Changes are happening everywhere whether we like it or not, and many of us are waiting to get back to something resembling normal. One of those big changes is seen in the content of companies.
How can we use what we have been forced to learn to engage with customers differently, to work better across distances and obstacles, and to use new technologies and existing systems in new ways? What should we do once this crisis is over?
Here are some shortcuts to do it:
Table of contents
1. Just say no
2. Have empathy
3. Content tools are people too
4. Technological success? It's a people thing
1. Just say no
This advice may sound strange after people tell you to hold on to the good that comes from this change. But saying no can be a precursor to dramatic, yet positive, changes.
We will use Meg Walsh and her content team at the multinational Hilton as an example.
In 2018, her role expanded from managing all of the company’s digital assets and platforms to managing content operations, including all of the hotel’s imagery and web content.
Their new team of over 70 people architecture email lists did a great job. In 2019, they published content on 26 websites in 23 different languages. And even though they had to use different systems to manage the content, their team members were generally happy.
Meg began making decisions so that they “could become the team they believe they can become.”
They dug into the data and created a list of all the tasks they were doing. Twice a year. They reviewed it to decide whether to 1) keep doing it, 2) pass it on to another team, or 3) stop doing it. By simply eliminating two categories of tasks in 2019, they freed up their team from over 2,000 hours of work.
That's equivalent to a full-time employee, who could be invested in more strategic and impactful tasks.
By saying no to the old, Meg expanded her team’s profile from “doers” to “doers, thinkers, and dreamers.” She gave her team the freedom to do more than “push buttons.”
In 2020, the pandemic devastated tourism, and Meg had to lay off more than half of her team. But because of the strategic foundation she laid, the remaining team members were well positioned to know how to move forward.
2. Have empathy
Listen. Understand. We will use as an example the speech by Wendy Richardson of Mastercar, who used these words: we must create top experiences for consumers.
Empathizing with employees is also important. Ask them if they feel they have the right tools, the right processes, and the information they need to be successful. Talk to them about the obstacles and challenges they face on a day-to-day basis.
The same approach applies to consumers. Even though you've heard a thousand times that you need to know your audience and consumers, too often we make assumptions.
Don't stop asking what people think, even after you've released content. Give visitors easy ways to tell you if your content is meeting their needs. Even something as simple as adding the question: Was this content helpful to you?
And if the term “empathy” sounds too cheesy for you, that’s okay. Wendy used the word just once in her speech. But we saw that the concept was reflected in each of her tips when she talked about listening to, and understanding, others.
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3. Content tools are people too
Tools and technology are built by people, and people choose and use them.
Let's talk about flaws and impact first. As you might expect at a technology conference, which is where Richardson gave the speech we're talking about, the concepts of artificial intelligence and algorithms were heard throughout the speech.