What are content operations?

Content operations cover the full workflow of content generation from the first brainstorming meetings to the point at which the material is shared with the audience. It all comes down to putting in place the proper procedures, personnel, and equipment to guarantee that your material is not just excellent but also efficiently distributed and evaluated for impact.

What are the processes involved in content operations?

Content operations can be broken down into several key processes: content creation, review and approval, distribution, and measurement and analysis. Let’s dive into each of these processes.

Content creation process

The workflow for content operations starts with content creation. Ideas are generated, subjects are investigated, material is written, designed, and produced in a variety of formats, including blog entries, films, infographics, and social media updates. In this phase, making content that speaks to your audience and is consistent with the goals and voice of your company is the aim.

Content review and approval process

To make sure your produced content complies with brand rules and quality requirements, it must be inspected and authorized. In order to accomplish this different stakeholders such as editors, legal teams, and subject matter experts get involved and verify for compliance, correctness, and consistency.

Content distribution process

Once the content is approved, the next step is to publish it online. To do this you’ll need to choose the appropriate venues to share your material on — such as your corporate blog, social media accounts, email newsletters, external websites, etc. Ultimately, in the distribution process, reaching your target audience where they are most engaged and active is the goal.

Content measurement and analysis

To understand the impact of your distributed content, you need to measure and analyze its performance. By monitoring data like views, shares, conversion rates, and engagement rates you’ll be able to deduce how well your content has performed and improve future content processes.

What are the roles involved in the content operations?

Content operations require a team of skilled professionals, each with their own specific roles and responsibilities. Here are some key roles:

Content operations manager

They keep an eye on every step of the content workflow, making sure everything works smoothly and effectively. They oversee deadlines, facilitate collaboration amongst various teams, and guarantee that the content produced satisfies overall objectives.

Content strategist

The brains behind your content plan are the content strategists. They conduct research to determine the kind of material that will appeal to your audience and support your company's goals. They make sure that all content efforts are strategically focused, they set targets, and they develop content calendars.

Content creator

The artists on your team are the content creators. They create, design, and write the real material. Their ability to bring ideas to life is evident in everything they create, be it a blog post, video, infographic, or social media update.

Content distributor

It is the content distributor's job to make sure the appropriate people see your content. They plan posts, oversee the distribution routes, and guarantee that material is posted on time and efficiently reaches the target audience.

Content analyst

Content analysts monitor and assess the performance of material, offering insights into what is effective and what need development. Their study guarantees that content initiatives are in line with corporate objectives and helps shape future content strategies.

What are the popular tools used in content operations?

Content operations involve a variety of tools to streamline processes and improve efficiency. Here are some popular ones:

1. Content Management Systems (CMS): Platforms like WordPress, Drupal, and Contentful help manage and publish content.
2. Project Management Tools: Tools like Trello, Asana, and Monday.com help keep content projects on track.
3. Collaboration Tools: Platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams facilitate communication and collaboration among team members.
4. Analytics Tools: Tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, and HubSpot provide insights into content performance.
5. Digital Asset Management Tools (DAM): Systems like ImageKit.io can help with storing, managing, and delivering your creative content.

How DAM solves important challenges in content operations processes?

DAM tools play a crucial role in content operations by solving several key challenges:

1. Centralized storage with easier file finding: By providing a single source of truth, DAMs consolidate your creative content. But, that’s not just all. The organization of files is way superior with a DAM allowing you to categorize files by custom metadata and tags in addition to the usual files and folders. This makes finding files easier as your search queries can be enriched with multiple data-points to extract the right file.
2. Efficient collaboration: With a DAM, team members can easily access, share, and collaborate on assets. Feedback happens within the DAM itself and for assets like videos, timestamped comments help in closing these feedback loops quickly.
3. Version control: DAM systems keep track of different versions of assets, ensuring that everyone is working with the most up-to-date files and reducing the risk of errors.

Learn more about how DAM systems can help with your content operations here.