 We often get bored of hearing that "content is king" and that success in this charade we call social media is really 50% about the networks you build and 50% about the quality of the content you share. I mean, we all repeat it over and over again as if it's some sort of sacred mantra, but really, when it comes down to it, how can we help our organizations create more and better content? In my current position, I've recently undertaken a number of tactical tasks that are part of a larger-scale marcom strategy that started out as social media effort but has quickly turned into a quality content creation quest in our company. Because, really, once you secure buy-in and explain what's what, once you set up everything there is to set up (in logistics terms at least), and once all the initial excitement fizzles, what you are really left with is the perennial content problem. And I’m sure this applies to any kind of business or organization out there. Because, organizations require a number of different resources in order to be effective in quality content creation, and let’s face it, creating content is not really a single-department kind of thing. And while you may understand the need for content and it may be on the top of your priorities list, someone somewhere in your organization, in another office, another department, another city or even another country (if your work situation is similar to mine) may be going “Damn. I have to write that stupid article on [insert topic of organizational interest/knowledge area] they asked me to”. But really (and again – I am sure this applies to a the vast majority of organizations out there – except for maybe, I don’t know, mafia related businesses) how many of us try to market our organizations as teams of “experts”, “authorities on ______”, “with practical experience in ___________”, “extremely knowledgeable about ________” and so on and so on. All of us, right? But who would you trust more, a guy who tells you he’s a great cook or someone who shares a recipe for a great dish with you? I’m sure there are many organizations out there with employees who are really passionate about their work but really indifferent about creating (and more importantly – sharing) valuable content. So how do we get past that hurdle? Assuming all your other “systems” are go, how do you encourage your non-marketing staff (and this is often, as in my case, highly skilled technical staff with truly massive volumes of knowledge and information swimming in their heads) to produce great content that helps you along in your marketing efforts? Because, even if we’re all on the same page about why content is important and how it helps authority-building, when you get down to the nitty-gritty and look at our hectic days and all the tasks everyone tries to juggle, how can we practically and effectively motivate all potential content creators to do their part in consistent and timely high-quality content creation? Some of the things I have noticed to work include giving feedback and letting people know they are doing a good job. Stripping the employees from other content creation related activities that other departments can accomplish (such as proofing or publishing) also makes it easier for everyone. Schedules also seem to work for us and deadlines create some subtle healthy competition between offices/departments. What are your experiences? What have you done to improve content creation processes in your organization? Did it work? PS: Please note that, as always, my views shared on this blog in no way represent those of my past or current employers. Photo Credit: the trial Resuscitating the Red Marker 01/05/2010
 Can the Red Marker be resuscitated? It’s been in a coma for over six months...... I’m not going to tell you that I was too busy to blog. The truth is – I failed seeing the point in doing it. Yes, I gave up. Not sure what I was expecting to come out of it, but whatever it was, it never arrived. But…lessons have been learned. It’s been over 6 months now and I’m looking at things from a different angle. And from where I’m standing right now, it may be worth doing some CPR. We’ll see. Fingers crossed. If the Red Marker makes it, it is possible that it will come back stronger. Stand by for more info. Oh, and in case you were wondering: the other 2 local blogs (EduMuabeti and MKTMuabeti) were in full force up to mid-summer 2009 but they also went into unresponsive mode around that time. Medical personnel are working on them as we speak. So if you are still reading (big IF), what’s your experience in reviving left-for-dead blogs? How long were they comatose for? What was the reason? Were they resuscitated successfully? Came back better? Or worse..? Share your story in the comments. Photo Credit johntrainor  "F is for Fail" 05/06/2009
If you're into the learning process, creativity, typography or short experimental films (or all four, if you are like me), do yourself a favor and watch this short film by Brent Barson. I guarantee you'll love it. Moving to elenakostovska.com! 04/09/2009
 Ok, so I'm finally moving to my own domain (elenakostovska.com), and I'm taking the Red Marker with me. The website (which will host more than one blog, and will have a lot of info about me and my work) is still very much under construction but I'm getting there... |   WANT THE RED MARKER DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX?
ArchivesJanuary 2010  Elena's Red Marker by Elena Kostovska is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Let's Connect.
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