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UX CONTENT RESOURCES

An introduction to ContentOps

When it comes to planning, creating, managing, publishing and measuring content, it involves different processes, many tools, and lots of people. Together these make up content operations—known as ContentOps.

In digital and UX, there have been long-established DevOps and ResearchOps so ContentOps is a relative newcomer. The term may be new to many, but what it represents has been something more long-standing.

In this article we will:

  • define content operations
  • share a content operations framework
  • discuss how artificial intelligence impacts content operations
  • Outline the link between content operations and UX
  • Demonstrate how to get stakeholders involved in ContentOps
  • Give examples where ContentOps goes wrong

We’ll also share examples and quotes throughout from those leading the way in thinking about and developing good practice for content operations.

In this post we cover:

What are content operations?

There are a few definitions of content operations offered from different organizations but they all share similar characteristics.

For us at UX Content Collective:

Content operations refer to the processes, tools, and people involved in creating,  managing, and delivering content within an organization. It encompasses everything from planning and creating content to its distribution, optimization, and performance analysis. 

HubSpot defines content operations as:

The combined foundation of people, process, and technology that allows an organization to effectively and efficiently maintain its content lifecycle from start to finish. This framework spans the strategy, creation, publishing, distribution, and management of content.

Content Science Review defines content operations as:

Content operations is the behind-the-scenes work of managing content activities as effectively and efficiently as possible. Today, content operations often require a mix of elements related to people, process, and technology.

These definitions are broad. That’s because content operations cover a lot of roles, stages, tools, and activities. The precise operations will vary from organization to organization and will also be influenced by who is involved, the content type, and the resources available. Ultimately, what these definitions seek to share is that there is a lot of work happening behind the scenes before content is delivered to users and audiences.

The main components of content operations

If we look to add details to the definitions and what they represent, there are some components of content operations that are prevalent.

Workflow and collaboration: Establishing efficient processes and workflows for the entire lifecycle including creation, review, approval, and publishing. This may involve collaboration tools, content calendars, and project management platforms.

Content creation: Creating different content assets like articles, videos, help information, webinars, eBooks, social media posts, and other content types.

Content management: Organizing, storing, and managing content assets in a centralized repository or content management system (CMS). This involves version control, metadata tagging, and asset management.

Content distribution: Deciding the channels and platforms where content will be published and distributed, such as websites, social media, email newsletters, etc.

Content optimization: Optimizing content for search engines (SEO), user experience (UX), and engagement. This may include keyword research, A/B testing, and performance analysis.

Performance Measurement: Monitoring and analyzing the performance of content to assess its impact on key metrics and ROI. Insights from performance analysis are used to refine content strategies, optimize workflows, and improve future content creation efforts. All data helps make informed decisions about what and where to scale and how the operations can support that process.

At the center of content operations should be a content strategy — defining the goals, target audience, messaging, and overall direction for content creation. It isn’t about creating more content, but being efficient with creating better content and managing that content effectively across its entire lifecycle.

Content operations help organizations to create high-quality content efficiently, ensure consistency across channels, and drive better results from their content marketing efforts.

Creating a content operations framework

A content operations framework is a structured approach or model that provides guidance on how to organize, manage, and optimize content creation and distribution processes within an organization. It offers a systematic way to streamline content operations and ensure that content efforts align with business goals and audience needs.

While specific frameworks may vary depending on the organization’s goals, industry, and resources, they typically include important elements like:

Strategy and planning: Define goals, target audience, messaging, and channels. Develop a content strategy that aligns with overall business objectives.

Content creation: Establish processes for creating content, including ideation, creation, editing, and optimization. Define roles and responsibilities for everybody involved in any stage of the workflow and document the processes where necessary.

Content management: Implement systems and tools for managing content assets, including version control, asset tagging, and content governance.

Content distribution: Determine the channels and platforms for distributing content to reach the target audience effectively. Optimize content for different channels and formats. You may need guidelines for different channels to achieve consistency in content where needed.

Performance measurement: Establish metrics and KPIs to track the performance of content efforts. Analyze data to understand audience engagement, ROI, and areas for improvement. The insights will help you make informed decisions about future content needs and investment.

Optimization and iteration: Use insights from performance data to optimize content strategies, workflows, and distribution channels. Continuously iterate and improve content operations based on feedback and results. No part of content operations is fixed and there may be changes needed influenced by people joining or leaving teams, budgets (increased or decreased), new tools introduced or a change in the overall strategy.

Governance and compliance: Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as brand guidelines and editorial standards. This will be supported by guidance that should be governed itself to make sure it is always up to date and able to be accessed by those who are part of the content operations.

To put this into practice, here is an example content operations framework from Tendo Communications:

  • Definitions of key content-related terms
  • Proposed operating model and structure
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • Workflows and processes
  • Goals and KPIs
  • Tools, technology, and resources
  • A recommended roadmap for evolution

The framework should exist to support all those involved in establishing, growing, and maintaining content operations.

By following a content operations framework, organizations can create a more efficient and effective content operation that drives better results and helps achieve business objectives. Frameworks also allow for smoother transitions when there are changes within a team or organization and help with scaling operations and outputs.

Content operations in the age of artificial intelligence

Content operations in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) are characterized by the integration of AI technologies into various aspects of the content lifecycle including creation, management, distribution, and analysis.

Here are some examples of content operations in relation to AI and how operations can be supported by AI, too:

Automated content creation: AI technologies such as natural language generation (NLG) can automate the process of generating content. This can increase efficiency and reduce the time and resources required for content creation. There is a significant caveat to using AI for content creation though. That is to be sure that the content created is accurate, in the required style, compliant where needed and is clear. Care must be taken when writing prompts for AI and a person will have additional context and knowledge about business goals and user needs that AI will not.

Content optimization: AI tools can analyze data to optimize content for specific audiences, platforms, and formats. AI-powered analytics can identify trends and preferences among target audiences, enabling content creators to tailor their content accordingly. As with any data set, contextual analysis is needed to draw meaningful insights from the data available.

Personalization: AI algorithms can personalize content experiences for users based on their preferences, behavior, and demographics. This personalization can improve user engagement and satisfaction by delivering relevant content recommendations and suggestions.

We cover personalization in more detail in our Marketing Writing for UX course.

Content curation: AI-powered content curation tools can identify relevant and high-quality pieces for a particular audience or topic. 

Automated distribution: AI can optimize the distribution of content across various channels, including social media, email, and websites. AI algorithms can determine the best timing, frequency, and channels for distributing content to maximize reach and engagement.

Performance analytics: AI-driven analytics tools can provide insights into content performance, including metrics such as engagement, conversion rates, and ROI (Return on Investment). This data can inform content strategy and optimization efforts.

Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP technologies enable AI systems to understand and process human language, facilitating tasks such as sentiment analysis, topic modeling, and language translation. These capabilities enhance content operations by extracting meaningful insights from textual content.

AI helps with content operations by automating tasks, personalizing experiences, optimizing performance, and enabling deeper insights into audience preferences and behavior. As the capabilities of AI continue to evolve and emerge, caution should be taken when using AI and understanding where it can enhance and support operations in a meaningful way without losing clarity of content, audience understanding, and strategic thinking. 

How content operations can improve the user experience

Content operations can help organizations become more efficient with their content processes, tools, and outputs. They also help them see increased performance of content and that in turn can impact on ROI from content. Another outcome of efficient content operations is an improved user experience.

Here are some examples of where content operations can have a direct impact on UX:

Personalization: By leveraging AI and data analytics, organizations can personalize content to match users’ preferences, behaviors, and demographics. ContentOps can facilitate the creation and delivery of personalized content across various channels, leading to a more engaging and relevant user experience.

Content consistency: ContentOps practices such as version control, content governance, and workflow automation ensure consistency in content quality, style, and messaging across different touchpoints. Consistent content enhances user trust and satisfaction by providing a seamless experience across channels.

Accessibility: ContentOps teams can collaborate with design and development teams to ensure that content is optimized for different devices and accessible to all users.

Content performance monitoring: ContentOps involves monitoring and analyzing content performance metrics such as engagement, conversion rates, and bounce rates. By continuously tracking these metrics, organizations can identify areas for improvement and optimize content to better meet users’ needs and preferences.

Multi-channel content delivery: ContentOps enables organizations to deliver content across multiple channels, including websites, mobile apps, social media, email, and more. By adopting a multichannel approach, organizations can reach users wherever they are and deliver a consistent user experience across different platforms.

Content feedback and iteration: ContentOps facilitates a feedback loop where organizations can gather user feedback, analyze it, and iterate on content. By listening to user feedback and continuously refining content based on user insights, organizations can improve the user experience and build stronger relationships with their audience.

Content localization and internationalization: ContentOps can help organizations streamline the process of content localization and internationalization. This involves translating content into different languages, adapting it to local cultures and preferences, and ensuring that it meets regulatory requirements in different regions. It will still need to be checked by subject experts to be confident it is accurate, appropriate, and usable.

By investing in their content operations practices like workflows, organizations can deliver a more personalized, consistent, and user-friendly experience across all stages of the user journey.

 

Getting stakeholders involved in content operations

Content operations involve a lot of people, each with varying responsibilities, priorities, and levels of accountability. Stakeholders and subject experts from across an organization, at all levels, should be involved to ensure alignment, collaboration, and success.

There are lots of roles and job titles that can be referenced in relation to content operations. Here are some examples of the types of stakeholders who may play a role in content operations:

Content strategists: Content strategists are responsible for developing and executing the overall content strategy aligned with business goals. They define the target audience, content themes, messaging, and channels. A content strategy will make sure all content delivered serves a purpose and a need.

Marketing managers: Marketing managers oversee promotional activities and campaigns. They work closely with content creators to ensure that the content aligns with marketing objectives and brand guidelines. They have their own processes, priorities, and deliverables that can be supported by effective content operations.

Product managers: Product managers provide insights into product features, benefits, and value propositions. They collaborate with content experts to develop product-related content that educates and engages the target audience.

Content creators: Content creators include copywriters, UX writers, designers, subject experts, translators, videographers, and other creative professionals responsible for producing content.

Content editors and reviewers: Content editors and reviewers ensure that content meets quality standards, brand guidelines, and editorial style. They provide feedback on content clarity, accuracy, tone, and consistency. They may be subject experts and can help to make sure content is compliant.

SEO specialists: SEO specialists optimize content for search engines to improve visibility and organic traffic. They conduct keyword research, optimize metadata, and monitor search engine rankings.

Data analysts: Data analysts track and analyze content performance metrics to measure effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. They provide insights into user engagement, conversion rates, and other key performance indicators. The tasks and responsibilities may lie with a content or UX person rather than someone hired exclusively to analyze data.

Legal and compliance teams: Legal and compliance teams ensure that content complies with industry regulations, copyright laws, and privacy policies. They are subject experts that review content for legal risks and provide guidance on mitigating potential liabilities.

Customer support: Customer support teams provide insights into customer feedback, inquiries, and pain points. They help identify content opportunities to address customer needs and improve the overall customer experience. They are usually the people and teams having the most direct regular contact with customers and their insights are invaluable.

Sales teams: Sales teams provide insights into customer preferences, objections, and buying behaviors. They collaborate with content practitioners and teams to develop sales enablement content that supports the sales process.

Executive leadership: Executive leadership provides strategic direction and resources for content operations. They prioritize content initiatives, allocate budgets, and champion the importance of content as a strategic asset. Buy-in from leadership is necessary for the required investment and resources to establish, enhance, and mature an organization’s content operations.

By involving these key stakeholders in content operations, organizations can ensure that content is aligned with business objectives, resonates with the target audience, and drives meaningful results. Multi-disciplinary collaboration and communication among stakeholders  and subject experts is essential for efficient content operations.

How stakeholders can get involved with content operations

Once you understand the sorts of stakeholders and subject experts who should be involved in content operations, you will need to engage with them and get them onboard. This element of content operations can be challenging when there are conflicting priorities, needs, agendas, and skills.

It’s important to find out what matters to stakeholders and how you can frame the need for good content operations in relation to their priorities. You can also share how their particular skills and knowledge can contribute to the operations.

Here are some tactics and ways for others across the organization to engage with and contribute to content operations:

Content strategy and planning: Stakeholders, such as marketing managers, product managers, and content strategists, can collaborate to define the organization’s content goals, target audience, messaging, and content roadmap. They can provide insights into market trends, customer needs, and business objectives to inform content strategy decisions. Involving people earlier in the process can help with increased engagement as they get to have a say, share their priorities, and influence decisions.

Content creation: Stakeholders with subject matter expertise, such as product experts, designers, translators, and writers, can contribute to content creation and production. They can provide input on content topics, themes, and formats, as well as collaborate on content development, writing, design, and multimedia production. This really makes use of their expertise and involves them in an important stage of the content workflow, rather than being sent content at the end for approval.

Content review and approval: Stakeholders, including legal, compliance, and regulatory teams, may be responsible for reviewing and approving content to ensure it meets legal and regulatory requirements, brand guidelines, and quality standards. They can provide feedback on content accuracy, compliance, and risk management.

Content distribution and promotion: Stakeholders involved in marketing, communications, and sales can participate in content distribution and promotion efforts. They can help identify appropriate channels and tactics for reaching the target audience, such as social media, email marketing, advertising, and events.

Content performance monitoring and analysis: Stakeholders, such as data analysts, marketers, and product managers, can collaborate to monitor and analyze content performance metrics. They can track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement, conversion rates, and ROI (Return on Investment) to assess the effectiveness of content and identify areas for improvement. Their involvement here is important for continued engagement as they can see directly the impact of the work and the influence content has had on the metrics they own and care about.

Effective stakeholder involvement in content operations requires collaboration, communication, and alignment around common goals and objectives. 

Tactics to engage stakeholders in investing in content operations

Engaging stakeholders and convincing them to invest in content operations requires demonstrating the value and benefits that content operations can bring to the organization.

Here are some tactics to effectively engage stakeholders and encourage investment in content operations:

Align with business goals: Clearly articulate how content operations align with overarching business goals and objectives. Show stakeholders how investing in content operations can drive key business outcomes such as increased brand awareness, lead generation, customer engagement, and revenue growth.

Highlight ROI potential: Present a compelling case for the return on investment (ROI) of content operations. Use data and metrics to demonstrate how well-executed content operations can deliver tangible results, such as higher conversion rates, lower customer acquisition costs, and increased customer lifetime value.

Share success stories: Share case studies, success stories, and examples of organizations that have achieved significant results through effective content operations. Highlight specific strategies, tactics, and outcomes to illustrate the potential impact of investing in content operations.

Demonstrate cost savings: Emphasize the efficiency and cost-saving benefits of streamlining content operations. Show stakeholders how investing in content operations can reduce duplication of efforts, improve workflow efficiency, and optimize resource allocation.

Provide training and resources: Offer training sessions, workshops, and resources to help stakeholders understand the role of content operations and how they can contribute to its success. Provide guidance on content strategy, best practices, and tools to empower stakeholders to actively participate in content operations.

Create a shared vision: Generate a shared vision and sense of ownership among stakeholders by involving them in setting goals, defining success metrics, and establishing benchmarks for measuring progress. Encourage collaboration and cross-functional teamwork to achieve common objectives.

Address concerns and objections: Anticipate and address any concerns or objections that stakeholders may have about investing in content operations. Provide reassurance, evidence, and rationale to alleviate doubts and build confidence in the value of content operations.

Measure and communicate results: Continuously monitor and measure the impact of content operations, and regularly communicate progress, achievements, and insights to stakeholders. Use data-driven reports and analytics to demonstrate the effectiveness of content operations in achieving business goals.

By employing these tactics, organizations can effectively engage stakeholders and gain support for investing in content operations.

Where ContentOps goes wrong: biggest mistakes

When implementing content operations, several common mistakes can hinder success and undermine the effectiveness.

Lack of a clear strategy: Failing to establish a clear content strategy can lead to inconsistent messaging, wasted resources, and missed opportunities. It’s essential to define objectives, target audience, key messages, and KPIs before executing content operations.

Poor content planning: Neglecting to plan and prioritize content effectively can result in disorganized workflows, missed deadlines, and low-quality output. Teams become reactive instead of proactive. Content planning should involve setting editorial calendars, content schedules, and production timelines to ensure timely delivery of high-quality content.

Ignoring audience needs: Creating content without considering the needs, preferences, and pain points of the target audience can lead to disengagement and poor performance. It’s crucial to conduct audience research and tailor content to address audience interests and concerns effectively.

Overlooking content governance: Neglecting content governance practices such as version control, approval workflows, and content guidelines can result in inconsistencies, errors, and compliance issues. Implementing robust content governance processes is essential for maintaining quality and alignment across content assets.

Underestimating resource needs: Underestimating the resources required for content creation, distribution, and optimization can lead to burnout, inefficiencies, and disappointing results. It’s important to allocate adequate budget, time, people, and technology to support content operations effectively.

Focusing solely on quantity: Prioritizing quantity over quality can dilute the impact of content and reduce its effectiveness in engaging and converting audiences.

Neglecting performance measurement: Failing to measure and analyze content performance metrics can hinder the ability to evaluate effectiveness, optimize strategies, and demonstrate ROI.

Ignoring content optimization: Neglecting to optimize content for search engines, user experience, and performance can limit its visibility and effectiveness. Content should be optimized for SEO, accessibility, and performance to maximize its effectiveness.

Lack of collaboration and communication: Poor collaboration and communication among everyone involved in content operations can lead to siloed efforts, misunderstandings, and inefficiencies. It’s crucial to nurture a culture of collaboration, transparency, and knowledge sharing across teams involved in content creation and distribution.

By avoiding these common mistakes and implementing best practices in content operations, organizations can maximize the effectiveness of their content strategies and achieve their business goals more effectively.