Content creation is to online visibility what Kim Kardashian is to reality TV. You just can’t imagine one without the other. Any experienced marketer or established organization understands the importance of investing in high-quality content creation for brand awareness and website traffic.
And once you have realised the potential content creation holds for your brand, there is no going back. As high-quality content drives more traffic, you’d naturally consider scaling up your content production. However, is your company equipped to take content creation to the next level?
Scaling content production doesn’t simply mean increasing the quantity of content you’re putting out. Rather, it implies creating more content without compromising the quality.
Without the right systems or resources in place, scaling content production can backfire for your organization. Instead of letting the rush of increased traffic cloud your judgment, take a look at certain scaling mistakes that can put your investment at risk.
Moving Too Fast
Seeing an influx of traffic thanks to great content is a thrilling feeling. But don’t let that push you to create and publish content that’s mediocre at best.
If you’re considering scaling your content, it’s crucial to take your time to determine your goals and map out your resources. Rushing through the process is equivalent to putting your time, money, and effort down the drain.
The speed at which you churn out content is not a concern. If you are serious about increasing the volume of your content while improving or at least maintaining quality standards, take it slow.
Not Having the Right Team
For companies that are planning to rev up their content production, it’s time to take a good look at your content team. Recognize high performers and let go of writers who no longer align with your brand voice.
Producing more content using your existing team is asking for too much. Overworking your existing writers, editors and marketers can negatively impact the quality of your content. It’s simple math. If you want to create more content, you need more talent.
Even if you’re planning to outsource content writing, it is highly beneficial to at least hire an in-house content manager and editor to ensure everything is on track, and have a freelance management software to handle onboarding, payments, and other factors that affect your relationship with hired freelancers.
Disregarding Outsourcing
Unless content creation is the main service that your company offers, having a full-fledged in-house content team isn’t a particularly feasible option. Recruiting and training writers and editors every time you decide to scale up content production is financially not worth it.
According to a survey by Semrush, nearly 81% of companies outsource content writing services. Outsourcing content creation enables you to focus on core tasks while benefiting from the expertise of talented writers. With good communication skills, you can even work with them remotely. It is also a way to bring a fresh perspective to the table, especially if your writers are struggling to come up with new topics. And not to mention, it is a whole lot cheaper than building an internal team.
Solely Focusing on Traffic
Solely focusing on content creation to increase traffic can be a silent killer of your scaling plans. What’s the point of having more visitors if your conversion rate is the same? The focus shouldn’t be just attracting more traffic but also boosting conversions.
Neglecting Diversify
Creating more long-form blogs isn’t the only way to increase your content production. There are listicles, how-to guides, videos, podcasts, engaging infographics, e-books, and so many other formats that do well on different platforms.
Particularly, adding a visual element such as video to your written content is an excellent way to make it more shareable.
Forgetting Content Promotion
Merely creating more content isn’t going to enhance your brand’s web presence. Similarly, high-quality content won’t live up to its potential without promotion.
Besides improving your talent and other resources, it’s equally important to scale up your content promotion to achieve the desired results.
Rather than brushing over content promotion, start by defining new benchmarks for your scaled-up content production. Set quantifiable engagement metrics to determine if new content is meeting your expectations.
It is also a good time to explore new promotional channels. If previously you were relying on free platforms, you can give paid channels a try to promote new content.
Lastly, keeping track of analytics is crucial since it can be difficult to determine ROI without measuring the progress.
Undermining Existing Content
Do you know how last night rotisserie chicken is even better the next day in a breakfast burrito? Well, the same thing is applicable to your successful existing content.
Brands are often adamant about creating unique content that’s never been done before. While that is an admirable take, it’s the internet, there is barely anything that hasn’t been discussed. Like Chuck Palahniuk said, “Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy.”
Repurposing content enables brands to reach new audiences with the same content packaged in a different format. Start by identifying the post that garnered the most attention and engagement. Now, turn it into a short video, infographic, podcast, or any other form of content.
Overlooking Mobile Users
Did you know that more than half of users worldwide access the internet via mobile devices? Now more than ever, it is important to keep mobile users in mind when creating content. Ideally, your content should translate well on smaller screens. Otherwise, you’ll end up alienating a major chunk of your target audience.
Not Automating
From HR management to content creation, there comes a time where automation is the only way forward. Identify repetitive and redundant tasks that can be automated to save time.
For example, manually typing out a podcast transcript to republish on your blog is an unnecessarily cumbersome task. Can it be automated? Absolutely! Temi, Descript, and Otter are some popular voice-to-text platforms.
Lack of On-Brand, On-Topic Content
There is nothing more discouraging than reaching a point of stagnation with content ideas. Similar to developing a Linkedin lead generation strategy, you need to get creative and find out what your target audience is talking about.
Head over to less mainstream social media sites such as Reddit and Quora to deep dive into what industry experts and your target audiences are discussing. You can also employ tools like AnswerThePublic, Semrush, and FAQ Fox to find new topics.
Not Asking for User Feedback
There’s nothing more detrimental for content scaling than sharing irrelevant content.
When you’re just starting with content creation, a lot depends on anticipating and researching what your audience is interested in. But as your online presence grows, you have the opportunity to leverage direct lines of communication with your audience.
Exploring user-generated content (UGC) gives you access to high-quality content without spending too much time or resources. It is also a great avenue to establish your credibility and authenticity. It’s no surprise that brands like Starbucks and Adobe use USG to boost their social media presence and engagement.
Collaborating with industry influencers is another option worth considering. Whether you’ve run out of ideas or you’re looking for a fresh take, getting an influencer on board is a great way to keep up with your scaled-up posting schedule.
Wrapping Up
No matter your expertise or access to resources, scaling content production is not an easy task. Underestimating it can cost your organization time, money and even threaten your online visibility. It’s imperative to recognize whether your organization is ready and capable of scaling up production. Or perhaps, it’s better to wait a while instead of biting more than you can chew.
Author Bio:
Stefan Smulders is a SaaS Entrepreneur | Bootstrapped to €3M ARR in just 1year | Founder of Worlds safest software for LinkedIn Automation Expandi.io | Vegan | Father
