If you’re dreaming of consistent results and stronger client relationships, implementing a simple and seamless content approval workflow is a vital part of your success.
Creating an effective content approval process can supercharge your production and achieve results worth shouting about.
No matter your type of content, if you have multiple content creators and a marketing team of more than 1 person, you surely can’t live without one.
What do I mean by an approval workflow?
It’s a streamlined plan for you and your content team to ensure the production and publication of any given piece of content is smooth, scalable and efficient.
Pre defined deadlines and boundaries ensure everyone on the project is aligned and it leaves no room for bottlenecks or errors. You’ll get from first draft to conversions quicker than you can say final approval.
Pass go, collect $200 and on to the next!
5 steps to success:
- Establish who, what and by when. Get everyone clear on due dates and their part to play so that sign off on your content production is a piece of cake.
- Over-communicate with your team and clients.
- Regular check ins and process improvements to stay ahead of the game.
- Automate and simplify.
- Stick to your boundaries and keep moving forward! Nothing is achieved by standing still so get it done, hold people accountable and remember you can come back to iterate later.
You’ll want to create a process for all parts of your content marketing strategy including new content, optimisations and social media management. Leverage your tech stack and integrate tools such as ClickUp, and Slack with Zapier or built in automations.
To get real life expertise on what we should and shouldn’t be doing as part of an effective content approval workflow, I interviewed Eva Ryan, a seasoned expert and client account manager at Flying Cat Marketing. She gave me the lowdown on how to craft the perfect content approval workflow, why it makes such a difference, and how to yourself up to win.
Let’s see what the expert has to say!
Why reinvent the wheel?
Our ready-to-use SOP toolkits save you time and resources, allowing you to focus on growing your agency.
Regular updates to stay ahead of the game
Getting the opinions of each stakeholder and making regular improvements is fundamental to ensuring you’re always doing things in the most effective way and optimising your content approval process.
Even small changes like changing approval days to be more aligned with the clients’ schedule can have a huge impact.
You won’t know how to make these changes unless you’re in constant communication with the team and the client, so don’t be shy!
Overcommunication is key
Be sure to explain the consequences of not sticking to the approval workflow deadlines.
For example, let the client know that if they miss an approval deadline, the approval window will be closed and you’ll move forward with the piece to avoid the content being delayed.
Likewise if your internal team is spending more time than allocated, you’re in the realm of scope creep which I’m sure you’ll agree, is not a place you want to be.
You won’t achieve results that you’re hoping for without a defined workflow.
Budgets will be affected. The team and your clients will get frustrated.
Your role will turn into chief peacekeeper, mediating between all parties just to try and get the job done, instead of being able to manage the project like a boss.
When things go wrong without a workflow
Eva gives a great example of a time where she didn’t set an approval timeline in advance.
There were no deadlines in place meaning the content wasn’t published on time, the entire content calendar was delayed which in turn started to affect results.
Having to explain to the content manager from the client side that you’re not seeing results because the content was published 6 weeks late isn’t a great look.
Its adds insult to injury when you investigate the situation and realize it was because you didn’t get approvals on time.
The stuff of nightmares, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Your relationship with the client is tainted and they’re losing trust in you.
Now they have to explain poor results to their manager, so they feel stupid too. Makes you cringe just thinking about it, I know!
This total disaster that could have been avoided by implementing an approval workflow from the start.
Automate and simplify your content approval workflow
Eva recommends to determine from the very beginning who is the person responsible for approvals, and where possible, narrow this down to just one stakeholder to avoid too many cooks.
Use automations to save yourself time and effort and so that you can rest assured that repetitive tasks like telling a client something is ready for approval are never missed.
It’s a small but time consuming and crucial task, so why not let automation take care of it for you?
That way, you’re closing the loops in your brain and not having to cross things off as you do them at the end of the week.
You can close your laptop with a smile on Friday afternoon because the thing you need to do is already done!
Using automations also means less micromanaging for you. Notifications can be automatically triggered throughout the process so you can feel confident that the workflow is moving along nicely without you having to be involved at every single stage.
By now, you’re realizing how implementing a simple yet effective approval workflow is making your life a dream and turning your everyday tasks into a walk in the park.
As Eva says, don’t be afraid to use automations and leverage tech to make your life easier.
We’re all human (so far!) with a limit to our mental capacity. Using automations takes a load off and gives you space to build relationships and focus on bigger picture things that will move the needle. Imagine the impact of being able to research new growth opportunities and find innovative ways to achieve your success for your company or your clients.
I know where I’d rather be spending my time!
Use templates to streamline the project management of your content creation process. All project management tools have a template section so you can duplicate and deploy tasks and workflow templates at the drop of a hat.
As Eva admits she was skeptical at first, but has since reaped the benefits of incorporating tech into her workflows.
Done is better than perfect!
Avoid getting stuck in the trap of endless feedback rounds and revisions. In Eva’s experience, this can go on forever and is a huge mistake in the review process.
Moving forward with publishing content of high quality will have a greater impact than trying to reach everyone’s idea of perfection.
Especially if you’re working with SEO as a channel. Publish quality content as soon as possible, check results in real time and then go back and make updates if need be.
Stick to your guns when it comes to types of approvals and timelines.
Like Eva says; boundaries are your best friend, not only to keep projects on track but to establish trust in relationships too.
Unlock efficiency with a successful content approval workflow
Crafting a phenomenal content approval workflow isn’t rocket science, but it does require diligence and communication. The magic lies in collaboration and using technology to your advantage.
By establishing a solid workflow, you’re not only saving yourself from headaches and extra work, you’re also building trust with your clients and your team members.
Gift yourself a ticket to the world of efficient processes, close those brain loops, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a well-managed project.
Success is waiting for you once you master the art of workflow simplicity.
Why reinvent the wheel?
Our ready-to-use SOP toolkits save you time and resources, allowing you to focus on growing your agency.
