The cross-functional role of content in an organization W/ Lauren Lang

“If content works, and all of the processes that support that content work, then content has this ability to have a huge impact, not just in marketing, but across the business and the brand as a whole.”

Hello hello and welcome to another episode of the Flying Cat Marketing podcast. Today we speak with Lauren Lang, Senior Content Marketing Manager at Constructor, an AI platform that helps e-commerce companies personalize their site experiences.

Before entering the world of B2B content, Lauren was a college English instructor, but since 2014 she has been working as a content marketer and B2B SaaS brand and content strategist. 

Lauren starts by explaining the role that content should play for a business, and why it should cut horizontally across every one of an organization’s functions. “Content is really this connective tissue, this glue, that connects all of the marketing functions, and it at least touches most of the different business functions too.” She highlights how much of an impact content can have when it’s done right and everyone in the organization participates in its creation. 

She also outlines what needs to occur for a content team to be cross-functional and what types of tasks content teams should prioritize, as well as how content marketers can talk with leadership teams to get everyone at an organization on board with a cross-functional content strategy. 

Lauren also touches on what KPIs organizations should track to determine whether or not their content is making a difference for their business, and she details some quantitative and qualitative metrics that you can look at to measure the success of your content. 

Finally, she explains how cross-functional OKRs can help content teams have success, as well as how to be strategic when getting other teams involved with the work of the content team. 

How has Lauren managed to implement a cross-functional content strategy at Constructor? How can your content teamwork with other departments to increase the success of your business? Lauren answers these questions and more. 

In this episode: 

Guest mini bio

“I’m a lifelong writer and a recovering college English instructor. After transitioning from teenagers to tech startups, I’m now leading content at Constructor, an AI platform that helps e-commerce companies personalize their site experiences. I also consult with B2B SaaS challenger brands to create knockout positioning, messaging, and content.”

Timestamps 

0:53-3:30 The role of content in an organization and the impact it can have

3:31-5:45 How small content departments can prioritize and make content creation easier 

5:55-8:36: How content marketers can incorporate positioning and branding into their role

8:37-10:45 Lauren’s evolution into a cross-functional role as Senior Content Marketing Manager at Constructor

10:46-12:02 How Lauren directs conversations with leadership on what needs to be done to get everyone on the same page

12:03-15:57 What should an organization measure to see if their content is successful?

15:58-17:32 How (and why) other departments should invest in the content function of an organization

17:33-23:54 Constructor’s content team and how they collaborate with other departments

23:55-24:55 The importance of being strategic when getting other teams involved with content