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Content Marketing is a Team Sport

by | Feb 4, 2015 | Content Marketing | 0 comments

Businesspeople working on laptop in an office.

There’s a reason they refer to it as social media: It’s not a solitary pursuit, and was never meant to be. It’s all about relationships and interaction. That’s true of social media as a pastime, and it’s true of social media as a marketing tool.

So hear us when we say this: One of the biggest misconceptions about content and social media marketing is that it can be done by just one person—that you, as a small business owner, can succeed in content marketing all by your lonesome. You just can’t.

You need, of course, the involvement and engagement of your customers and consumers. Depending on the scope of your project, you may also need the help of outside content marketing consultants, like the Grammar Chic team.

And you need full buy-in from your team.

Here’s what happens when your team members aren’t on board with your content marketing endeavors: They don’t participate. They don’t like or share your company Facebook posts. They don’t encourage their friends to follow the company Twitter account. They don’t provide any kind of help with your content development, beyond what you flat-out require of them—and even then, they offer their services without real enthusiasm or heart.

That’s not really viable, long-term. To make content work, you need your whole team to be united behind your vision and goals. You may still be doing the bulk of the work yourself, or you may have a designated marketing person who does it, but everyone needs to understand it and even show some enthusiasm for it.

The question is, how do you make that a reality? How do you get full team buy-in on your content marketing endeavors?

A few suggestions:

  • Articulate a vision. “Hey gang, we’re going to start a Facebook page” does not count as a vision. What you need to do is communicate why you’re getting into content marketing; what you hope to accomplish; and how your content marketing will reflect and support the overall goals of the company.
  • Make it clear from the get-go that content marketing is a process, something that you’ll be investing in over the long haul—not something you expect to yield miraculous results overnight.
  • Educate your team members. Remember that some may still be skeptical or unclear on the benefits of content marketing.
  • Make it clear that everyone benefits from a successful content marketing program—that it enhances the company’s reputation and prestige, helps sales, and all-around supports the company’s operations and vision.
  • Make a special effort to recruit those who are enthusiastic and supportive of your content marketing ideas; if you have an employee who is really passionate about it, enlist him or her to help in a more direct way.
  • Know what your goals are, and provide regular progress reports—proving to your team that, yes, content marketing matters, and you’re getting results.

For help with education or effective strategizing, you can always reach out to the Grammar Chic crew: Call 803-831-7444, or visit www.grammarchic.net.