For me, one area is consistently underappreciated: the importance of the humble content brief.<\/p>\n
Many businesses that have weathered the especially challenging market over the last couple of years are now looking to scale up their operations.<\/p>\n
More specifically, brands are looking to leverage the obvious potential that exists by boosting their online presence via their content marketing efforts.<\/p>\n
Does this admission inside a Verblio job listing<\/a> sound familiar to you?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time for us to scale up our content. What we\u2019ve done so far in the content marketing space has been good, but we believe that getting to great \u2013 and doing more of it \u2013 can help us accelerate our growth even further.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n However, scaling up great content production is fraught with challenges or, put simply, \u201cbloody hard,\u201d as James Hardwick, head of content at Ahrefs, puts it.<\/p>\n And in light of the Helpful Content Update<\/a>, the need to achieve and maintain high-quality content<\/a> is more important than ever before.<\/p>\n Brands are no longer creating a mandatory one or two pieces a month just because they think they should.<\/p>\n In some instances, they\u2019re producing 200 pieces in one go and ramping up their output to fantastic effect, like this example by James Brockbank<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the scale on its own doesn\u2019t automatically lead to success, whether that\u2019s traffic, leads, or engagement.<\/p>\n For some brands, scaling content production can quickly lead to a bloated website, with new content being created along the same lines as previous articles (when upcycling older content would\u2019ve been better).<\/p>\n Or you just end up \u201cdoing more\u201d with no clear strategy.<\/p>\n While you can\u2019t be too regimented and need to have the flexibility to incorporate new, reactive, and timely pieces, there is another way.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what an ineffective approach to content production looks like:<\/p>\n Or, worse still:<\/p>\n Result<\/strong>: New content is sporadic and unstructured.<\/p>\n Now, here\u2019s what an effective approach to content production looks like:<\/p>\n Result: Each content piece has a clear purpose and complements each other.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the content itself is centered around your core business objectives and influenced by an individual who lives and breathes the topic.<\/p>\n It requires a mindset shift from producing disparate, unrelated, and, ultimately, ineffective content.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look into the key stages of creating useful and informative content with a purpose.<\/p>\n Chasing keyword volumes (without considering the wider business priorities) will take you down paths that won\u2019t have any commercial benefit.<\/p>\n Know the priorities of your business and what you can fulfill, then explore those topics.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get drawn into vaguely related topics that you\u2019re only targeting because they\u2019re popular.<\/p>\n Explore the topic and review the SERPs. Understand the different content you need to create around your chosen topic based on what\u2019s being rewarded in the search results (this includes video).<\/p>\n Yes, \u201croadmap\u201d can fall into the category of overused jargon that we marketers love to drop into a conversation, but this perfectly sums up what\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n A roadmap, in this sense, is the end goal.<\/p>\n The exhaustive list of content that we need around a topic begins with the hub (main page) and splits off into the clusters surrounding it (often known as the hub and spokes approach<\/a>).<\/p>\n But the content roadmap isn\u2019t just looking at one cluster \u2013 it encapsulates all of your new and upcycled content requirements.<\/p>\n This is effectively your high-level plan of what you need to create, as opposed to your centralized resource to manage the content delivery (with detailed content briefs, status and publish dates, etc.).<\/p>\n You also need the latter!<\/p>\n In the above example, creating 200 pieces of content at 2 per month would take just over 8 years.<\/p>\n Instead, this roadmap facilitates the building of momentum, having already identified the nuances between pieces and ensuring that each content piece complements, rather than competes, with each other.<\/p>\n Each identified piece is documented and contains the best-in-class competitor, the suggested URL structure, and target keywords.<\/p>\n It also enables you to ensure that you cover a key topic in-depth, across different content pieces, before moving on to the next area and, therefore, helping to build topical authority.<\/p>\n Best-in-class content requires genuine expert advice.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re only regurgitating advice that\u2019s already out there, it will show in your content. It will lack the depth to truly do the topic justice.<\/p>\n Speak to the topic specialists \u2013 those who live and breathe it.<\/p>\n One great piece of advice that I received was to share the top-performing articles with the expert and ask them what the other posts aren\u2019t covering. We are aiming for the best in class, after all.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve found that recording these calls (if an in-person conversation isn\u2019t possible and if you have permission to do so) is invaluable for a copywriter or, even better yet, having them on the calls themselves to ask questions.<\/p>\n Not only do content writers become more familiar with the topic, but they also build a rapport with the subject matter expert and sense their passion.<\/p>\n Only then you are in a position to create a content brief.<\/p>\n You might remember the old adage:<\/p>\n Garbage In = Garbage Out (GIGO)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If your content brief is rushed, poorly constructed, and lacking direction, then the content will not be fit for its purpose and will need to be revisited (either now, or in the future).<\/p>\n Some of the most successful content projects that I\u2019ve worked on involved me creating content briefs for subject matter experts.<\/p>\n A winning formula needs to have both the expert writer and strategist working in tandem.<\/p>\n Beyond the staples of a typical content brief, it also needs to cover these key components.<\/p>\n Would it be better to refresh and update an existing piece rather than start from scratch?<\/p>\n Will you need to redirect any other content pieces into this guide once published?<\/p>\n What\u2019s currently being rewarded in the search results?<\/p>\n What does best in class look like, and how do we meet and exceed the value that the current examples provide?<\/p>\n Scaling content production can quickly lead to inconsistencies in tone, language, and sentence structure, which becomes pretty apparent when a large number of writers are helping you to achieve your goals.<\/p>\n A section on brand guidelines helps to align each contributor with a consistent tone of voice<\/a> and boundaries to work within.<\/p>\n *The controversial one.<\/em><\/p>\n Now, we never want to tell writers HOW to write.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t want to restrict their creative license and force them to write pieces for the sake of \u2018keywords\u2019 (don\u2019t get me started on that).<\/p>\n The way we actually want to work is summed up perfectly by Kameron Jenkins<\/a> below.<\/p>\n Framing content to target these lofty and highly sought-after positions within the search results is so often overlooked.<\/p>\n Securing \u2018position zero\u2019 can take you above some seemingly more authoritative domains, simply by framing your content more effectively than they have.<\/p>\n A good example of this is how Visit North West is ranking above Gov.uk in the image below.<\/p>\n Sometimes all it takes is spending time reviewing the format of the featured Snippet (e.g., is it a list, paragraph, or short sentence) and framing your content to provide more value in your answer than the current incumbent.<\/p>\n Also, take note of the word count and aim for a similar length (give or take a couple of words).<\/p>\n Linking from old content to new will be quoted in any beginner\u2019s guide to SEO<\/a>, but is often overlooked.<\/p>\n Going through old pieces and adding a relevant link will help to demonstrate your authority on the topic while supporting the newly formed clusters.<\/p>\n You also need to consider which older articles are relevant to link to from the new piece.<\/p>\n Keyword volumes get thrown about all the time in the SEO industry.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re position 1 for a keyword with 4000 searches per month.\u201d<\/p>\n Unless we\u2019re talking about grocery shopping behavior, very few industries will be consistent throughout the year (and even in that example, there will be large peaks around the holiday seasons). There will, inevitably, be peaks and troughs at different times.<\/p>\n Finding out when these are, through tools such as Mangools<\/a>, will help you to make better decisions about the prioritization of content and when you need to be publishing for maximum impact.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t forget: keyword volumes are historic figures and very much just a steer.<\/p>\n The last few years have dramatically affected search behavior, so take those figures with a pinch of salt for the particularly impacted sectors.<\/p>\n Many jump in with creating the content brief and then work out the target terms that we would want to rank for (largely leading with assumptions).<\/p>\n But this approach ignores two fundamental questions of good content-led SEO:<\/p>\n This can be achieved by seeing what else a high-performing post ranks for, as well as a SERP analysis of other potential targets.<\/p>\n For example, you run a pharmaceutical store and sell the hair loss treatment \u201cdutasteride.\u201d<\/p>\n You may incorrectly decide that you want to target your product page for:<\/p>\n So, targeting all of these terms on your product page will just be a waste of time and resources (unless the intent of that SERP changes), when really, you need separate pages to truly satisfy that intent.<\/p>\n When it comes to content briefing, the identification of your target keywords takes time (if done correctly).<\/p>\n Gone are the days when you could get a simple list of keywords without reviewing the intent and then conclude that they\u2019re your target terms.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t something content briefing tools will give you, either. You need to be armed with your target keywords when using any software designed to speed up the time it takes to generate the brief.<\/p>\n Thankfully, we\u2019ve already completed this analysis when devising our roadmap. So, instead of starting with the content brief, it actually brings everything together.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll often see individuals scoff when you suggest a couple of hours to create a content brief, with the classic retort \u201cbut it\u2019s only a brief.\u201d<\/p>\n The marketing industry is awash with ways of doing things quicker \u2013 which I\u2019m all for. You can complete a content audit in five minutes, or analyze the health of your website with an automated SEO audit and complete a content brief in ten minutes.<\/p>\n However, the extra time spent researching, seeing what other terms you can rank for, and reviewing the intent can be the difference between your content flopping and thriving.<\/p>\n The drawbacks of some \u201cquick audits\u201d are perfectly encapsulated by Simon Schnieder\u2019s LinkedIn post<\/a>.<\/p>\n There is an abundance of content briefing tools already on the market but they\u2019re not the silver bullet for your content.<\/p>\n They, too, need to be working in tandem with an expert.<\/p>\n As mentioned earlier, content briefing tools are great for when you\u2019ve identified your target terms and what your content could rank for, but they won\u2019t work that out for you.<\/p>\n\n
Ramping Up Content Production<\/h2>\n
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![\"Linkedin](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/scaling-content-production-celebrating-the-unsung-hero.png\")
Screenshot from LinkedIn, January 2023<\/span><\/div>\n<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\nScale Doesn\u2019t Equal Success<\/h3>\n
The Current, Muddled, And Ad Hoc Approach To Content Production<\/h3>\n
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The Better Way To Approach Content Production<\/h3>\n
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Strategy<\/h4>\n
Research<\/h4>\n
Content Plan Replaced With The Content Roadmap<\/h2>\n
Roadmap<\/h4>\n
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![\"content](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/scaling-content-production-celebrating-the-unsung-hero-1.png\")
Screenshot from author, November 2022<\/span><\/div>\n<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\nExpert<\/h4>\n
Brief<\/h4>\n
Bringing It All Together With The Content Brief<\/h2>\n
![\"Subject](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/scaling-content-production-celebrating-the-unsung-hero-2.png\")
Image created by author, February 2023<\/span><\/div>\nWhat Should Be Included In A Content Brief?<\/h2>\n
Is It A New Or Upcycled Piece?<\/h3>\n
Best-In-Class Examples<\/h3>\n
Brand Guidelines (Including ToV)<\/h3>\n
Guidance On Document Structure*<\/h3>\n
![\"Tweet](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/scaling-content-production-celebrating-the-unsung-hero-3.png\")
Screenshot from Twitter, January 2023<\/span><\/div>\nGuidance On How To Target Featured Snippets<\/h3>\n
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![\"featured](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/scaling-content-production-celebrating-the-unsung-hero-4.png\")
Screenshot from search for [when\u2019s the next bank holiday in the uk], Google, September 2022<\/span><\/div>\n<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\nInternal Link Opportunities (From And To The Page)<\/h3>\n
Search Trends<\/h3>\n
Target Keywords Based On Research<\/h3>\n
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![\"Dutasteride](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/scaling-content-production-celebrating-the-unsung-hero-5.png\")
Screenshot from search for [dutasteride], Google, February 2023<\/span><\/div>\nHow Long Does It Take To Create A Content Brief?<\/h2>\n
Can\u2019t You Get A Tool For That?<\/h2>\n
Why People Give Up On Scaling Content Production<\/h2>\n
![\"Create](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/scaling-content-production-celebrating-the-unsung-hero-6.png\")
![\"Ryan](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/scaling-content-production-celebrating-the-unsung-hero-7.png\")