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We don’t usually speak of Content Marketing and Software Development in the same sentence, but they actually have some things in common, the biggest of which is how to run “the factory.” For content marketers, it’s the content factory and for developers, it’s the product factory. In this ebook, we’ll highlight how a set of core principles that have inspired software development practices can also be used to boost your content marketing success.
Introduction Agile Principles The Twelve Agile Principles for Content Marketing
Summary About the Author
Originally published in blog format with the Content Marketing Institute.http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/10/go-agile-adapt-12-principles-to-content-marketing/ | 2
Introduction We don’t usually speak of Content Marketing and Software
Development in the same sentence, but they actually have some things
in common, the biggest of which is how run “the factory.” For content
marketers, it’s the content factory and for developers, it’s the product
factory.
Content marketers are responsible for continually deliver high-quality,
impactful content, while developers must continually deliver high-
quality, functional software. A lot of time has been devoted to increasing
the throughput and quality of content or software development. The
number of new tools, new processes, new practices, new paradigms,
and new philosophies is increasing rapidly. But over the last 20 years,
there’s one revolution in software development that stands out above
all else and that is the rise of Agile software development.
| 3
Agile Principles Agile is rooted in a set of core principles, which were first codified in
2001. The principles have been adopted in several software
development practices with names like Scrum, Lean and Feature-
driven Development. But Agile Principles should not be limited to just
software development. As the role of content in the buyer’s journey
grows and marketers are responsible for consistently producing high
quality content, now more than ever it’s time to shine the Agile spotlight
on content marketing. Marketers applying these principles in their own
content marketing operations can reap huge benefits. Here are the 12
Principles behind the Agile Manifesto, with all words adapted for
content marketing italicized.
| 4
1PRINCIPLE #1
It all starts with the audience, the buyers, and the consumers, and
delivering valuable content to them where and when it will have impact.
This is the mission of content marketing and takes its worthy spot as
the first principle.
Our highest priority is to impact the audience through timely and continuous delivery of valuable content.
| 5
2PRINCIPLE #2
It is never too late to halt or change the creation of a piece of content. It
will happen – a customer case study will be compromised by an
account management issue, a competitor will beat you to the punch on
a thought-leadership topic, or the market context will shift and make
your white paper outdated. It is far better to shift gears even at the last
minute than to deliver something misaligned or irrelevant. Welcome the
opportunity to get it right rather than be frustrated over the causes of
change.
Welcome changing requirements, even late in content creation. Agile processes harness change for competitive advantage.
| 6
3PRINCIPLE #3
Each channel or media format has its own nuances and time cycles for
creation and consumption. From spontaneous social posts to long-form
white papers, be clear and realistic about delivery-time cycles and
expectations.
Deliver content frequently, from a couple of minutes to a couple of months.
| 7
4PRINCIPLE #4
Continuous dialogue around prioritization, progress, roadblocks, and
needs with an informed and empowered delegate from outside the
content team is essential to keeping the factory running at full steam. In
software development, this role is filled by the product manager. In
content marketing, this role is typically filled by the managing editor.
Deliver content frequently, from a couple of minutes to a couple of months.
| 8
5PRINCIPLE #5
Software developers and writers share many traits. They need to blend
creativity with science. They need to collaborate, yet go heads down
with focus on their individual tasks. And they don’t like people looking
over their shoulders and micromanaging them. Figure out what your
content marketing team members need to be successful, provide it, and
trust their commitment and motivation to get the job done.
Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
| 9
6PRINCIPLE #6
Ever notice how an internal email about a content asset can have 10
times as many words as the content asset itself? This is all too common
and inefficient. Conversations – not more emails – will cure this
inefficiency and remove ambiguity and misunderstanding among
content creators and their subject matter experts, product managers,
etc.
The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a team is face-to-face conversation.
| 10
7PRINCIPLE #7
Impact will be measured in different ways for difference teams. But
progress should be measured in metrics that drive the business and
revenue, such as leads, conversion, sales, upsells, and cross-sells, etc.
Impactful content is the primary measure of progress.
| 11
8PRINCIPLE #8
A well-tuned factory can produce at a predictable, sustainable, and
high-throughput capacity. Sustainability prevents burnout on the team
and loss of quality at deadline crunch time. It is also important to think
about sustainability of the audience. Why generate more content than
the audience can actually consume?
Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, content marketers, and audience should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
| 12
9PRINCIPLE #9
High standards for writing lead to lower editing costs, better reusability,
and an overall faster completion time. Likewise, rigor on asset
production makes repurposing, rebranding, and content updates much
more efficient. Can you repackage all your collateral with one update to
a template? If not, there is a lack of efficiency to be fixed.
Continuous attention to writing excellence and good production practices enhances agility.
| 13
l0PRINCIPLE #10
Keep things simple, avoid unneeded cycles, and create straight-forward
processes. For example, do not have content creators putting pen to
paper without full clarity on what they are creating – the difference
between a writer having full persona profiles or not can be a factor of
two in terms of time and cost to generate a piece of content.
Simplicity – the art of maximizing the amount of work not done – is essential.
| 14
llPRINCIPLE #11
You will get greater results by giving 10 tasks to an empowered five-
person team than by assigning two tasks to each of the five people.
Self-organization leads to a culture of ownership and accountability,
and is more adaptable and resilient.
The best ideas, content creation, and production emerge from self-organizing teams
| 15
l2PRINCIPLE #12
Continuous improvement is a hallmark of all Agile practices. Honest
reflection and evaluation lead to improvements. Don’t be afraid to
experiment, try new things, or top doing things that aren’t working.
What’s imperative is to instill team ownership of the Content Factory –
everyone on the team needs to be part of the process evolution, not
just following orders from above.
At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
| 16
Summary These Agile principles are just the start to understanding how an Agile
methodology can be applied to your content marketing efforts. There
are incremental gains from simply adopting one or more of these
principles into your content marketing operations. Maybe one of these
12 items even solves a huge frustration point within your team or
organization. However, the real magic of Agile happens when you
practice it fully as your operational model.
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About the Author Jeff FreundJeff Freund is a 15+ year veteran of the content industry. He is
currently founder and CEO of Akoonu, a provider of products that
enable customers to successfully execute a Smart Content Strategy –
so they can better engage their target audience, maximize the value of
their content marketing investments, and drive real business growth.
Previously, he was a founder of Clickability, the leading SaaS Web
Content Management platform, and served as the company’s CTO and
CEO.
Throughout his career, Jeff has worked closely with customers to truly
understand the needs of marketers and technologists in industries such
as High Tech, Financial Services, Media, and Manufacturing. He has
been active in the Digital Marketing ecosystem through extensive M&A
experience and as a thought leader speaking at conferences and on
panels.
Connect with Jeff: www.linkedin.com/in/jefffreund/
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Copyright 2014 Jeff Freund
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