#ContentWritingChat Recap: Tips on Managing and Building Effective Content Marketing Teams with Michele Linn
When it comes to building content marketing teams, there’s a lot involved in selecting the right people and working together successfully. But if you need help building a team of your very own, you’re in luck because that’s what we talked about in this week’s #ContentWritingChat.
You’ll learn the essential traits a great team member should have, the roles that should be filled, and how to combat some of the common roadblocks that content marketing teams face. Ready to learn more? Keep reading for the recap!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Tips on Managing and Building Effective Content Marketing Teams with Michele Linn
Join us for #ContentWritingChat on Tuesday, November 7th at 10 AM Central with @michelelinn of @CMIContent! ? pic.twitter.com/7ES4EAIBFO
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) October 31, 2017
Our guest host this week was Michele Linn. Michele is the VP of Content for Content Marketing Institute. Being a member of the CMI team, she definitely knows a thing or two about building a team and ensuring everyone works well together. She had some great advice to share during the chat, which you won’t want to miss!
Q1: When building a team, what are some essential traits members should have?
When selecting people for content marketing teams, there are some key traits you may want those people to have. Here’s what you should look for in a potential team member:
A1: For content marketing teams, people need to fit in 3 ways: culture, content marketing mindset and skills. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
A1. I hire for a can-do attitude + willingness to be uncomfortable and figure out answers #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
Michele feels that the people within a team need to fit together in three ways: culture, content marketing mindset, and skills. She said she also hires people based on their can—do attitude and their willingness to figure out answers to questions and problems.
A1: The ability to work well with others is huge. Whether a team lead or a “worker bee,” everyone needs to get along.#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/jIGOCSoNaH
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) November 7, 2017
It’s crucial that the people on your team are able to work well with others. As Sarah said, everyone needs to get along if you want to work together efficiently.
A1
Commitment
to:1 Larger purpose + goal
2 Each other
(understanding, collaboration)3 Work
(strong work ethic)#ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/4U0HCHvmry— Gabriela Cardoza (@CardozaGab) November 7, 2017
Gaby feels a commitment to the team’s larger purpose and goal is essential. She also said it’s important to collaborate with one another and to have a strong work ethic.
A1) The ability to collaborate & work together. If there’s animosity within the team, everyone & everything suffers. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/0Tl5Im8qTc
— Jason Schemmel (@JasonSchemmel) November 7, 2017
For any kind of team, being able to work together is a must. As Jason mentioned, if there’s any kind of animosity within a team, everything will suffer.
A1: Communication skills are most important in my opinion. A person needs to have the ability to talk with team members. #contentwritingchat
— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) November 7, 2017
Lexie knows that communication skills are a must. A team needs to be able to easily reach out to one another and connect.
A1 Growth hacking mindset. Creativity. Expertise. Self-disciplined. Driven. = High-value content marketing #traits. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/pQP7dMoJLY
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 7, 2017
For Julia, she looks for someone who has a growth hacking mindset, creativity, and expertise. She also wants a team member who is self-disciplined and driven.
A1. They have to be able to communicate as well as listen. #ContentWritingChat
— Botz ? (@botzmag) November 7, 2017
Being able to communicate and listen is always essential for any kind of team.
A1: Listening—to understand and not to reply. It’s important for team members to hear each other out. #ContentWritingChat.
— Narmadhaa (@s_narmadhaa) November 7, 2017
It’s so important that team members hear each other out, which is why listening is such an important skill.
Q2: How do you go about finding and selecting the right person for your content marketing team?
Once you know what you’re looking for in a great team member, how do you find that person? Here’s some advice to help you while you’re on the hunt:
A2. Figure out what gaps you have in your process. Where do you need the most help? #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
A2. Consider the idea of hybrid marketers. Maybe a writer who knows SEO or a designer who understands UX. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
Michele suggests first finding the gaps you have in your process. You need to determine where you need the most help before moving forward with hiring. She also said you should consider hybrid marketers, which are those who have skills in a variety of areas.
A2 a I start by writing a SUPER detailed description of who I’m looking for, their traits + the job, perks, and pay. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 7, 2017
Julia crafts a detailed description of whatever job she’s hiring for. She outlines what she’s looking for and that person’s ideal traits. A description of the job, any perks, and the pay is important as well.
A2: Do a trial run & adjust the team afterward if necessary. Someone might look great on paper, but not be a good fit. #contentwritingchat
— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) November 7, 2017
Lexie suggests doing a trial run before committing someone to your team. This allows you to see how this person will work with everyone else. You’ll know right away whether or not that person will be a good fit.
A2: I ask for referrals from people whose work I like. I look for a certain quality level. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/DpzEmZe1zh
— Carlarjenkins (@carlarjenkins) November 7, 2017
Carla said she likes to ask for referrals from people. This is a great way to get recommendations since they’re coming from someone you know and trust.
A2: It’s easy to check out people’s online personas before you ever meet IRL; once you do, see if personality meshes.#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/UIUBKf9CIi
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) November 7, 2017
Another great tip is to check out someone online before hiring them. You can learn a lot about a person by checking out their social media presence.
A2 When building a job posting be clear for what you’re looking for. Sometimes a test separates the candidates. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/rw8y1jzxJv
— Tony Stephan (@SirKingofGifs) November 7, 2017
As Tony said, you need to make it clear what you’re looking for in a new team member. He also suggests creating a test, which will help you weed out candidates that aren’t a good fit.
Q3: What kind of roles does a great content marketing team need to have?
There are a number of roles you may want to fill when building content marketing teams. These are a few positions you may want to consider hiring for:
A3. Every team needs a leader, and every project needs an owner. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
Michele said that every team needs to have a leader and every project should have an owner. These are important roles you’ll want to add as you build your content marketing teams.
A3. If getting started, you need help with strategy, editorial planning, writing, design and distribution. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
A3. More mature teams need people who know a lot about email, SEO and social. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
For new teams, Michele recommends finding someone to help with strategy, editorial planning, writing, design, and distribution. If your team is more mature, you’ll want something who knows a lot about email, SEO, and social media.
A3 Project manager, SEO & content marketing expert (audience + keyword research for topics), industry expert writer. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 7, 2017
Julia’s advice is to get a project manager, an SEO and content marketing expert, and an industry expert writer.
A3: Depends on size of business/team, but need to fulfill writer, leader, strategy, SoMe, search roles, at least.#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/NhOHByG7r2
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) November 7, 2017
Sarah said the types of roles you need to fill will really depend on your business and your team. Keep that in mind and focus on hiring the roles you genuinely need.
A3 Every team is going to be different but someone who creates the visuals, links, schedules, edits, copy. Etc #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/Ld9oC1hABZ
— Tony Stephan (@SirKingofGifs) November 7, 2017
Tony suggests having someone who creates the visuals, links, schedules, edits, writes, copy, etc.
A3: A passionate writer, an email expert, SEO strategist, social media crafter & a leader who can LEAD. #ContentWritingChat
— Haley Steinhauser (@h_steinhauser) November 7, 2017
A passionate writer, an email expert, an SEO strategies, a social media manager, and a leader are all essential roles.
A3: A leader who has a content marketing strategy. A team of writers, SEO analysts, and designers who know it too. #ContentWritingChat.
— Narmadhaa (@s_narmadhaa) November 7, 2017
A leader, as well as a team of writers, SEO analysts, and designers makes all the difference.
A3 Skills and experience in each stage are critical: Strategically Producing, Publishing, and Promoting content. #contentwritingchat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) November 7, 2017
Bill suggests looking for skills and experience in strategically producing, publishing, and promoting content.
Q4: How can you ensure your team is effective and productive? What about remote teams?
Need some help boosting productivity within your team? Whether you’re working together or you’re all remote, here’s some great advice to help you out:
A4. Every team needs to have a shared vision and strategy. What is everyone working towards building + and why? #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
Michele feels every team needs to have a shared vision and strategy.
A4. Every team needs a #strategy + roadmap that clearly outlines what each contributor’s responsibilities will be. #ContentWritingChat
— SourceMedia (@SourceMediaCo) November 7, 2017
Having a strategy and a roadmap that outlines responsibilities is key.
A4: set up goals, guidelines, a calendar, and clear ways of communication, especially when working with a remote team. #ContentWritingChat
— Independent Retailer (@indretailer) November 7, 2017
Be sure to set up goals and guidelines. Make sure you also have a clear channels for communication so everyone can stay in touch.
A4: Have some kind of calendar (tho being flexible is important), have regular check-ins, be open about timelines. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/Zp2MMMdZcc
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) November 7, 2017
Sarah recommends having regular check-ins with your team members. Make sure you’re flexible so you can meet your team’s needs.
a4 set up a central communication tool like @SlackHQ so everyone can see all the work and communication #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/S8Dp8C5WHK
— Jade Alberts Consult (@Jade_A_Consult) November 7, 2017
Having a central communication tool is great advice. Jade suggests using something like Slack to keep in touch with everyone.
A4) You need a central hub to communicate/coordinate; @SlackHQ and @basecamp both come to mind. #contentwritingchat
— Kyle Murray (@TheKyleMurray) November 7, 2017
Kyle recommends Slack or Basecamp for staying updated with your team.
A4: Setting goals, utilizing online task manager (@asana) for organization, conference call when needed (@FreeConfCall) #ContentWritingChat
— Haley Steinhauser (@h_steinhauser) November 7, 2017
Haley’s advice is to set goals, use an online task manager, and have conference calls.
A4 At @ExpWriters my team has been 100% remote for 6 years. Here’s a blog about how we do it: https://t.co/Rks5SZdaky #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 7, 2017
You can read all about our remote team here at Express Writers in this post Julia shared.
Q5: What are some common roadblocks team members face when working together?
There’s no denying that content marketing teams are going to encounter issues from time to time. It helps to be aware of some of those common problems so you can help avoid them. Here are a few struggles teams often face:
A5. It can be difficult to know what to work on when list is long. Having shared priority is key. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
Michele knows that having shared priority is key when working together.
A5: Communication, especially with giving & receiving feedback. #contentwritingchat
— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) November 7, 2017
Communication is definitely something many teams struggle with.
A5) Groupthink. You get stuck on an idea or the more aggressive voices consistently get others to fall in line. #contentwritingchat
— Kyle Murray (@TheKyleMurray) November 7, 2017
Kyle said groupthink is a common roadblock for content marketing teams.
A5: Miscommunication, fear, resentment, clashing personalities and poor leadership #ContentWritingChat
— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) November 7, 2017
Miscommunication, clashing personalities, and poor leadership are just a few issues Brandie pointed out.
A5: How to communicate and resolve conflict. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/J27Dv0Py2O
— Carlarjenkins (@carlarjenkins) November 7, 2017
Carla knows that many teams have a hard time with communication, as well as resolving conflict.
Q6: How can you combat those roadblocks and keep them from popping up?
To help you avoid those roadblocks, keep this advice in mind:
A6. Theme of the day, but shared understanding of the strategy is key so everyone working towards same mission #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
Shared understanding of the strategy is key, according to Michele. This ensures everyone is working towards the same mission.
A6.
Periodically,
check-in w/ EACH member!Encourage
Listen
Support
Etc.?? individuals
=
even
?? group results#ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/wLbowv82D3— Gabriela Cardoza (@CardozaGab) November 7, 2017
Gaby’s advice is check-in with team members periodically. She said you should encourage, listen to, and support one another.
A6: Make sure everyone’s on the same page with project goals/strategy. Ask if there are concerns; address right away.#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/v1GXEOM45x
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) November 7, 2017
Make sure everyone is on the same page with project goals and strategy. If there are any concerns, encourage your team to speak up.
A6: Don’t be afraid to ask for help or reach out to your team when stuck. Take a walk, step away! #ContentWritingChat
— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) November 7, 2017
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Let your team know that you’ll all there to support each other.
A6: Communication is ?! Making sure every1 knows what your top priorities are and where your ideas stem from. #GifCrazy #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/1uxmzgCbop
— TouchConvert (@touchconvert) November 7, 2017
Communication is a must! Make sure the team knows the top priorities for the projects you’re tackling.
A6: Creating a culture where your team speaks up can field a lot of roadblocks. Communication is key in teamwork #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/c6VvFEhLvr
— Virteom (@virteom) November 7, 2017
It’s important to have a culture where your team feels comfortable speaking up about roadblocks.
Q7: Which tools do you rely on to keep your team running smoothly?
Luckily, there are a plethora of tools out there that can help you out when managing a team. Check out these suggestions:
A7. I am a big fan of @trello for managing projects. I have only used small scale, but it helps keeps details organized. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
A7. My newest tool is @airtable. Can use for editorial calendars + planning + much more. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
Michele relies on a variety of tools, including Trello and Airtable.
A7: @SlackHQ, @GoogleDrive, @Dropbox, & calendar appts. #contentwritingchat
— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) November 7, 2017
Slack, Google Drive, and Dropbox are all essentials!
A7: using google drive to be able to work on things together as well as the good ol’ telephone for communication. #ContentWritingChat
— Independent Retailer (@indretailer) November 7, 2017
Don’t forget a good old fashioned phone call can always do the trick.
A7: We use a software that works as a ticket system for our clients where the whole team sees requests as they come in. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/M1MVwBCns7
— Virteom (@virteom) November 7, 2017
No matter which tool you use, make sure it’s something the whole team is part of. Everyone can stay updated with what’s going on.
Q8: Any final advice on managing and building effective content marketing teams?
To close out the chat, we asked everyone to share their final pieces of advice to take away from the day’s chat. Here are a few of the responses:
A8. Consider the personality of every team member. Emails, calls, a tool? Customize communication when you can. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
A8. Figure out what makes each team member feel valued and do just that. It’s worth the time. #ContentWritingChat
— Michele Linn (@michelelinn) November 7, 2017
Michele suggests considering the personality of your team members and customize communication when possible. She also advises you to make your team feel valued. This helps keep everyone happy!
A8 ?: ALWAYS be open to YOUR TEAM, their needs, their productivity patterns and optimization/improvement requests. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/NlETukHfMV
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 7, 2017
A8 Once you have strong team members in place, communicate!!! Daily/weekly. Set calendar blocks. Video calls are great. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 7, 2017
Be open to your team, their needs, their productivity patterns, and improvement requests. Julia also said to communicate with your team often. You can schedule meetings and have video calls if you’re remote.
A8: Be flexible. Everyone communicates and interacts differently. #contentwritingchat
— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) November 7, 2017
Be flexible because everyone communicates and interacts differently.
A8: Making sure every idea is heard and discussed, and every team member is appreciated. #ContentWritingChat
— bmpromotional (@bmpromotional) November 7, 2017
Make sure the ideas of your team are heard. Allow everyone the opportunity to speak up.
A8: Don’t look for those who say “this is how it’s always done…” Look for those who will help YOU stand out. #ContentWritingChat
— Mallorie Cloum (@malocloum) November 7, 2017
Mallorie suggests looking for those who will help you stand out. You want someone with a creative mindset.
A8. Lead by example and set the tone for your team #contentwritingchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) November 7, 2017
Cheval’s advice is to lead by example and set the tone for your team.
Want to join the next #ContentWritingChat? Come hang out with us every Tuesday at 10 AM Central Time! Just be sure to follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat so you don’t miss anything!
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