I recently had two interesting discussions with marketing leaders. Both revolve around the same question: “Where do we start?”
I was told that she had developed a new content operations roadmap for the marketing department. She had gotten approval from her leadership, but everyone was busy with other work and didn’t know how to move forward.
A second leader told me that they were reconsidering a project delivered by a large consulting firm. When the company first recommended it, it seemed logical and straightforward. But now it’s time to put people’s names on the project, and it all seems overwhelming.
How did they do that?
absorb planned changes It can be very difficult. You know it makes more sense to fix the (metaphorical) leaky pipe, but it’s much easier to keep watering the lawn—even if it costs more.
A common reaction is to look at how other content and marketing teams have handled similar situations. But looking through someone else’s eyes rarely yields impressive results.
I’ve noticed that when people ask, “Can we do what they did?” they usually get one of three answers:
1. If they can do it, we can do it too.
This reaction is often tinged with jealousy. It dismisses individuals or teams but gives credit to the map. I recently visited the Broad Museum in Los Angeles. When I stand in front of a painting by Roy Lichtenstein series of rectanglesI heard a man behind me say, “I can do it—I should be a millionaire.”
Can he do it? perhaps. But here’s the thing. He didn’t. Lichtenstein did it—and became famous for it. This is the lesson. Assuming you can do what others have done (and get the same results) is most certainly a recipe for failure.
This brings me to the second typical response.
2. Give me a map of their content plan and I will be equally successful.
I call this response a template model. People look for typical case studies, templates, or “proven” best practices to follow. They expect the same results.
Rarely have I seen teams taking this approach produce results that match or exceed the original template or case study. The map never quite fits where they’re going.
Why? Because it doesn’t allow for your team’s specific skills (or lack thereof), goals, or background. I recently interviewed the architect of one of the most successful content marketing projects of 2014. But he told me there was no way he could repeat what they did ten years ago. “It’s just a different time,” he said.
You must customize any template or map to fit your situation.
This brings me to my third (and most useful) response.
3. Does what I want to achieve already exist?
The most helpful response is to look for guidance in the project that reflects the essence of what you want to achieve.
You may find it helpful to look outside your industry and study what makes these efforts successful.
Going beyond the familiar forces you to interpret the idea through a creative lens. Don’t repeat the exact format of the projects you’re working on, but count on them to spark innovation.
One leader I interviewed last week benefited from this approach as she considered the following challenges: Lead new people, Create new workflowand generate new output to support new content strategies.
I suggested that she look for current projects involving disruptive change at a company that was completely different from the one she worked for. She studied how product designers form in-house design teams for financial services companies.
The details varied, but the example inspired her to discover new methods.
Why is the first step not difficult?
Okay, so you’re on board with the plan. This is the first step. But how to overcome the difficulty of getting started?
You know what tightrope walkers say the hardest step is?
Most people think of this as the first step out of the ropes. But that’s not the case, according to a tightrope walker in a short story from The Vigilante of Love:
“The hardest thing is the step after the first step. That’s where you gain or lose your balance. That’s where you walk or fall. After you take the second step, there’s no turning back.
It’s crucial to take the first step and become confident in the essence of what we want to achieve. But that’s not the hardest part. When implementing a new content project, taking the second step is the hardest.
The second step is committing to the vision. That’s when you walk or fall. There will be no turning back then. And, if you are a leader, you have no one to blame for your success or failure but yourself.
This three-step process will help you be prepared when it’s time to make major changes to your content strategy:
Step 1: Make the map your
Start with your vision for success with your new strategy. Use the inspiring models you identify as examples. Then, ask yourself: “What does it take to be successful?”
Write it all down. It sounds overwhelming, but you’ll be surprised how settling-in it can be to create your visionary to-do list.
Explore your feelings about the uncertainty involved. Make a list of all the things that scare you or that could go wrong. Make a list of things that go well and make you happy. Acknowledge that you can’t control how these things make you feel, but you can control how you react to them.
Then, of course, there are plans and maps. Go back to your list and list everything you need for the project to be successful, then identify any “obstacles” that might stand in the way. What needs to be addressed first? second?
You just built it into the plan your imagine. You’re ready to take the second step.
Step 2: Keep walking
The first step is challenging. But the hardest part is saying yes to the adventure you design.
One thing happens in almost every client consultation I’ve ever been involved in. Once we complete the approved business case and plan, I congratulate the client. Then came a sigh and the inevitable remark: “Yes, but now we have to do it.”
This is the second step. crime.
You commit to walking. You tackle the first big step. You give it your all. You don’t fire those who came before you because you think you can do it as well or better. You develop your own recipes rather than trying to improve on someone else’s.
Steps become easier
In the book I mentioned, the tightrope walker talks about more than just the first two steps. He said: “The third step is the beginning. This is the complete progress of the new route.
Completing your first plan or overcoming your first challenge is the beginning. That’s when you start to see that things are working the way you imagined. This is much more satisfying than looking at what’s next in a template map.
The book writes: “The fourth step is affirmation. After the fifth step – it’s just walking.”
You are on your way.
A thousand miles begins with a single step. But the second, most challenging step will give you the confidence to keep going.
Updated from March 2022 article.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
