Developing a good and successful content strategy for other people to get to know and to eventually be a part of takes some time and planning. Without the proper planning then no one will trust that it will be successful or they will loose too much money. Let’s face it, for many people and businesses it’s all about the money. If there is a slight chance of loosing money then the greater the chance that they will decline being a part of the project. Planning, budgeting, and just doing your homework overall will set your content strategy ahead of the others and have a greater chance for success.
The budget is always smart to include and keep track of in the project. With other stakeholders and people investing in the project, it’s very crucial that their money isn’t being wasted or using too much. People and even companies take a big risk with each new project that will hopefully help the company as much as possible. Meghan Casey states, “You’ll want to include details about how the budget will be managed and how requests for additional hours or budget will be handled…you must discuss whether the client would like you to complete the work as intended at an additional cost or reduce the scope to meet the budget. The most important thing to remember here is to have these discussions early. No one likes surprises.” Many stakeholders are taking a big risk in a project and their reputations rely on how well or how horrible the project turns out. So if they are spending a lot throughout the process then they start to worry and possibly back out of the project. Keeping a plan and keeping track of the budget will assure them that there is progress and everything is on the right track. This way problems can be solved before it gets out of control.
Keeping stakeholders and everyone involved in the project in the loop is great and all, but getting the right type of stakeholders can play a major role within the project. There are different roles and types that each stakeholder can buy-into in a project. Based on their expertise they can be a major asset to the content strategy than any would have thought. Meghan Casey divides them into roles (project owner, decision makers, champions, and influencers) and types (strategic, expert, implementer, and user proxy). Each stakeholder can play an integrate part in the project and so by preparing for success and planning everything out as much as possible then there would be enough buy in to complete the project in the best shape possible. Without a lot of these stakeholders or buy-ins then some parts may be difficult implementing in the long run whether it’s the creation of the content, tracking the budget, or even getting the project out to the target audience.
All in all, without a plan and a successful content strategy then there would be no stakeholders or buy-ins and no one would want to risk taking the chance on you. The possibilities are endless if everything goes smoothly and more people and companies will take the risk and go along with the content strategy. Lets face it…no one wants to loose everything, we all want to be successful and trusted with anything the future holds. Start with a plan and create content!
Resource:
- Casey, Meghan. The Content Strategy Toolkit: Methods, Guidelines, and Templates for Getting Content Right. New Riders, 2015.
Michaela Ganezer 