Doing More With Less: Content Creation Is a Mindset

Several years ago, I gave a presentation to a group of nonprofit leaders called “Scalable Content Creation Strategies: Doing More with Less.”

The title sounds a little more complicated than the idea actually is. The basic premise was pretty simple: Organizations have stories. Lots of them. The trick is figuring out which stories matter, who needs to hear them and then how to use those stories as effectively as possible. 

Four years later, I still think that is pretty good advice. In fact, I think it may be more important now than it was then. In my 30 years working in communications, marketing and public affairs, one thing I have learned is that organizations often make content creation much harder than it needs to be.

In the old days, communications started with the channel.

“We need to write a brochure.”

“We need a print ad.”

“We need a press release.”

“We need something for the website.”

But the channel shouldn't be the starting point. The starting point is the audience. Who are you trying to reach? What do you want them to do? What do you need to tell them to get them to do it?

It sounds like Communications 101 — and it is. But it is amazing how often we skip those basic questions because we're in such a hurry to get something produced.

So start with the basics. Who are we talking to? And more importantly, what do we want them to do?

That second question is one I come back to constantly. Because once you know what you want someone to do, THEN you can start thinking about the message.

This is where content creation really begins. What story are you trying to tell? How do you tell that story in a way that the average person can understand? This can be particularly challenging for what I used to call “programmatic” organizations. Nonprofits, healthcare organizations, universities and other organizations doing complicated or highly specialized work can become so familiar with their own language that they forget that everyone else doesn't speak it.

Don't get bogged down in programmatic language. Be careful about falling into “grantwriting” mode. People don't necessarily want to hear a description of your program. They want to understand what it does. They want to know why it matters. And, ideally, they want to hear from the person whose life was actually changed because of it.

That's why testimonials and first-person accounts are so powerful. People respond to personal stories. Tell the story, not just what you do. 

I have always believed that people and faces are at the heart of storytelling. That's one reason I have encouraged organizations to constantly capture stories — not just when they need something for a campaign, but as an ongoing habit. Don't miss the opportunities that are happening right in front of you.

And one of the things that has changed dramatically over the past several years is how easy it is to capture those stories. You probably already have a camera. If you have a video camera, great. If you have a budget, even better.

But if you don't, your phone is probably pretty darn good. Most phones now capture exceptionally good video and photography. You can invest in very minimal equipment — a tripod or handheld stabilizer and a microphone — and dramatically improve what you're producing. 

And here's the important part — don't think of the video as the finished product. Think of it as the raw material. Let's say you interview someone who has benefited from your organization. You have a video. Great.

But now you also have a transcript that can become a blog post. You have quotes that can become social media posts. You have material for an email. You have something you can put on your website. You might use it in a brochure, a presentation or even a grant application.

Put it everywhere you can.

The same thing applies to photography. Build a library of images that you can use whenever you need them. The point is to get yourself into a storytelling mindframe, both verbally and visually.

I also think organizations sometimes forget the most important part of marketing: the call to action. What do you want people to do? And just as importantly, where do you want them to go to do it? What happens when they get there? Have you made it easy for them to engage with you? 

This is where marketing and the actual experience of dealing with an organization intersect.

Sometimes you don't have a marketing problem. You have a product problem. Or a user-experience problem.

If you're asking someone to donate, make it easy to donate. If you want them to register, make registration easy. If you want them to contact you, don't make them hunt for the phone number.

Don't make people work harder than they have to.

Content creation is a mindset. You don't need to constantly invent something new; you need to start paying attention to the stories that are already happening around you. Understand your audiences and think about what you want them to do. Then, find the story that will help them understand why they should care.

Content creation is about developing a set of tools for use with your target audiences. As with any toolbox, the more variety, the better. 

And maybe the most important thing is to take a step back and ask yourself:

How are you talking about yourself?

Are you talking about what you do — or are you telling people why it matters? Are you using jargon that makes sense only inside your organization? Are you telling your own story when someone else could tell it more effectively? Are you producing content because you have something worth saying, or because the calendar says you need to post something?

After 30 years of doing this, I find myself coming back to the same basic principle again and again: Tell a good story. Tell it to the right people. Make it easy for them to do something with it. And then find every possible way to put that story to work.

That's how you do more with less. And that's a pretty good strategy for just about anything.