In today’s fast-paced world, mastering the art of scaling has become a vital part of the content marketing process. But it’s important to keep in mind that scaling isn’t just about creating more content, faster.
Instead, it’s about finding ways to grow your content without sacrificing quality.
While Google is notorious for consistently updating its algorithms, its guidance never fails to emphasize quality over quantity. With the right plan, it’s possible to pull off both.
Let’s dive into some of the best ways to ramp up your content marketing process without decreasing your standards.
Create a Killer Content Plan
As with many things in life, planning is key to scaling up your content marketing process. If you’ve yet to implement a content calendar, then now is the time to find out firsthand just how far this strategy can go.
Think of your content marketing process as a long car drive to an unfamiliar destination. Sure, you could just hop behind the wheel, set out into the sunset, and hope for the best.
But it’s highly likely that you’d enjoy a more efficient, stress-free journey if you brought along instructions that told you exactly how to get where you were going. Content marketing is no different.
Mapping out your strategy ahead of time provides a big picture approach that will allow you to:
- Fill in gaps
- Produce a more consistent workflow
- Identify seasonal content opportunities
- Avoid last-minute deadlines, a recipe for subpar quality
- Give your team the best chance for success.
Build a High-Quality Team You Can Depend On
Let’s face it—your content will only be as good as the people creating it. From experienced writers and editors to designers, creating a scalable content marketing process is largely about bringing together the right team.
It’s also important to understand and take advantage of the strengths of each individual team member. Embracing the interests and expertise of each member of your staff will allow you to assign work in a way that increases your team’s overall odds of success.
If you find that your current team is struggling to keep up with an increased workflow, the strategic use of freelancers can be a great way to avoid burnout. According to research from the Content Marketing Institute, half of all companies utilize outsourcing, with percentages being higher among large companies and lower among those who were the least successful.
Freelancers often prove the key to increasing output without breaking the budget, as you don’t have to worry about paying them unless there’s work to be done.
Establish a Workflow for Your Content Marketing Process
Nothing can kill acontent marketing process quicker than a lack of organization. In order to ensure that everything runs smoothly, you’ll need to establish a system that’s both efficient and easily accessible.
Ideally, you should be able to keep track of every assignment, who it’s assigned to, and its current status. There are plenty of great project management tools, such as Monday, ClickUp, and Asana, that can provide you with all this information at a glance.
It’s also important to make sure that everyone on your team stays connected and has easy access to the tools they need to complete their tasks as efficiently as possible.
If your project management platform doesn’t provide chat capabilities, look into whether it offers integration into a team messaging system like Slack.
Optimize Everything
As any good marketer will attest, there’s very little point in throwing content at the wall to see what sticks. If you’re going to spend time and money developing a piece of content, then you might as well take the steps necessary to ensure it’s worth it.
When it comes to RIO, content optimization is a key component of the content marketing process. The proper use of SEO keywords and phrases is a solid way to boost your digital visibility and drive more traffic.
The good news is, these days, there’s no need for guesswork when it comes to staying on top of the most popular topics and keywords in your industry. Tools like BuzzSumo, Semrush, and MarketMuse can provide your team with valuable insights into what’s trending.
But optimization doesn’t begin and end with SEO. It’s also vital to optimize your content for cross-channel publishing to ensure that it reaches as many potential customers as possible.
Revisit and Reuse Old Content
Centering your content marketing process exclusively around new material can lead to plenty of missed opportunities. Don’t forget to audit your old content, both to make sure it’s still relevant and to seek out any opportunities for reuse or repurposing.
Using older content in new or innovative ways is a great way to increase its overall value.
You’ll want to make sure that any contact that is currently used on your site is as up to date and relevant as possible. This is also an easy way to extend the lifespan of your top-performing pieces, which can then be shared on new platforms to attract even more viewers.
Be sure you also pay close attention to your most popular content and brainstorm how it could be expanded on. For instance, you might consider turning a successful blog series into an eBook or vice versa.
Keep the Focus on Quality
While it’s great to scale up your content marketing process to produce at a higher volume, it’s imperative not to sacrifice quality in the process. There’s no point in getting more clicks at the cost of you or your client’s reputation.
Ensure that nothing slips through the editorial cracks until it’s been thoroughly vetted for the type of authenticity you want your brand to reflect.
If your team is struggling to create high-quality content on a scale that outpaces your budget, then it may be time to up your rates, bring in extra help, or both. The bottom line is that quality just isn’t a corner you can afford to cut if you want to remain competitive.
Need a hand?
Head over to WritersAccess to find thousands of vetted freelance writers, editors, and other content creators waiting to show you just how effective outsourcing can be. You’ll enjoy a custom AI-powered search tool to connect you with the perfect freelancers based on your unique needs and preferences.
WritersAccess members also enjoy free access to powerful content creation tools and resources. Find out how WriterAccess can help you streamline your content marketing process today with a free 14-day trial.
