Content trouble can delay projects, reduce traffic, and miss the message when not properly managed. Content troubles often appear in the following areas:
Content creation – generate original ideas, write, edit, curate, add keywords
Content quality – find good sources of information, good writer, variety, high interest, meet business objectives
Content management – schedule, publish, integrate, re-purpose
Content priority – projects may involve a team of professionals: manager, web developer, graphic artist, photographer, and videographer who need to see the big picture and how/when their expertise fits.
Every content project manager hears the word “trouble” sometime in their career. Singer/songwriter Ray Lamontagne embraced “Trouble” as a title for one of his songs. His initial “trouble” lyric is quickly followed with “….worry, worry, worry…” then he gets saved. What saves the content project is often a combination of planning, talent, and interpersonal communications skills.
When trouble comes my way I tend to take the following approach.
- Seek to understand. Were priorities set and understood by all? What went wrong and why? What other problems might this create?
- Build some kind of rapport with the problem. This reduces worry and increases focus. Ask lots of questions of yourself and others.
- Evaluate expectations for a solution. Like a doctor, do no harm.
- Pursue the solution. I usually do this in phases to assess progress and make observations as we move away from trouble to solution.
- Understand what’s needed, nurture, and deliver.
- Be grateful for your ability to learn from the experience.
What’s your approach to resolving content troubles? Anything I forgot to add?
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