Remember when AI was just a sci-fi topic? Now, think about it. Just like ChatGPT’s insertion into everyday life, the tech industry moves fast — and so should your content.
Enter velocity.
Content velocity — aka consistency and speed applied to content — is essential for staying relevant in a rapidly changing market. In short, you must put out high-quality content often and frequently. This means as a marketer, you face the ultimate challenge: balancing high-quality content with high-output demands.
Don’t worry, it’s not impossible.
Below, we’ll break down how to build a scalable, efficient content machine. But first, let’s get to why content velocity is so important.
Why content velocity matters for tech brands
So why do tech companies need fresh, good content on the regular?
Here’s a scenario we all can relate to: Have you ever gone through A TON of work to create a report from data you commissioned, only to have it take so long to get through all the approvals and revisions that by the time you published it was no longer relevant? Consequently, all the smaller pieces related to that report are equally non-relevant. Le (marketer’s) sigh.
The rapid pace of innovation means today’s insights can quickly become outdated. Worse, slow content creation leads to missed opportunities and a loss of authority.
Competitive tech brands are the ones that know how to produce content at scale because for them to achieve their goals, falling behind isn’t an option. And it’s no wonder; faster content production helps brands stay top-of-mind, not to mention agile content creation boosts SEO, engagement, and lead generation.
How to achieve a high-velocity content strategy in 4 steps
Creating content at speed doesn’t mean sacrificing strategy or quality. The right approach will help you stay ahead of trends, maximize every asset and streamline production — without any of the usual bottlenecks.
1. Set up real-time industry monitoring
You want to stay in the now — not in the last month (or worse, last year). We recommend using AI-powered tools (Google Alerts, Feedly, LinkedIn Trends, etc. ) to stay ahead and scan for the latest news. After your alerts are established, make sure to set up internal workflows so you can react quickly to industry changes.
2. Utilize a modular content framework
To realize high velocity, you need to increase efficiency, ensure message consistency and scale your content production — without overloading your team. So get modular.
A modular content framework takes a strategic approach to content creation and lets you develop core, reusable content blocks that can be repurposed across multiple formats and channels. So instead of creating every asset from scratch, you build foundational “pillar” content — we’re talking long-form blog posts, whitepapers or webinars — and break it into smaller, adaptable pieces, such as social posts, email snippets, short-form videos, and infographics.
3. Create a cross-functional content team
Your content can’t do what it’s supposed to if your people aren’t on the same page. (Remember our report example earlier?) Make sure to align marketing, sales and product teams to speed up approvals.
Pro tip: To reduce bottlenecks, leverage pre-approved templates and content playbooks.
4. Use AI and automation to help scale content production
While we don’t recommend using AI to fully write your content, tools like ChatGPT or Jasper can be invaluable when it comes to kick-starting projects. Tap into the technology and quickly generate content briefs, outlines and summaries. Once your content is in its final form, easily automate content distribution with your favorite scheduling tools, such as Hootsuite or HubSpot.
The goal of a high-velocity content strategy is to keep your brand agile and responsive in a fast-moving digital landscape. The above components — real-time monitoring, modular content, cross-functional collaboration, and AI-driven automation — will help your teams create and distribute content efficiently without sacrificing quality.
Avoiding the content quantity trap: How to balance speed with quality
You need your content to earn trust for your brand. HubSpot places additional emphasis on authenticity, citing that 88% of consumers say it’s important. In short, you better not be churning out bad content just for the sake of having content.
It’s also no secret that poorly executed content can damage brand credibility. Or that prioritizing speed can lead to low-quality, generic content — especially if you don’t have a game plan. We don’t want that.
Instead of spitting out AI-generated blogs or social media posts, we recommend you examine what happens around publishing your content to find any bottlenecks or inefficiencies. Here are a few questions you can ask to identify cogs in your content machine:
- Is there something wrong with our project setup? Suppose you are wasting too much time before you even start drafting your content. In this scenario, we suggest examining your project setup and streamlining unnecessary steps, creating templates so your writers know exactly what format to aim for and providing design with all the assets they need to make your content shine.
- Is our review process too long? If this is the case, implement a rapid content review so you don’t have to sacrifice quality. Or, if you need to do a risk review, work with your legal team to expedite the process.
- Are we waiting too long between projects to publish content? While big banner projects are great, remember to use a mix of evergreen and real-time content to maintain a steady flow.
Analyzing the content creation process can help you identify opportunities to speed up the output (and still produce high-quality content!).
How to measure and optimize content velocity
Speed is only valuable if it drives results. By tracking the right metrics and refining your workflows, you can optimize content velocity for both efficiency and impact.
Select the top metrics to track
To improve content velocity, it’s all about measuring what matters. We suggest using the key metrics listed below to help gauge speed, engagement and overall impact:
- Time to publish: total time from ideation to launch.
- Engagement metrics: CTR, watch time, and shares.
- Conversion impact: lead generation and sales attribution.
Tracking these should help your content drive real results!
Aim for continuous iteration and improvement
Keep in mind that a high-velocity content strategy isn’t set in stone. We suggest that you:
- Analyze your top-performing content and replicate success.
- Adjust workflows based on bottleneck analysis.
- Celebrate the wins (with your whole cross-functional team!)
By continuously evaluating performance and refining workflows, you’ll be able to keep your team agile and effective while making kick-ass content.
When content velocity matters, start with an audit
In the fast-paced tech landscape, your content velocity (and ability to achieve it) is everything. Successful marketing teams must strike a balance between speed, quality, and of course, strategic execution. But before you go shaking up the org chart, investing in new tools or refocusing your content processes, consider conducting a content audit.
At Content Matterz, we love helping tech companies like yours evaluate what you’re working with and using that context to create the content marketing strategies that help take you to the next level. If you’re ready to start working towards some tangible results, reach out today for a free content audit.