10-step content creation workflow for exceptional results
By Rachel Henry
Content marketing is constantly evolving — and if you’re a B2B tech marketer in today’s business landscape, you’re likely feeling the pressure to produce new content that drives engagement, leads and sales. But without a solid content creation workflow, the process can quickly become a headache.
While written content is a crucial pillar of any content marketing strategy, sophisticated B2B buyers demand quality blog posts, white papers and case studies. Poorly written fluff just won’t cut it. This means creating top-tier written content can be a time consuming process — and it requires dedicated efforts.
You don’t need to start on the ground floor to achieve results with your content marketing strategy. Find out what you need to uplevel your written content in this guide to a manageable and effective content creation workflow. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Determining your content strategy
Conducting customer research
Planning your content creation process
Finding the right content writer or copywriter
Stacking your bench with subject matter expertise
Creating a culture of curiosity
Understanding content writing best practices
Copy editing for clear, compelling writing
Keeping up to date on industry trends
Staying true to your company values
10 ways to upgrade your written content
1. Determine your content strategy
Before you dive into producing content, you need a strategy that will guide you to results. Top B2B marketers rely on content to nurture buyers, and nearly 70% of high performers have a content strategy to keep them on track.
Craft your content strategy like you would a map — it should lead to your business goals, like driving sales or establishing partnerships. Consider who you’re trying to reach, and keep an eye on the competitive landscape. You can use this information to plan content that stands out and attracts the right prospects.
Explore tips for creating your content strategy.
2. Conduct customer research
Don’t just create content you think your audience will like. Consulting your customers so you can be certain about what they want to read and learn is an essential part of the content writing process. Customer research is an invaluable tool to help you gain the perspective and insight of your target audience.
Once you’ve completed your customer research, you can begin to strategically craft brand messaging and content that will resonate with your buyers and create demand for your B2B tech company’s products and services.
Learn how to drive demand with voice of customer research.
3. Plan your content creation process
Every strong content strategy contains a plan for execution. Assign roles and responsibilities so you know who on your team will do which content marketing activities, and when. Be clear about expectations and support your team to help them produce the best content possible, whether you’re working with in-house writers or an external B2B marketing writer.
Determine how you’ll keep track of key metrics and repurpose your top-performing content in new ways. This can save your team time and effort, just as revisiting SEO best practices can ensure each piece of content is aligned with your buyers’ search intent.
Get ideas for content tips to boost efficiency.
4. Find the right content writer or copywriter
You may already have a B2B marketing writer in house, but if you don’t, or you choose to work with an external specialist, you’ll need to find the perfect fit for your project. Considering that only 20% of people read beyond a headline, compelling content is a must.
Working with an experienced content writer or copywriter can help you streamline onboarding and get you better results on a faster timeline. This can lead to a strong partnership with consistent, high-quality written content that supports your goals.
Find out what to look for in your next B2B marketing writer.
5. Stack your bench with subject matter expertise
This is one of the top tech writing tips marketers can leverage today. Establish your B2B company as not just another vendor, but as a true expert in your industry by providing your content writer with subject matter experts (SMEs) to interview.
Internal and external SMEs can help your writer explain industry-specific concepts and data, which they can then pair with captivating storytelling to create original, cutting edge content. Only 41% of bloggers rely on SME interviews, leaving a vast opportunity for you to go the extra mile and reap the rewards.
Discover how to conduct SME interviews to create content that will wow your customers.
6. Create a culture of curiosity
No content creation workflow would be complete without considering human elements like culture. So, give your B2B marketing writer the tools they need to thrive and avoid creative fatigue. Encourage them to immerse themselves in the world of content marketing and have fun. By creating room to explore and draw inspiration from other tech companies (and even other industries), you can learn new ways to apply strategies with fresh perspectives.
Many people consume three to five pieces of content before engaging with a brand, so you need to consistently deliver relevant information. This means your content calendar shouldn’t be set in stone — maintaining some flexibility can help you accommodate great ideas and share your take on hot topics that may arise within your niche.
Get inspired by these B2B writing examples.
7. Understand content writing best practices
While you don’t want to have to hold your writer’s hand (and you won’t have to if you hire a pro), you should have an understanding of what constitutes a well-written piece of content. Excellent content should nurture your audience, while evoking emotion in a conversational way that clearly expresses the main points you’re trying to communicate.
Make sure your content writer or copywriter has your B2B tech company’s brand voice down pat and understands the messages your content should deliver. This, coupled with solid writing skills, will go a long way to getting you the high-quality content you want.
Check out our top tech writing tips to improve your B2B writing.
8. Copy edit for clear, compelling writing
Is it “your” or “you’re”? Copy editing is a skill you need to hone to generate impact with your content and avoid errors. Poor spelling and grammar can put off potential buyers, with 91% saying they’ll leave a website with misspellings.
Before you start editing, create and stick to an editorial style guide. This will help you and your team stay consistent in your writing and editing. Include your brand’s voice and tone, rules for capitalization, numbers and punctuation, and how to format image credits.
Get more insights to become a better copy editor.
9. Keep up to date on industry trends
Staying up to date and even ahead of the curve on industry trends can be the key to profitable content development. One way to do this is to scour B2B and tech marketing reports. Knowing current statistics and trends can help you strategize and implement new approaches to your content marketing.
Consider how industry stats impact your budget, outsourcing and how you execute new ideas as part of your content creation workflow. This will ensure your audience knows you’re in touch with their needs.
Find out how to leverage content marketing statistics to your advantage.
10. Stay true to your company values
With a pandemic and recession on just about everyone’s mind, our society is navigating turbulent times. Your content should support and educate your audience so they know they can turn to your B2B tech company for the solutions they need.
By sharing and upholding your company values, you can build strong, trustworthy relationships. Well-established emotional connections can last longer than passing trends, with 82% of buyers eager to support brands who align with their personal values.
Learn how to craft strong messaging using your company values.
Publish written content with purpose
Producing powerful written content can be an exciting, and even fun, process — if you prepare accordingly. Before you dive in, establish a content creation workflow that you and your team can stick to. Always do your research about your audience, trends and best practices to make sure you can deliver content your readers will be eager to devour.
Is 2023 the year your B2B tech company wants to start creating more targeted, high-value content that moves your audience to action? Get in touch with us to find out how Scribe National can help you strategically convey your brand message and drive sales.
