The world of content creation is incredibly demanding, both in terms of overall volume and the variety of hats a given content director may wear across a shift. While the writers and video analysts represent the source of content, it’s the director’s job to make sure it all flows smoothly.
In large part, a content director’s success depends on their soft skills, or emotional intelligence. We’ve written at-length about how a content director can use that emotional intelligence to strengthen their team’s performance. Today, however, we’ll focus on cohesion and efficiency.
Emotional intelligence goes a long way toward inspiring a group of writers and analysts, but that skill can only go so far if the team itself isn’t pointed in the right direction. Whether you’re a director or a managing editor, these keys can help you thrive.
5 Tips for Running an Efficient Content Team
1) Build a Self-Sustaining Schedule
First things first: If you’re going to coordinate a large group of people with varying roles across departments, you need a master schedule. A schedule sets deadlines for tasks, but more than that, it keeps everyone on the same page, and it allows each department to be aware of both their current duties and their future demands.
For each piece of written or video content you produce on your site, you’ll likely need to: Trail with written and video editors, splice out sections for promotional clips and graphics, and fine-tune your social media campaign for each piece. All of this work needs to be done ahead of time. If you don’t have a schedule, time and energy can be wasted quickly.
The schedule is the melding agent for the team. Once you figure out how to format it and share it with others, it should be self-sustaining as more content is added to the pipeline.
2) Identify and Track Checkpoints
Using your master schedule, you should now identify and track relevant checkpoints. When is a piece in progress by its writer? When is a video in production? When is a piece of content in editing? How many editing passes before it’s good to publish and post on social media?
If there’s a relevant checkpoint in your editorial process, you should mark it down and track it for each article or video that passes along the conveyor belt. These checkpoints serve as the guiding landmarks to let each department know where exactly a piece is at, and what more is needed to get it across the finish line.
3) Communicate Needs Across Departments
The content schedule should already naturally communicate what is needed by each department and when. But that shouldn’t stop you from being proactive and specific with your communication. The schedule is a reference point. You are the driving agent.
Do the extra work to confirm that each department knows what’s needed of them. Going off of that, function as a sounding board for departments that have specific needs, and make sure those needs are effectively communicated.
Perhaps there’s a unique written article coming out – such as a mock draft – and the graphic team needs to make a special graphic. Perhaps the video team has created a clip series for embeds in written articles. This is where cohesion comes in, and proactive communication is its source.
4) Track Investments and Topical Trends
To run a successful site, you have to be rooted in the data. Following trends is an essential part of content ideation. As a content director or a managing editor, however, you can take it to the next level, and track how you invest your energy and resources. Through this documentation, you can determine whether or not strategic redirects need to be made.
While the schedule is the foundation of the content stream, the content itself comes from the creativity of yourself and your team. Ensure that your team’s creativity is unburdened by keeping an open mind. If something is working, mine that well. If it’s not, pivot and find a better place to spend.s
5) Review and Re-Evaluate Across the Chain
There’s only one more step now: Take everything you’ve just read, and close the loop. These steps are not finite, one-time measures. Rather, it’s an ongoing process that you’ll go through time and time again as you sustain your site’s content stream. Through this cyclic endeavor, you should also be consistently reviewing and re-evaluating your team’s cohesion and efficiency.
Is there a spot in the chain – from writing and editing to social outreach and post-production – where your team hits a snag? Is there a way your communication can be more thorough and streamlined? Where are you losing time and efficiency? Ask these questions continually to ensure your team is at the top of its game.
