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Content creation

Creating great content in the 21st century

Robot reading
We’re not robots. Our audiences aren’t robots, either. Consider beefing up your process with tried-and-true checks and balances. Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

The nuts and bolts of producing great content—brainstorming, writing, editing, proofreading, and formatting, to say nothing of review and approval—rarely get the attention they deserve. Arguably, these steps are too far in the weeds for many who would rather focus on big ideas and finished products.

Why is this the case? For starters, corporate culture often doesn’t act until something goes wrong. That mindset, paired with a consistent shortage of resources, has led to a “necessary evil” approach to content creation. Get it done, get it approved, and get it out the door so we can move on to the next task.

Specialized no more

In the 20th century, writers had their niches and stuck with them. Some newspaper reporters worked on 800-word stories their entire careers. Book editors focused on long-form story craft. Publicity experts probably stuck with news releases, speeches and PR campaigns.

But as creatures of the 21st century, we adapt by choice and by circumstance, crafting content on various topics for different platforms and audiences. Nothing’s off limits for the well-rounded content expert. Seasoned writers and editors can comfortably produce:

  • News releases
  • Fliers
  • Brochures
  • Social content
  • Scripts
  • Reports
  • Magazine articles
  • Website content
  • Marketing collateral
  • Proposals
  • E-books
  • Book books (our way of saying “old-fashioned print publications”)

The variety is awesome and virtually unprecedented, but it comes at a price. Everyone is stretched thin. Quality suffers, even among immensely talented colleagues.

Great brands need great content

Companies of all sizes, across all industries, are susceptible to this. Growing brands are especially vulnerable as they scale operations and strive to reach an ever-growing audience. People get by on instinct, with a bit of collaboration and lots of common sense. We often make choices because they look right in the moment—not because we’ve got firm ground to stand on.

What if you took a step back and crafted a content strategy and built a sustainable editorial operation? What if your content team was a well-oiled machine, blending subject-matter knowledge with deep content expertise? What business problems would this approach solve?

When it comes to content, think bigger. Robust content creation is essential for any business that is striving to achieve brand resonance. Making systemic changes to your editorial operation can yield tangible results.

Are you ready to get started? Contact us today to learn how we can help you build your content team into a thriving and invaluable part of your journey.

 

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