Optimize your content workflow to meet personalization demands

Brian Richards

Optimize your content workflow to meet personalization demands

Thanks to the demand for hyper-personalization, content rules the day in marketing. That means you can’t ignore issues and inefficiencies in your content workflow processes.

A streamlined workflow is the backbone of every successful marketing campaign, ensuring that it goes out on time without any overruns.

So how do you optimize your content workflow for maximum effectiveness and a solid return on investment? Here’s how.

1. Assess your current content workflow

It starts by taking stock of your existing process and looking for how to improve.

Understand existing processes: Document and map your workflow from start to finish and identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies along the way. Comprehensive documentation and accurate descriptions are crucial for making informed decisions and improving overall efficiency.

Gather feedback: Ask your team members to help identify pain points and areas for improvement through one-on-one meetings, surveys, suggestion boxes, or focus groups. This gives you a different perspective, gives team members a sense of ownership, and fosters open communication and growth.

Create standards and expected outcomes: Clear expectations for each stage of the workflow help everyone understand their roles and responsibilities and keep them working toward the same goals. This increases efficiency, reduces errors, and makes it easier to identify and address any issues that may arise.

2. Enable collaboration and communication

Next you need the tools in place to facilitate your process, which is mainly about collaboration and communication.

Collaborative tools: Project management software, like Adobe Workfront, can enhance teamwork, increase productivity, and achieve content goals more effectively.

Communication tools: Tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams allow for real-time answers and discussions, streamlining communication and enhancing productivity within your team.

Facilitate conversation: Regular check-ins and status updates can make sure the project is progressing smoothly.

3. Leverage automation

Now how can you save time? What tasks can be automated?

Automate repetitive tasks: Scheduling social media posts or email newsletters can save time and increase efficiency, freeing up team members’ time for more important tasks.

Streamline creation processes: Templates or standardized formats help ensure consistency, promote collaboration, and save time.

Automate distribution: Distribution tools such as Adobe's Marketo Exchange and Salesforce's Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly Pardot) can save time, reach a wider audience, and streamline your marketing efforts.

4. Streamline workflows & processes

Next you want to optimize your process.

Standardize intake forms: Compiling all the required information for work requests upfront reduces the likelihood of follow-up questions.

Establish clear review workflows: Defining the specific steps and roles involved in the review/approval process prevents confusion and delays.

Use productivity tools: Editing software, content calendars, and project management platforms can boost efficiency and help keep your projects on schedule.

Provide prioritization: Keep close track of who is working on what, when each task is due, and which tasks need immediate attention. A clear understanding of the work that needs to be done and in what order lets you assign tasks effectively and avoid delays.

5. Monitor and iterate

Finally, optimizing your content workflow is a matter of seeing what works and doing more of that.

Evaluate and improve: Regularly assess and refine your workflow to identify and eliminate bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and other areas that need attention.

Institute a feedback loop: Encouraging feedback on the workflow to identify and address potential issues leads to increased productivity, better outcomes, and a more positive work environment.

Implement analytics tools: Tools like Adobe Analytics and Microsoft Power BI can help you measure the value of workflow changes and optimize processes with data-driven insights.

The bottom line

An efficient content workflow is crucial for executing successful marketing campaigns and ensuring that content creation and distribution processes are cost-effective and impactful. Credera specializes in helping our clients put the strategies and technologies in place to achieve this. Schedule a call to talk about how we can help you optimize your content resources and processes.