Does your small business or nonprofit have a Go-To Person for digital content? We all know this person. Even though it’s not written in his or her job description, the Go-To Person has all the information that keeps your digital space humming, from the social media username and password combinations to the correct steps for accessing and updating the content management platform. When you ask them how they know all this stuff, they simply tap the side of their forehead with their index finger. Yup, it’s all up there.
This colleague is particularly helpful with juggling multiple social media accounts. Timing is of the essence when it comes to social media. You don’t want to spend an hour tracking down the correct email for the Twitter account. More importantly, you don’t have an hour. You don’t even know if you have access to post.
Ditto for the company website. It’s much easier to message that team member who knows each and every needed step required to update, post, or archive a specific chunk of content than attempting it yourself, wondering with every mouse click if the site is backed up on a regular basis.
In many organizations, it’s Go-To People, not Person. Digital content tasks must be sprinkled about, depending on who has enough time and expertise. Your summer marketing intern may have set up your Facebook business page, and your original web administrator may have created the LinkedIn page. They may have used personal emails, or created a new company email address, but you’re not entirely sure.
But what happens when the Go-To People leave the company? The intern returns to school, the original web admin goes to a startup. And the social media profile information, and instructions for updating the website have not been documented? You have now inherited a digital content legacy issue. Your newest hire – or worse, you, is now tasked with hunting down this crucial information and trying to sort it out.
Obviously, the best way to avoid this scenario is to document your social media profile information, as well as all other commonly performed digital content responsibilities, such as posting to your company’s blog. Right now, email or text your Go-To People for the information. Then document it. You may not use it immediately, but you’ll have it. For you, for your business, for your future new hires.
Another solution? Outsource your digital content management. Rather than relying on revolving colleagues and team members who get pulled away to do what they were hired for, having a dedicated Digital Content Go-To professional who will corral all your digital content information, and post it in a timely manner is a tremendous resource, enormous timesaver, and effective approach to managing your digital content.
If the idea of adding “update the company website” to your to-do list seems daunting and time consuming, it’s probably the reason why you keep putting if off for another day. However, each day that you delay puts into a motion a vicious cycle. You continue to not give the attention your website needs to be a positive online experience for your visitors and stay SEO friendly, while the content updates continue to pile up, requiring even more time.
