{"id":1211,"date":"2021-08-08T13:40:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-08T17:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beomniscient.com\/?p=1211"},"modified":"2025-03-28T11:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T15:00:08","slug":"content-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beomniscient.com\/blog\/content-operations\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Content Operations to Produce Better Content Faster"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A good idea is only as good as its execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does this sound familiar? You have a great content idea, but along the way, task assignments get fumbled and steps get missed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You end up scrambling to throw it together. Instead of shining, it flops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you make sure your execution is just as brilliant as your idea?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Alina Benny, Nextiva\u2019s Senior Content SEO Lead, you build a solid content operations engine to carry it from brainstorm to publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The definition of content operations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are often misconceptions about what content operations is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People often boil it down to keyword research, style guides, and content calendars<\/a>. The reality is more complex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Content operations is more than just a set of tools or spreadsheets. It\u2019s the entire life cycle of a piece of content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cContent operations is everything that you do to plan, produce, distribute, and optimize content,\u201d Alina said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It includes things like team roles, gatekeepers, content tech, content briefs, SEO checklists, design and development intake, link partnerships and distribution, and content performance and optimization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is by no means an exhaustive list of all the different roles of components inside of content operations,\u201d Alina said. \u201cBut I like to believe that these are some of the key components that we’ve found to be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 reasons content operations matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having a system in place to identify, describe, assign, and track each content-related task can seem daunting. But when done well, it will allow you to match your great ideas with equally great execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s why that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Ensure better content quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you have a system in place and checklists to follow, things won\u2019t slip through the cracks and affect the quality of your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you have things where it needs to be with clear accountability, things are just going to be a better quality,\u201d Alina said. \u201cJust like how you don’t need to scramble last minute to get things done.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you might have a blog post ready to go, but the featured image hasn\u2019t been prepped in time by the design team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Content operations maps out every step, so that scenario never happens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Create faster production cycles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you know exactly what needs to get done and when, production cycles operate more smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First off, there’s clear visibility into everything that needs to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speed can also be improved by using feedback loops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most teams rely on design and development<\/a> and subject matter experts to produce content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An operations engine allows for feedback, so those teams can see exactly what worked and what didn\u2019t for next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe best way to help them do better work in the future is to go back and show them how something that they worked on performed,\u201d Alina said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Focus on ROI-driven content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A good content operations system requires every piece of content to have a purpose. That purpose should tie back directly to your company\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a piece of content moves along the pipeline, each stakeholder can support its purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you’re building it for backlinks, then get that clear. Mention that on the brief. Talk about that’s where extra ammunition needs to go into promotion and partnerships,\u201d Alina said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you’re building it for the product-led purpose, then get your product team excited about it, to get them to contribute a ton.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every piece of content should have a reason for existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Get a competitive advantage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s a competitive advantage,\u201d Alina said of a well-oiled system \u201cThis is one of my favorite reasons why that I tend to double down on content operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not every team has a system in place. Of those that do, not all are good at it. Having a solid one will give you an edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A strong system is underpinned by documented processes. Writing everything down will help you fine-tune your existing workflow and allows you to grow your team more easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe find it that it’s so much easier to plug in somebody when they’re just getting onboarded or if they\u2019ve newly joined the team when you have a repeatable process that you have documented,\u201d Alina said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hire a content editor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ready to jumpstart your own content ops program?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When creating your own content operations team, don\u2019t focus only on writers. You first need someone to oversee the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we need to hire for first is called a lot of things, but it’s the content editor role,\u201d Alina said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you look at what needs to be done in order to publish one blog post, and you’re looking at the writing tasks versus non-writing tasks, we’re talking about five tasks versus 20 tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A writer will create a well-crafted piece of content. That\u2019s important, but that\u2019s not all you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey’re not going to be able to do more than a few things on this list,\u201d she said. \u201cThat’s not going to help you publish something that’s successful, something that’s user-friendly and so trendy, and you can tie it back down to a business score.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A content editor can put together all of the other pieces required to make that happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use project management software for the entire pipeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alina said one of the most common questions she gets is about how Nextiva organizes its content operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer: they use Asana to track every step of their blog creation process and who\u2019s accountable. They even keep their ideas there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is where it goes, and it’s not where it goes to die. It thrives there,\u201d Alina said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each idea gets an entry that includes commentary, keyword research, competitive resources, and other key details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the \u2018idea board,\u2019 it can be moved along the pipeline, with each step having its own board and an owner to oversee it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s a new piece of content, it will go from \u2018idea\u2019 to \u2018outline\u2019 to \u2018assigned\u2019 to \u2018writer.\u2019 Then editing, design, on deck, and publish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s an existing piece of content, it goes into the refresh queue, and then moves along the appropriate boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar setup is possible within your own project management software<\/a>. But first, you need to figure out a few details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alina said: \u201cIf you are looking at this, and if you’re wondering how you can replicate something like this for your system, then these are the four questions that you need to ask yourself: what does your existing flow look like? What are the different steps in that flow you can count as milestones? How do you improve that? And who’s accountable at each step?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use content briefs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll note that everything up until this point has involved the preparation process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you finally reach the writing stage, you need a good brief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing your writers with all of the information they need to create your content ensures you\u2019ll get back exactly what you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn-house writers or external, they’re very integrated into our content operation system,\u201d Alina said. \u201cThey have limited but relevant view into what they’re working on and why it matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alina\u2019s template includes things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n