Two weeks back, I wrapped up my ‘One Idea’ with the note that it’s essential just to get started and focus on consistency as it relates to content production.
But I left a footnote:
Once you get up and running, systems become table stakes.
They help you spin the content flywheel faster.
It makes producing more, better content a reality, leading to greater reach and results.
But don’t just take it from me:
See, here’s some irony icing on the cake: I used to ‘poo-poo’ on systems.
I chalked them up as another excuse for not getting work done or ‘playing business’ when you should just be writing.
But since I’ve been scaling up Imagine Content, I’ve discovered just how wrong I was.
Like Matt Gray shares above, systems aren’t just the ‘fuel’ to a content engine.
Systems are the:
➡️ combustion chamber
➡️ cylinder head
➡️ pistons
➡️ fuel injector
➡️ spark plug
…to your content engine.
And just like an engine doesn’t exist without all these parts, the same is true of a content engine without systems.
So what are the parts of a content creation system?
While it can vary from company to company based on resources and needs, here are a few essentials:
- Content / Editorial Calendar: Planning for content is a forcing function. It makes you think critically about the topics, angles, content forms, distribution, etc., beyond simply the cadence of output you’re hoping to achieve.
- Project Management Platform: It doesn’t matter if it’s Monday.com, Asana, Trello, or some fancy Excel environment with macros for days. These systems allow you to track and organize your process, keeping you on timelines and bringing together all those who help produce the final products.
- Content Brief: This is ground zero for any content deliverable. It can be as simple as the topic and an outline. Or you can get detailed, including prompts for SEO keywords, links (both internal and external) to be used, and more.
It’s worth noting that these are just a few pieces of content creation systems.
Any marketing team can build upon it with other assets and guides that include:
👉 An SEO playbook
👉 A content style guide
👉 A link-building strategy
👉 A content distribution checklist
👉 A repurposing handbook
👉 An external review process
👉And plenty more….
In upcoming posts, I’ll detail a few more of these in-depth.
While it can feel like a lot, start with the systems that move the needle, and focus on those that enable you to create a cadence of consistent, high-quality content output.
Work smarter, not harder, and get that content engine revving. 🏎
