Who wants to talk governance? Should we expect to hear crickets chirping after we ask that question?
Please be assured that this has nothing to do with the political landscape. Governance is, simply, a system by which entities are directed or controlled.
When it comes to website content, Americaneagle.com has worked with a wide range of clients whose website content had grown out of control. They needed help. How did that happen? They had not prioritized content governance. A website that has grown out of control is certainly more awful than considering content governance upfront, right?
Below, we outline some common elements that can advance your website’s content governance strategy.
Content Creation
This is the step that requires the most expansive involvement, participation, and professional understanding of the content governance strategy. Within this step, the who, what, why, when, where, and how are clarified. A better order for those within a content governance strategy might be who, what, why, how, where, and when.
- Your team of content creators is the who.
- The content creative team should establish a consistent process for the development of topics – the what. Those topics can be derived from a wide range of business priorities such as branding, product enhancement, industry trends, thought leadership, or promotional campaigns.
- Business strategy and search engine optimization efforts lead the why.
- The content type, a blog post, article, guide, checklist, infographic, video, podcast, whitepaper, etc., is the how.
- Location within the website or other digital channels becomes the where.
- Project priorities, timeline expectations, and deadlines drive the when.
The content gets created to engage, persuade, compel, affirm, build, and sell. The assigned professional typically accomplishes that by outlining, then writing, or producing the content. Consistency standards and brand expectations should be emphasized to the extent that each content creator is a branding expert.
Content Review & Publishing
A select group should assume accountability for the content governance flow of editing, approving, and publishing content. Establish clear workflows and expectations. There should be fact-checking, proofreading, and efforts to enhance the content in this stage. Is the content congruent with your brand’s voice?
Analyze Published Content
Content governance does not end when the content lands on the website. If it does, your website is headed toward the status of “overloaded and out-of-control.” Set goals for your content. Pay attention to the channels and topics which are performing well, as well as those that aren’t. Challenge your teams to identify ways to improve them.
Update or Terminate Content
Some content is almost evergreen. Most should receive regular attention. Some content, such as event related or campaign related, may have clear expiration dates for when it has lost relevance. A workgroup should be created to complete a website content review on a regularly-scheduled basis. In this, three clear categories should emerge. There will be content that remains accurate and relevant as-is. There will be other content that could benefit from revision. And last, but not least, there will be content that should be eliminated.
See, these fundamentals of content governance are not too awful. Having a plan will go a long way toward improving your website’s user experience and overall success. Content governance is not “one size fits all” across all types of businesses or industries. Get started and prioritize what works for you, your team, and your brand. If you decide that a little help would be beneficial, Americaneagle.com has the talent and experience to assist you.
Additional Resource:
Our Modern Marketing Podcast recently shared helpful insights relating to content governance and the importance of brand standards.
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