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#ContentWritingChat Recap: Internal Communications Tactics for World-Class Content Marketing with Pam Didner

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Internal Communications Tactics for World-Class Content Marketing with Pam Didner

by | Apr 7, 2017 | ContentWritingChat

Did you catch the latest #ContentWritingChat? We had a great discussion all about internal communications tactics. This is one chat you’ll definitely want to check out if you manage or are part of a team so you all can work together effectively. Keep reading for the recap!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Internal Communications Tactics for World-Class Content Marketing with Pam Didner

Our guest host for this chat was Pam Didner. Pam is a marketing strategist, speaker, and author. The topic of internal communications tactics was inspired by her book, Global Content Marketing.

Q1: Why is internal communication so important for successful content marketing?

To kick off the chat, we asked everyone to share why they felt internal communications was important when it comes to content marketing. We received some great responses and here’s what some of the chat participants had to say:

Pam knows that internal communication can help keep everyone on the team aligned. When everyone is on the same page and they’re all working together, amazing things can happen.

As Julia said, great internal communication is so important when it comes to content marketing planning and executing. It’s crucial for all of us here at Express Writers, especially as a remote team.

Varun said communication is key for clear and effective messaging, which is a must for content marketing.

Mallie knows it’s important to keep your content strategy cohesive, which is why it’s essential that you and your team communicate regularly.

As Iva said, if you aren’t able to communicate well with your own team, how can you effectively communicate with your clients and your audience?

Q2: How would you define internal communication(s) in content marketing?

We know why internal communications plays such an important role within content marketing, but what does it all actually mean? Take a look at these responses from Tuesday’s chat:

Pam’s definition of internal communications in content marketing is: coming together through strategy and working together via processes and tools. She also states that it’s about following the workflows you have in place.

Maureen said it’s the art of communicating ideas, value, and relevancy of content to those across the organization.

When it comes to the Express Writers team, Julia loves to have frequent meetings to brain dump ideas and curate ideas as a team. It allows everyone to co-create.

For Elizabeth, it’s all about having a system that allows every team member to be aligned and on the same page. After all, it’s so important that everyone on a team is on the right track.

Providing clear direction to your team and stepping back to allow them to shine is all part of internal communications for Cheval. It’s great to collaborate as a team, but you also want to give everyone room to do what they do best.

Q3: What are some key steps in creating internal communication tactics?

To create internal communication tactics for your team, you’ll want to read through this helpful advice from the chat:

Pam’s key steps include: align on the objective, agree on a strategy and tactics, execute tactics, and host regular meetings to follow-up.

Elizabeth’s advice is to find the right tools for your team to use. What works for one team might not be ideal for yours, so choose the tools that are going to be the most useful to the work you do. Then, take the time to train your team on how to use it so everyone can get the most from the tool.

Jason suggests having a method of communication that everyone on the team can use. You want to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Make sure you’re approachable with all members of the team. Create an environment where they feel comfortable opening up with questions and problems they might have by encouraging them to share.

Don’t forget to bring every team member on for meetings because you never know who could have the next big idea.

Jeremy suggests setting expectations for meetings when it comes to their frequency, how long they’ll list, and creative flexibility.

Q4: How can different businesses apply those general steps to their specific content marketing needs?

These steps can be applied to a variety of businesses. You just need to know how to make it all work for your unique team. Here’s some advice:

Pam’s advice is to apply those steps by knowing your business objectives, your products, and your team’s communication challenges. You can work together to create a process that’s ideal for your team.

Know your goals and what you and your team need to achieve. Encourage them all to get involved and share thoughts, ideas, and opinions. You want your team to feel comfortable engaging with you.

Julia suggests asking everyone on your team to contribute content ideas. Everyone has different ideas that are worth being shared.

As Jeremy said, you want to build excitement around your brand and your team can help you do that when you co-create on content.

Maureen’s advice is to set up a communication schedule. You can answer questions and provide your team with actionable steps for them to take next.

Set goals, define content need, divide the work, and discuss any problems that have come up.

And remember, the fundamentals of communication can be applied regardless of business type. Stay in touch with your team and allow everyone the opportunity to let their voice be heard.

Q5: In your experience, what are some of the most efficient tactics?

What are some of the most efficient tactics for internal communications? Check out these responses from the chat:

Pam encourages face-to-face conversation. She feels this makes it easier to communicate with other members on your team. If you’re a remote team, you can always try video chatting to make it feel more like you’re with the other people.

Here at Express Writers, we rely on shared Google spreadsheets for topic ideas and Google Docs for co-creating.

Mallie suggests planning regular updates to check in with your team. You can see where everyone is at with their work, answer questions, etc.

Elizabeth agrees that having scheduled check-ins is the way to go. Set a date and time frame for your meetings and check up on your team.

Great advice from Jim! Encourage open communication from the start if you want to see the best results within your team.

Q6: What are some of the most useful tools/procedures to use for internal content marketing communication?

Which tools are procedures do our chat participants rely on for internal communication? Here’s what they had to say:

Pam’s advice is to select content creation and management tools to aid communications. You then want to create a workflow and define the roles and responsibilities of your team members.

Sarah’s tool suggestions include: a messaging platform, email, team meetings, and a content calendar. She also recommends being honest, open, and accessible.

For Maureen and her teammates, they’ve relied on face-to-face communication. Since they do often work from home, she said they’re going to start using Slack to stay in touch outside of the office.

The team at HeyOrca! relies on Slack, Trello, Canva, Grammarly, and Google Docs.

Elizabeth recommends Slack, Google Suite, Asana, and CoSchedule.

Iva recommends using the cloud, chat softwares, and a unified file system. She also encourages people to avoid email overload. After all, no one likes an out of control inbox.

Zachary loves using Google Drive for collaborating.

Varun said the tools you use should depend on the size of your team and the complexity of communication, which is great advice. What works for one team might not work out so well for yours. He does, however, suggest checking out Slack, Trello, WhatsApp, and even Facebook for Business.

Here at Express Writers, we recently invested in Zoho for our email, which has been proving to work out well for us.

Q7: How can you connect tactics with content marketing goals?

To connect your internal communication tactics with your content marketing goals, follow these tips:

This is helpful advice from Pam and something everyone should keep in mind!

Be sure to start by setting your goals, then work backwards from there to figure out how you’re going to achieve them. This will help you get where you want to be.

Maureen suggests making a flexible plan that aligns to your objectives.

Julia said to set realistic deadlines for your team and make sure everyone is aware of those deadlines and prepared to meet them.

Q8: What are some important metrics that will help us optimize and track our success?

Which metrics should you keep an eye on? This is what you’ll want to watch:

As Pam said, the metrics you track the closest will depend on your marketing goals and objectives. Your might track shares, impressions, discount offers, and many others.

Maureen and her teammates track placements, traffic, conversions, and closed deals.

Jeremy likes to track engagement and also what led to people taking the next step with your brand.

Remember that there’s no catch-all success metric, as Mallie said. You have to figure out what’s most important to your unique goals.

#Contentwritingchat