Is this a question you hear asked at your company? It seems that business content writing at times is everyone’s job and no one’s job. That’s a problem. When you view content as a deliverable product or service to your customers a schedule gets created and responsibility is doled out. Recent research from Technorati shows B2B companies that blog generate 67% more leads per month. Is your company capable of sustaining a regular content cycle? That is what’s required for the content marketing effort to be effective in bringing new visitors to your website, adding subscribers/followers and generating leads.

Asking whose job it is to do content writing deserves an answer. The answer depends on available resources and type of content needed.

Informative content

Don’t look to your marketing manager to write daily or weekly blog posts, newsletters, articles, or press releases. It won’t get done. They are often big picture thinkers juggling multiple projects. They understand campaigns, themes and scheduling but often need help identifying relevant topics, researching, and actually writing the content. Like a film producer, they provide direction and approve the content for publishing.

Educational content

Don’t look to your subject matter experts. They are very knowledgeable about their subject and hold great insight. But, they may not be skilled in crafting a narrative. They often write as if everyone knows as much as they do, which most likely is not the case. They are however, good resources for the content writer who is skilled in interviewing subject matter experts and translating specialized knowledge into easily understood, interesting prose.

Customer-focused content

Don’t look to your sales force. They are often very good at communicating with customers. However, the written word or visual depiction of a company’s message is not as fluid as a personal conversation, meeting, or phone call. The skill sets are different. Because sales people are in front of customers they are a valuable resource for knowing what questions your content should answer and what challenges your content should describe. Any time spent writing content takes them away from what they really want to be doing, selling.

Social Content

Don’t look only to young people to create social media content. Just because they know how to use the tools doesn’t mean they understand business.

Best intentions fall to the wayside or fail because companies are not relying on the right professionals to meet their content marketing goals. Here is a content checklist created by Ahava Leibtag that shows some of what needs to be considered in creating effective content.

Look for people in your company who have experience as journalists, publishers, copywriters, and marketers with proven writing skills. If you can’t find them within your company, look for outside resources. Such professionals understand schedules and deadlines. They prioritize your projects and work as part of your team. They will know what to write and how to write for your particular audience and channels.

When it comes to business content writing projects, don’t make assumptions. The next time someone asks, “Whose job is it to do content writing?” you will have an answer.

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