What do you do if your content creation isn't aligning with the organization's strategic goals?

If you're not aligned, you haven't even really started yet. Good content creation starts with discovery calls about goals, models, audience, etc. and the development of a creative brief formalizing all of that which is reviewed and approved. Creating content without this alignment is wasted effort.

Il est crucial d'identifier rapidement les écarts. Commencez par revoir les objectifs et les lignes directrices de contenu pour comprendre où et pourquoi il y a un décalage. Engagez un dialogue constructif avec les responsables de stratégie pour clarifier les attentes et obtenir des feedbacks précis. Il peut être bénéfique de participer à des réunions stratégiques pour mieux saisir la vision globale. Adaptez ensuite votre contenu en fonction des insights recueillis, tout en restant flexible pour les ajustements futurs. La clé est la communication ouverte et régulière avec les parties prenantes pour s'assurer que votre contenu contribue effectivement à la réalisation des objectifs stratégiques.

To address misalignment, begin by thoroughly assessing your organization's current strategic goals. This entails delving into the company's mission statement, vision, and both short-term and long-term objectives. By comprehending these fundamental elements, you can pinpoint areas where your content may be diverging. Having a precise understanding of the organization's objectives is essential for tailoring your content to effectively align with and support these goals.

Once you've established clarity regarding the strategic goals, proceed with a comprehensive content audit. This entails reviewing all existing content to assess its alignment with the organization's objectives. Identify any patterns in the content that might be contributing to the misalignment, such as irrelevant subject matter or inconsistent messaging. Through this audit, you'll uncover gaps and opportunities for enhancement, empowering you to make informed adjustments to your content strategy.

Engaging stakeholders is super important! First, talk to them. Tell them what you're noticing about the content and ask for their thoughts. It's like having a chat with your teammates to understand what everyone wants. Then, listen carefully to what they say. This helps you understand their goals better. Next, explain how your content fits into the big picture. Show them how it can help achieve the organization's goals. Finally, keep them in the loop. Regular updates and check-ins help everyone stay on the same page. When you involve stakeholders from the start and keep communication flowing, it makes it easier for everyone to work together towards success!

Engaging stakeholders is a pivotal step in the process of realigning your content strategy. These stakeholders, ranging from executives to marketing teams and sales personnel, have a vested interest in or are directly impacted by the content you produce. By actively involving them in discussions surrounding content strategy, you can glean valuable insights into their expectations for your content and how it can be optimized to better serve the organization's overarching goals. This collaborative approach fosters alignment and ensures that your content efforts are in sync with the broader objectives of the business.

Leverage team buy-in! After prioritizing changes, hold a brainstorming session with content creators. For example, if you identified a need for more video content, discuss script ideas that align with strategic goals. This gets everyone invested and sparks creative solutions for impactful content.

Think! Organizations primarily exist to create one thing - shareholder value. Now, your content creation is not aligning (for whatever reason) with your organization’s strategic goals (which btw are aimed at maximizing shareholder value). Then who are you creating this content for? Surely not your organization because if you were then your content creation wouldn’t be misaligned. But you’re a well-intentioned writer, so you’re either creating the content for yourself (what you like to read - best for a personal diary btw) or your readers (whom you think your organization’s strategic goals are not serving) In both cases, you’ll do much better by switching to an organization whose strategic goals are aligned to your content creation!

Bridge the Content-Strategy Gap. Collaborate with Leadership: Regularly meet with leadership to gain a clear understanding of the organisation's strategic goals and how content can support them. Content Audit & Thematic Alignment: Conduct a content audit to assess existing content against strategic goals. Refine content themes and formats (e.g., blog posts, infographics) to align with priority areas (e.g., brand awareness, lead generation). Data-Driven Measurement & Optimisation: Implement a content measurement framework to track key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with strategic objectives (e.g., website traffic, lead conversions). Use data insights to continually optimise content for better performance and strategic impact.