content workflow

Your team members need a defined workflow and the appropriate process to make their task manageable for content marketing operations to run well.

Workflow is the sequence of tasks you use to create a content item. The process is how your staff regularly and effectively completes those jobs. Together, they assist team members in comprehending their roles, how to fulfil them, and how their work will be moved on to the following stage.

You may map the workflow for any content format and create an executable procedure using this simplified, five-step method. You can complete each step more easily if you use the templates and examples.

Step 1: Examine your content formats

As part of your content marketing strategy, make a template with the following columns: content format, principal delivery platform, other delivery platforms, and unique situations that may apply. After that, complete the template with each type of content your team creates:

• What kind of content do you produce? E-books? Presenting live? Webinars? visual material? List each regular format that your team develops.
• Where is the first place each format is published or distributed?
• Are there any further channels where this material format is distributed? ( These responses support the process by bringing to the surface additional tasks for that content format. To offer a consistent multi platform experience, it also takes into account measures taken after publishing.
• Unique situations and variations: Do certain e-books have a lead generation gate but not others? Do you only use videos in your newsletters when there is a special event or deal? Any changes that call for additional measures ought to be mentioned.

Concentrate only on the high-level tasks in your workflow at this time. The finer points, such as who creates the content, who must approve it, design elements, etc., can be considered later.

Here is an illustration of what a finished template might resemble:

Format for Content	Platform of First Delivery	Additional Platforms for Distribution	Unique Situations/Variations
Feature article	website (blog)	Newsletter Group or page on LinkedIn  Social networking	Sponsored articles Crowdsourced articles Illustration collections Republished articles
Newsletter	Email
E-book	Website (page with resources)	email marketing editorial piece Advertiser landing page	Gated for lead generation Advertised e-books
Video (livestream)	Instagram	Facebook Use Twitter	With influencers’ help,
Video (scripted)	YouTube	Blog on a website Microsite for an event Web website with videos	Featured webinars
Post on social media.	LinkedIn	Facebook Use Twitter With Instagram
Live performance	Personal encounter	blog entries Virtual occasion	Video clips shared on social media

Utilise this framework to create a list of the necessary tasks, map them as workflows, and combine them into one process.

Step 2: Make a list of every task for each format

Next, make a list of all the steps required to create a single content format for a single main platform.

You may wish to start with the format that is created the most frequently or that is most important to the objectives of your content. Alternatively, you might choose the asset that requires the most teams or additional procedures to generate and distribute. You’ll understand why shortly.

You don’t need to bother about organising the tasks just yet. Just make a list as ideas come to you. For example, the following tasks could be listed in an “editorial article”:

• Choose a topic.
• Plan when posts will appear on the blog.
• Edit the copy that was submitted.
• Add text and images to the CMS.
• Content formatting for layout.
• Send the author the revised draft for review and approval.
• Request sales and marketing input on the subject.
• Send the contact person the links and assets for the daily email.
• Create and develop visuals.
• assemble the assets and author bio information.
• Develop a distinct story stance.
• Speak with a subject-matter expert (s).
• Assign the writer to draft the copy.
• Verify and accept the finished design.

These jobs vary in the number of steps they require. For instance, formatting the content can entail adding hyperlinks, resizing imported photos, establishing category tags, etc. Stick to broad work categories for this practice, though.

Step 3: Group tasks according to production stages

The next step is to arrange the tasks into the pre-production, production, and post-production phases in the order depicted below. You are able to map a seamless workflow using this step (step four).

Formatting Stage of Content (editorial article)	Action Item
stage before production.	Identify the subject.
	Think of an angle.
	Determine your sources and subject-matter experts.
	Ask for feedback from sales and marketing on the subject and strategy.
	Choose a writer.
	Specify the needs for governance.
	assemble/create the author’s assets and bio.
manufacturing phase	Write articles and get author submissions.
	For style and content, edit and modify the copy.
	Create and develop visuals.
	Send a final draft for approval to the author and/or stakeholders.
	For layout, load and format the copy and graphics.
	Configure the metadata.
	Verify and accept the finished design.
after-production phase	When posts will appear on the blog, plan ahead.
	publicise material through metadata.
	Send information to [contact] for a newsletter or email alert.
	Send links or other assets to [contact] for further promotion, repurposing, or distribution in line with the content strategy.
	Gather metrics information and provide reports.

To assist you with sequencing your duties, take note of the following information:

• Which actions must be completed before others can begin?
• What tasks are allowed to run simultaneously?
• Each task should be marked as finished and prepared for the next one in some manner.

Step 4: Assign roles and diagram how the work will be done.

From here, you expand the chart to include a column for roles and specify who is in charge of each track. You can make a flowchart illustrating how production efforts move from one role to the next using the information provided.

The first step is rather simple, especially if your content marketing staff is small, concentrated, and has distinct tasks. Include all roles when working on joint projects. As a guide, I inserted several pre-production roles in this instance.

Formatting Stage of Content (editorial article)	Action Item	Roles
stage before production.	Identify the subject.	team captain
	Think of an angle.	team captain Editing manager
	Determine your sources and subject-matter experts.	Editor-in-chief  Story editor  Staff writers
	Ask for feedback from sales and marketing on the subject and strategy.	Editing manager
	Choose a writer.	Editing manager
	Specify the needs for governance.	Editing manager
	assemble/create the author’s assets and bio.	A copy editor
manufacturing phase	Write articles and get author submissions.
	For style and content, edit and modify the copy.
	Create and develop visuals.
	Send a final draft for approval to the author and/or stakeholders.
	For layout, load and format the copy and graphics.
	Configure the metadata.
	Verify and accept the finished design.
after-production phase	When posts will appear on the blog, plan ahead.
	Publicise material through metadata.
	Send information to [contact] for a newsletter or email alert.
	Send links or other assets to [contact] for further promotion, repurposing, or distribution in line with the content strategy.
	Gather metrics information and provide reports.

For larger businesses or those with shared content obligations across numerous departments, role determination might be more difficult. However, as the content marketing team members are positioned, gaps become apparent. That will aid you in locating the appropriate groups to contact for collaborative support.

The workflow for the editorial article format is now fully explained by the graphic. But it may be a useful addition to make it into a shared graphic or map. Stakeholders will be better able to see where they fit into the production process and what still has to be done.

Step 5: Implement and refine

You currently have the duties and chronological order of actions for a content format mapped out. Make it a repeatable procedure now. Establish a system to monitor and manage the activities as they are completed, and make sure everyone has the resources they need to fulfil their part.

Build a complex system using the rich dashboards offered by project management software like Asana or Jira. Utilizing cloud-based productivity applications like Airtable, Trello, or Monday, you can also create unique trackers and checklists. The simplest strategy, though, One possibility might be to put the data from the templated chart into an Excel or Google spreadsheet that can be shared.

I indicated before that you may build a procedure around one type of information and then modify it for others. This is how it functions:

• Review the original table to make any necessary adjustments for the unique situations and variances.
• Go through the tasks shown on the chart. Determine which jobs are unneeded and ought to be cancelled, as well as which ones ought to be added.
• Join the newly added responsibilities to the roles. You can create procedures for additional content types by modelling what you just did for editorial articles.

You can see the need for specific procedures for content formats with wide differences. You may also see how starting with your most complex format makes sense. It will be much harder to plan the production duties for more involved projects like e-books if you concentrate on a simpler format, like livestream videos for Instagram.

Create, edit, and repeat.

Teams working on content marketing balance a lot of tasks. Why not simplify things by outlining your workflows and creating solid procedures to accomplish your marketing objectives? If you want to use this shortcut, please leave a comment to let me know how it went, or what adjustments you made to make it more effective for your team.