Why content strategy is an HR issue

In order for content strategy practices, policies, and processes to stick in an organization, you need to work with HR experts, who know how to set up and sustain people-powered systems.

I’ve been saying this for a very long time, and it’s in many of my presentations, but a content strategist became wide-eyed when I shared the thought with him in a recent conversation.

Here is a more detailed explanation of this concept:

As I wrote earlier in 2023, deliverables are not your content strategy. As I wrote, “The actual work of content strategy is the set of actions the organization takes – and of truly integrating [content strategy] knowledge into the organization’s working soul.”

And that takes people: People who are empowered to carry out the policies and practices that the content strategy calls for. People who have the time and skills to create user-centered content with measurable goals. People whose performance is measured based on collaboration and cross-promotion as well as simple output. People whose management supports new behaviors.

In fact, people challenges were the most-mentioned content strategy challenge when I asked my networks a few years ago.

Content strategists cannot make these types of organizational changes alone. In fact, they need the expertise and skills of folks in Human Resources. HR professionals understand how to shift job descriptions. They know how to coach managers in supporting and advancing team members’ new skills and behaviors. And they can hold folks responsible for following them.

The ultimate goal of doing content strategy work is for new content policies, standards, and practices to become part of the way things work in the organization. We call this “content operations.” And HR is an essential partner in making that happen.

This type of thinking and work is part of our content strategy consulting. If your organization can benefit from this, please get in touch.