs, you first need a solid team.
Increasingly, marketing departments are beginning to resemble publishing houses to meet the demands of producing top-quality content reliably to move buyers through the funnel. New roles and positions are popping up every day. Titles like Chief Content Officer, Head of Content, Content Director, and Managing Editor have become common, and marketing executives are rushing to hire strategic content creators such as journalists and storytellers who excel at creating polished and informative content, quickly.
The organizations succeeding at content marketing and operations all have something in common: an organized, efficient, and carefully crafted team.
Not only do you need the right people on your team, you also need clearly defined roles for each team member. As of yet, improv won’t win you an Oscar. You need a script, a foundation, a strategy. Who’s in charge of planning and strategy for your content? Who’s going to actually create all those ebooks, blog posts, infographics, and webinars? Who’s going to ask probing questions about content KPIs, consumption channels, personas, and more? When should content be handled internally and when should you outsource?
Upland Kapost asked top content marketers to share their insights and experiences on building a content marketing team worthy of a golden statue. Here are just a few of their top suggestions:
- Pair internal thought leaders with external freelancer writers
- Hire journalists, writers, and publishers to create and package customer-grade content
- Vary the team’s skillset just enough to provide ample coverage – think strategic thinkers, storytellers, data nerds, top-notch editors, and investigators
And here are five of the top skills to look out for, ranked in order of importance to hiring managers, from a recent Upland Kapost survey of 500 marketers:
- Writing/editing skills
- Marketing experience
- Ability to collaborate across departments/teams
- Knowledge of content strategy and operations
- SEO expertise
So, for all of you content marketing and operation leading hopefuls out there: write the script for your content marketing success, identify the crucial roles, and cast the right people. If you get stuck, you can always revisit our tried-and-true approaches above, or explore more content for additional insight: