What are the best ways to train and mentor content managers and stakeholders?

To create engaging content one needs be sustainable and simple. Don't fear experimentation, but be authentic in doing so. In my opinion copying someone's viral content may help one in the short-run but doesn't help in building long-term reputation. Also, by being authentic and true to your stength you will have loyal readers. Whether you are a content creator, marketer on communications professional, building trust is your only endgame while sharing content. Being too competitive and distracted by evolving, but fleeting trends may not be the best way to build your audience. Slow-growth with loyal and engaging audience is a much better strategy as it helps one to create long-term business value through content.

Mentoring is essentially the same regardless of the subject. It's about guidance tempered with understanding that the talent needs a safe space to explore and bring their individuality to the forefront. Anything less is not mentorship. And mentors know they get as much from mentoring and the mentee gets when approached correctly.

Having a mentor, senior manager, or other figure who can help you evaluate your current skills and needs is absolutely essential. It's also critical to carefully select that "mentor figure." Those seeking a mentor should have a "chemistry meet" and ensure that you're in mutual alignment (and that you're at ease sharing your concerns/issues/ideas with them). And keep in mind that mentorship is a two-way street; your mentor may come to you at a future point for feedback on their performance, gaps in their skill-sets, etc., and you should be prepared to give them an honest opinion. Your mention can help guide you through a self-assessment and give critical feedback about where you can improve your skills.

Mentorship and training for me start from listening to each other. What have you come to learn? Which of my skills and experiences will be useful to you as a content/stakeholder manager? What (and this is a favourite question of mine) are you struggling with right now in either creating content or managing your stakeholders? And then we build from there. We often approach mentoring or training facilitation from a "This is how I've done it in the past, and these are the results I've gotten" without allowing for nuance, changes in circumstances, or even evolving technology. Keeping people at the centre will always be the strongest foundation.

Having an eye for detail is important. You need to put yourself in the shoes of the reader. Who is your intended audience. What do they need to know. What are their needs. What is important for you to share to meet those needs. The ability to write well is important, but so is the ability to write simply and to the point. Peak their interest. Don't overshare, unless it is a requirement.

To be an expert in content management one needs to read on a regular basis - be it fiction, management, self-help, technology, startup, motivational or books of any other kind. This builds a wholesome perspective and allows you to add context to your thoughts with much depth. One can also follow LinekdIn Top Voices and experts to understand their content treatment and knowledge. This is the easiest way to understand the perspectives of living ledgends. People who have built large businesses or successful in their areas of expertise speak from great experience and the wisdom is available free of cost. They change our perspective and thought process not only as individuals but also as content creators.

Choose resources that are trusted, up-to-date, and most importantly resonate with you. Not all type of content is for all. We all digest content in different ways. Podcasts, webinars, eBooks mix it up!. Variety keeps the learning journey interesting. When it comes to LinkedIn one of my go to strategy for resources are the top voices in my industry paired with top voices when it comes to content management. I rotate my learning resources every two weeks. Keeps me on my toes and broadens my perspective. However, I do love podcasts !!

It is essential to find relevant resources that will support your learning journey and keep you updated with your skills. Selecting the right resources that align with your personal learning style like podcasts, webinars, blogs or eBooks makes everything more dynamic and enjoyable. Don't forget that finding credible people to follow (LinkedIn helps a lot with the top voices and experts in each industry) is extremely important to keep up with all in your industry.

Good content management skills come with a lot of practice and calibration. A good content manager has to learn to "listen" to its target audience, interpret the data and adapt the content strategy and everything it implies, all while making sure that the content is authentic, relevant and that it brings value to the people. There is no foolproof recipe for success, that is why it is important to be flexible, stay curious and "listen" A LOT.

A content owner is curious about much more than their specific topic. The ability to absorb and synthesize information is a key requirement, but be careful with information - you need to be able to substantiate your knowledge. Avoid opinion and emotional appeal, unless it is based on fact or specific information that you can share. Being a good writer, you need to be a good reader first - able to digest and analyse.

Our proposal team went through a significant transformation. Initially, we used a third-party CMS system, gaining valuable experience in content creation, editing, and publishing across various platforms. Recently, we made a substantial shift to Microsoft 365 for all our content management needs, and the results have been remarkable. This move wasn't just a tech change; it was a strategic decision to streamline our content processes. We now have a unified environment where additional stakeholders can easily access, collaborate, create, and manage content. This has led to a more agile and efficient workflow, allowing stakeholders to apply their skills effectively, and the entire content lifecycle is now housed in one comprehensive platform.

While we have access to artificial-intelligence-driven tools to create content these days, simple practices like journal keeping and blog writing are essential to build rigour in content creation. With advent of video as a major mode of content creation, insightful and engaging script writing has gained much prominence and needs a special kind of visualisation compared to text content. If you are in the business of content, then a simple and useful content management system is a must, access to digital dictionary for correct content and use of right adjective is essential. Analytics also plays a significant role in understanding the engagement part and allows one to innovate with better results.

There are all manner of frameworks and content structures to tap into. Decide what works best in your current scenario. Be a sponge of information and practice, at some point it all will come together in what you need to apply to your practice.

Practice makes perfect. The more you write, the more you’ll understand. This includes understanding yourself as a writer, your client and their needs, and the audience and their expectations.

In the context of an agency, creating sample briefs is a great training tool for your team. Choose topics, formats or themes that you know your team need to improve and make it fun by offering incentives and rewards for completing great sample work.

To do this successfully, you need to also develop a solid relationship with your content managers and stakeholders. Mutual respect is a helpful starting point when providing feedback. Also, make sure to focus on constructive criticism instead of just complaining about things you don’t like.

In the digital era feedback is easily accessible. One type of feedback is from your audience which is mostly online in terms of engagament, reaction and even direct messaging. Analytics plays a big role here. It allows you to plan better and more effective content. The other kind of feedback is offline from your mentors and peers, which is eaqually effective as most of that comes with a lot of insight as they know you as a person as well as your skills.

So much of editing content is something that needs to be understood in real time. When I am working with other content managers, I like to occasionally edit their work together in real-time. This helps them to not just understand the feedback that I am giving but allows us to have a conversation around the way and to allow them to apply and get a response immediately. We can workshop things together to get to the best possible outcome.

Seek feedback and give feedback. Don’t limit yourself to just your immediate circle or work buddies. Reach out to everyone: industry experts, online communities, and even top voices in your field. You'd be surprised at how many are willing to lend an ear or share a tip. I've actually reached out to some of the big names on LinkedIn, asking for their two cents. The majority of them were super open and incredibly insightful. It’s a game changer, honestly. Provide often feedback. Whilst you are dissecting others work the insights you'll gain can prompt new discoveries and broaden your skillsets.

The basis of growth is seeking and embracing feedback. Feedback serves as the anchor to refine our skills and elevates the quality of our work guiding us towards continuous learning and improvement. Listening to mentors, peers, managers, clients, and end-users brings in a range of insights, each offering a fresh perspective. When we take this feedback to heart, it's not just about fine-tuning content strategies; it's about creating an environment of teamwork and excellence, propelling us towards even greater success.

Absolutely agree - stay curious, learn, evolve. There is no one way of dealing with content and client briefs. There are some great tools to use, but the onus is on the user in making those tools effective, and driving the process. In that, the content manager often becomes a project manager, interviewer and editor. What a wonderful way to practice your craft of understanding client and business/organisational needs and editorial review of complex content to meet user requirements.

Self reflection is essential at this stage. There are numerous affordable and even free courses from top platforms and educational institutions available at a finger tip. Upgrading is essential as technological advancement is also changing content style and delivery quickly.

Continuous Professional Development is always a good way to keep upskilling and work ahead. Collaboration as mentioned in the next point is vital for shared perspectives to gain intellectual edge

In fostering collaboration, I created a SharePoint News Post to spotlight and hopefully enhance content efficiency, transparency, and accuracy. The objective was clear: quick access to information, style consistency, and team expertise. However, this wasn't just about broadcasting information; it was an open invitation for collaboration. Our Content Library is a collective effort; every team member shapes its excellence. The call to action: 'Let's Collaborate!' I urged team members to contribute ideas, propelling our content development. This experience showcased the power of platforms like SharePoint for internal collaboration, connecting the team towards a common goal.

Collaborate, a lot. Your network can be your net worth. Brainstorm with your team and peers. Share what works and what not. It helps you gain clarity.

Content management is a collaborative venture that thrives on teamwork and shared expertise. To be able to create effective content that resonates with your organization and audience, it is important to collaborate with a diverse group of individuals, from writers and designers to developers, marketers, and end-users. This not only fosters a culture of continuous learning but also provides a platform for invaluable knowledge exchange and mutual growth.

As for working with others - it is the true essence of content management. Establishing processes around working with subject matter experts will take the content itself to the new heights. Make sure to prepare as the journalist: with the angles, questions, deep research and drafts. Set up a meeting with the SME, record it and create content based on all the materials. You don’t have to be an expert in everything but your role is to transfer the knowledge from others and turn it into digestable, insightful and well-organized piece od content.

It has always helped me to train and mentor content managers and stakeholders by providing comprehensive guidelines on content creation, editing, publishing, and maintenance. It takes a lot of creativity of course, but we shouldn't forget about the readers and some structure always helps. Also, I try to encourage the development of skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, which are essential for effective content management - this is a never-ending process of improvement and bringing best practices.

If mentoring others, allow them to take responsibility for their tasks or projects. Be there to provide guidance, but don't immediately answer all their questions. Instead, direct your mentees toward the tools and resources they need to make a decision and ask: what do you think? What would you do? Then, give them space to elaborate their thoughts. For example, if they're wondering if they should tackle a specific content topic, don't tell them yes or no. Tell them how to gather data through keyword and competitor research and business value analysis and then explain why they've opted for one or another. Let your mentees make mistakes, too. It's a way to learn, especially to learn how to make decisions fast.