Web Content Development Phase Three: Build

This article is part of a series on web content development. To start at the beginning, check out “Introduction to Web Content Development.”

Creating web content for online display and distribution is essential in today’s marketplace. Consumers use the web to find and patronize businesses, and if your content is stale (or nonexistent), your business could be in big trouble.

We’ve already explored brainstorming and planning your web content. Today, we’re digging into the building phase. If you’ve done your due diligence and completed the brainstorming and (especially) the planning phases of your web content development, the building phase will be smooth and easy, because you already know what needs to be done.

Build Your Web Content Development Team

Depending on your skills and resources, you will probably need to hire experts to help you develop your web content. You might hire a single professional, like a website manager or web designer, who can handle the entire project, or you might hire a team with each team member performing specific, specialized tasks.

Here is a sampling of professionals you might hire to develop your web content and some of the tasks they might perform:

Web designer: The single most important piece of your web presence is your website. Your web designer is responsible for designing and building your business website. The designer may have his or her own team of writers and artists.

Website Manager and/or Designer: A website manager oversees your website and keeps it functional and up-to-date. A website is like a car or a house — it needs regular maintenance. Some of this is basic upkeep. Other times, it’s adding and changing content on the site. Often your website manager will be the same person who designs and builds your website.

Online Marketing Coordinator: In some cases, your website manager will act as the coordinator of all your online marketing campaigns. This is because most of your online marketing ties in with your website. Ideally, someone is overseeing all online marketing to ensure that everything is coordinated. Hopefully, whoever fills this role will also be skilled in various areas of online marketing and may be able to provide direct assistance with content development.

Copywriter: Copywriters are the most overlooked professionals in online marketing for small businesses. People tend to get caught up in design and imagery and forget the importance of written content, which is where key communications with prospective customers happens. A copywriter can prepare professionally written content for your website, blog posts, newsletters, emails, and social media posts. A copywriter can also develop catchy slogans and taglines for your brand, products, or services.

Graphic Artist: A graphic artist will render professional looking logos, banners, backgrounds, and social media profile images as well as imagery for blog posts.

Social Media Specialist: If you’re planning a robust social media campaign, you might want to hire someone with deep expertise. A social media professional can also help with planning, developing content, and posting to your social media accounts.

Ads Specialist: There are many ad programs available online, and some of them are quite complicated! But ads are one of the best ways to promote your business. If you find yourself struggling with setting up your ads, revisit your budget and consider hiring someone who can get done it for you.

Planning and Coordination

Before you build your team (so they can build your content), you should put together a project plan. Use a spreadsheet or project management software to coordinate tasks, assignments, and a timeline. Here are some quick tips for project planning and coordination:

• Everybody involved needs to know what everybody else is doing. Otherwise, some tasks may get duplicated or valuable content may go to waste. If your copywriter is creating content for your business blog, your social media manager may be able to leverage it. But if they don’t know what each other is doing, they can’t make the best possible use of your content.
• Each teammate’s responsibilities should be clearly established. Break down large projects into smaller tasks and ensure that expectations are clearly set.
• Elect one person to be the central coordinator. This person should have a clear understanding of your business, industry, and overall marketing plans and strategies. The coordinator makes sure everyone stays on schedule and all content is in alignment with your brand and ties back to your website, which is your online headquarters.
• Ask the members of your team how long they need to complete their tasks. Don’t try to force your due dates on them, otherwise you may end up with shoddy work and missed deadlines.
• Make sure all projects and tasks are prioritized.
• Include a little padding in the timeline in case you run into roadblocks or unexpected setbacks.

Get Busy Building Your Web Content

Once your team is in place with assigned tasks and an established timeline, the build can begin. Make sure your project coordinator checks with the team members regularly to ensure that all projects are on track.

Next Phase: The Launch

Once your content has been created, you’re ready for the most exciting phase of the web content development process: “The Launch.”

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Buzz Pro Studio provides website services to small businesses and independent professionals, specializing in website design and maintenance. For more information or to get a no-obligation quote, contact me.