Get ahead of the curve: Leverage an untapped resource for content

Does your corporate blog sometimes feel like a lost soul in the desert, struggling for every drop of fresh content, each day a struggle to keep the flow going?

Even now, as blogging moves into a more mature phase, many companies still struggle to produce content. That problem isn't going away; content marketing is picking up steam and organizations will need more, not less, good new content. Yet despite many companies have yet to really utilize an untapped resource: employees.

No, not everyone is going to be a regular blogger. You have to be dedicated and enjoy the process of writing to stick with it. Fortunately for most people, they are free from that illness and can avoid the tyranny of feeding a blog regularly.

But nearly everybody in a business can write at least one blog post. Everyone has specialized knowledge, topics they are passionate about, that can be spun into a valuable post.

So leverage your internal talent. Because your competitors will leverage theirs.

Demand for content is growing -- and so is employee involvement

The Content Marketing Institute, in a post on content marketing predictions for 2012, highlights the trends of increased content demand and employee engagement in content development to help meet the need:

Keep an eye out for dramatically increased content volume, embracing both widespread employee blogging as well as creative programs that encompass the stories from all of your constituents.

The marketing, PR and social teams can only produce so much organically. Employees from other areas can help.

(As an aside, do employees at the Content Marketing Institute wear white lab coats? Are tiny content marketing experiments taking place with lab rats? I believe that, under penalty of federal law, any business with "institute" in its name should require employees to wear lab coats during working hours. Agree? Write your congressperson today.)

Employee involvement goes deeper than just expanding content sources

Utilizing employees to build content has other benefits. First, customers are increasingly demanding reality over polished marcom fantasies. Your company blog can and should be a great vehicle for showing customers behind your corporate curtain. Employee entries help showcase the people behind the brand. Secondly, employee content gives workers a stake in the company's marketing success. We are all in sales, as the saying goes, and increasingly we are all in marketing, through social media. Employee blog posts are a great way to create participation and increase awareness of what your company is doing to engage customers.

Tap your talented resources

Your company will need more content to keep pace with the changing face of marketing. Feed the beast with a resource that sits right under your nose, and in many cases, will be eager to help. Leverage employees from across the organization to share insight and personality to make your company stand out. The benefits will reach far beyond your blog post count.