websights

The Hidden World of Corporate Content

In the world of corporate content, we’ve moved well beyond equating “content” with a blog for corporate news. Instead, if we think of corporate content as all of the written and visual ways in which a business’s employees communicate with each other, their customers, potential customers and their industry as a whole, then we can see that great quality content is a vital component of just about any business function. Content may be king, but it sits on a lot of different thrones, especially in the workplace.

In fact, because content is vital to how businesses spread their missions and achieve their goals, there are increasingly sophisticated methods for creating and distributing that content to the right audiences. With the right tools, you can improve just about any piece of content–and improve the success rate for your business objectives along with it. Here are just a few examples of corporate content that goes beyond the blog post and some initial ideas on how you can use them to communicate more effectively and successfully.

1. Employee Training

Starting a new employee off right requires a lot of communication, and deciding how to present this information often determines his or her success. In place of the traditional binder and laminated papers, think about including a video demonstration of some role-playing or common processes. After they’ve watched the video, test your employees on what they learned with short digital  quizzes. The latest trend in employee training–mLearning, or mobile-enabled learning materials–allows employees to learn on the go and is especially helpful for reference content. If you optimize your content for tablets and mobile devices, you may just find that your employees will speed through their training material in no time.

2. Reports

Reports are everywhere in the workplace, whether public-facing research and analysis, or internal-only monthly or quarterly reports. While this type of content may not always need lots of bells and whistles, accessibility and easy-to-digest formats are key factors for its success. Consider upgrading your reports to digital formats: it allows for easy and quick updates (goodbye, endless waits by the printer) and ensures that your audience will always have the most up-to-date information on hand.

3. Sales Playbooks

The best sales playbooks help sales teams do what they do well: sell. This means that playbooks are mobile-optimized, so employees can look up materials while out on the road, and include the most up-to-date information. Adding interactivity to your digital content might include embedded presentations, videos or other storytelling elements that truly help your sales team to connect with the material and tell your brand’s story and value proposition with their customers.

4. Newsletters

The lowly newsletter spans a wide range of purposes and audiences, and this content’s utility shouldn’t be overlooked. A newsletter is one of your best brand ambassadors and a great way to share useful information with your employees, customers and prospects. Even including a few simple GIFs can make a world of difference to your customers and employees, turning your organization’s updates into an interactive experience.

The Bottom Line: 

Whatever type of content you and your team use on a daily basis, it’s essential to recognize its importance in effective communication and operations. When it comes to corporate content, you should ask both what your content can do for you and what you can do for your content.