Stakeholder Reviews – The Achilles Heel of Content
In the Custom Content world the production/creation of content is often a piece of cake compared to the stakeholder review/sign-off process. Any company, (large or small) can go to Elance or Craiglist and hire a writer or videographer to crank out content. But this route has a tendency to ensure both parties are shortchanging one another (and themselves)—by indentifying that the only perceived value is “the production of work.”
—The client may think they have scoped out exactly what they want, but being inside the business does not always give them the best vantage point regarding their assets and liabilities.
*This is why we have ad agencies.
—The content producer (writer) may be very happy to tap out exactly what the client wants—(1500 words about the benefits of micro fleece over wool.) But in the end the lack of brainstorming and thinking outside the box is likely to leave many other (potentially better) ideas on the table.
*Perhaps a series of short interviews with people on the street asking them if they are warm, or a charticle comparing the hydrophobic properties and relative warmth of all fabrics.
In the examples above the work will get done but the signoff/stakeholder review process is sure to be a bear. Looking to smooth out the sometimes ominous stakeholder review process, here’s a few tips:
Client:
—Get input from every member of your team, from customer service all the way up to the CMO. What may be important to the executive team may not at all relate to what those on the front lines are hearing everyday.
—If you are going to manage freelancers yourself, once you hand over a scope of work to the content producer be open to new concepts/tweaks.
—Keep in mind that writers are just like designers—they have a default style. If you need consumer writing and all of the examples you’ve seen from writer you are working with consists of lifestyle oriented pieces with lots of voice, you may be setting yourself up for unnecessary edit rounds.
—Keep the stakeholder review list as small as possible. At a certain point you will start collecting conflicting edits. You will be frustrated and so will the writer.
Content Provider:
—Don’t do the bare minimum. You are being hired to write but the end result is to generate brand awareness/sales for your client. Ask questions, politely challenge your client to explain the objectives, review earlier collateral and ask what the client likes and dislikes about it.
—Manage your meetings don’t let the meetings manage you. Send out a meeting outline prior to every meeting and don’t stray too far from the outline. If you identify a new topic save it until the end or schedule a new meeting.
—Identify and speak with the stakeholders prior to starting the content process. Ask them what their favorite magazines/columns are and why? Check to see if legal needs to review the content and ask your contact what angles/terms/words/etc. you should avoid.
—When submitting content for stakeholder approval include the signed-off creative brief and indentify the sources you used and any internal/external links (if web).
