Content governance in 6 steps structuring your content process brings profit

Pieter: "If, like one of our customers active in financial services, you produce an enormous amount of content that you send out into the world via many channels, you run the risk of losing the overview and failing to present a uniform image. Customers were also repeatedly receiving multiple emails from this customer. This was something they wanted to change, which is why they enlisted our help. In such a situation, you may be inclined to think that you need a better content strategy. However, in my experience, it is best to look at the organization of the whole roadmap. Good content governance is what is needed here."

What are your goals and what is your current content situation?

“In step 1, the exploratory phase, we reviewed the primary objectives and looked at touchpoints and the customer journey. We did this through surveys, brainstorms, conversations, analysis, video, and reporting. In step 2, Strategy & Governance, we looked at their current content situation. What is the quality of the strategy? What content is there? What is the quality of the content? And that of the channels deployed? Who is involved in the content? Are there standards and rules for creating content? Who is responsible? Who owns content and audience? And so on."

Model, framework, and chief content officer

After learning about the governance model in step 3 – is it a (de)centralized or a hybrid form? – the actual work begins in step 4: designing a framework to improve the current situation. With subactivities, roles, standards, dates, and resources. There are also five subprocesses: from strategy or plan, through the creation process, to publishing or boosting, and measuring, assessing, reporting, to taking charge of governance. Who will ensure that the strategy is implemented correctly across all silos of your business? There was a new role here for a chief content officer, editor-in-chief, or content manager located just below C-level.

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The 6 steps of content governance:

1. Discovery
2. What is the current situation?
3. Define governance model
4. Design framework across five subprocesses
5. Automation
6. Convince and implement

Automate and convince

Step 5, automating processes, definitely increases the efficiency of your content and lets you offer content at the right moment in the customer journey. Some of this is done completely automatically according to pre-established scripts. With step 6, it is about all stakeholders being on board internally and externally. Pieter: "That won't work without the support from the higher-ups (preferably C-level). So, it's best to make a business case for your senior management and then provide a roadshow for all departments. What are we planning? How are we going to use data? What is the ROI? What will it gain them?"

Start small

Pieter: "To get started, you can set up a governance team around a well-defined mission. Bring all stakeholders together: strategists, advertising, social media, data people, content providers ... and decide together what needs to be done. Who is going to do what? Which budgets will you allocate to which channels? Who gives the final okay? This exercise will teach you what problems can be tackled. What’s more, it will convince others that putting time and effort into properly organizing your roadmap really pays off."

The benefits of content governance:

• Your content is better aligned with your goals and your audience.
• Your content meets your quality standards.
• You maintain an overview and control over the entire content process.
• It reduces the cost of creating content.
• Your content becomes more effective, your marketing has a greater impact.
• You achieve a higher ROI through a better relationship with your customers and an optimal customer experience.
• Cooperation with internal departments and external partners is smoother.
• Your story will have a clear thread.

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