How can a Content Strategist collaborate with a remote team?

Remote work requires clear vision, roles, and goals. Help build a culture of constant over-communication. Slack is very useful for quick messages and a more stable system for task management like Asana helps keep people accountable for deliverables and timelines.

Be clear on responsibilities, workflows, and communication channels. Those are the most likely areas for failure in a remote content strategy and implementation.

One thing I have found helpful while working with a remote team is the ability to be able to articulate the ideas accurately. Developing a thorough understanding about the task at hand is crucial and meetings with remote teams help establish that purpose.

In the virtual working realm, a savvy strategist can rock the collaboration by fostering open communication through digital channels like Slack and Zoom, but avoid micro-managing, cause you need to trust your subs a little. Having asynchronous collaboration tools ensures a seamless workflow despite time zone differences. Regular video check-ins build team camaraderie, while shared documents on platforms like Google Drive keep everyone on the same page. Utilizing project management tools like Trello or Asana or Monday or Notion aids in task organization, ensuring the content strategy sails smoothly through the virtual seas of creativity.

Remote work can be tricky and reaching out to all remote members can be hard. Apart from providing them the documented brief, they should also be contacted periodically through Skype or Zoom. Asana also works in thorough team management. Allowing the team to ask questions and provide feedback helps in further refinement of the brief (content strategy document).

Please, not another meeting! Project management is essential for clear and consistent communication. Do you have record of what's been done and what should happen when? If you don't, I guarantee things will be dropped or your team will waste so much time in meetings trying to figure who is doing what and when. Thankfully tools like Clickup/Asana/Monday.com and video 1:1 tools like Loom and Vidyard make it easy to asynchronously communicate and organize all your stuff without having to waste time in meetings.

3 things to always do when working remotely with others: - Ask questions up front. Gather as much relevant info as possible - Schedule regular check-ins. It's easy to have things fall through the cracks remotely and stakeholders do not want to feel out of the loop or, even worse, forgotten. - Manage expectations. This might be the most important point. Be direct and honest about turnaround times for tasks or projects.

Building genuine connections with the teams that you work with can help keep communication flowing. On top of that, consider the following: - Schedule regular check-ins, come with an agenda, ask questions as needed, manage expectations during this time, and hold yourself accountable to feedback from the team. - Understand timezone flows: remote work certainly means not everyone will be in the same timezone as you, nor that they work a standard schedule. Be respectful and aware of that when you schedule check-ins or deadlines. - For any message not needing a meeting, communicate effectively through whatever channel your team chats on (Slack, Teams, Asana, etc.). Leverage those tools regularly to continue to set expectations.

Allow team members to ask questions. In case it didn't happen, ask them what they understand. Each team member and manager must give updates, check-ins and reviews regularly. Asana and Trello are really good tools. TeamView can help managers check what employees are doing on their systems in case the need arises. G-suite apps make it even better thanks to Gmail. No manager should constantly be like the sword of Damocles. They should be democratic and allow employees to contact them when the need arises. If any employee does not deliver, inform them accordingly of what is next but in a manner which doesn't create problems.

Build a rapport with your team instead of treating them like someone who is just executing what you tell them to. Have calls regularly to let them know that their ideas are valued. Ask for feedback on whether this way of collaboration is working for them and if they would like to communicate differently. If you show them that you value them even as they work from a remote location, they are all the more going to be collaborative with you!

While working with remote teams might requires more over communication’s effort through various means( collab boards, email, instant messaging and sometimes even the quick group WhatsApp or text 🙃) it also gives us a massive opportunity to democratize the thinking, include cultural diversity and a more in depth localized intelligence for the horse’s mouth sort of speak… to me, remote collaboration offer the perspective we need to truly and authentically build diverse and impactful storytelling within the desired commercial frame…

When working with a remote content or creative team, you have to trust more to email than you otherwise might be inclined to. It's tough. The creative process can be more challenging when you have to write everything down instead of talk. But extra calls and endless instant messages are even more burdensome, because they prevent and disrupt flow work. So, use email. It's the best way.

Incorporate virtual team-building activities that go beyond work-related discussions. Platforms like Donut or Icebreaker facilitate casual interactions, fostering a sense of camaraderie. This unconventional approach strengthens team bonds and enhances creativity.

When working remotely it can be easy for people to miss out on meetings and important info. It’s important to communicate and discuss exactly how everyone works and then tailor your processes to that. Video calls might not work for everyone, so find other ways to communicate.

Encouraging collaboration ensures diverse perspectives are heard, leading to innovative solutions. Inclusion fosters a sense of belonging, empowering each team member to contribute their unique strengths.

Another way to test your content would be through targeted feedback and defined cohorts reviews and contributions. This can easily be achieved through remote collaboration with various groups representing your desired audience set. There is quite a bit of remote market research digital tools that can help you optimize your content impact and effectiveness.

Explore AI-driven content optimization tools like BrightEdge or Acrolinx. These tools analyze data to provide insights on keyword effectiveness, helping refine your content for maximum impact. This innovative approach complements traditional testing methods.

Testing ensures content effectiveness by gauging audience response, engagement, and impact. This process allows for continuous improvement, leveraging data-driven decisions and collective creativity to refine content strategies and deliver more resonant and impactful material.

I've found sharing learnings from each campaign with a remote team useful. Here are some tips to incorporate with a remote creative team. 1. Have a detailed discovery call and document information at the start of every campaign. 2. Encourage every team member to have a questionnaire to capture the basic details instantly. For example, a designer can ask questions about the size, the color palette, the CTA, timelines, etc. 3. Have a conclusion call at the end of the campaign to jot down what the team could've done differently and work towards it in the next campaign. 4. Having templates and standard operating procedures works great with larger teams. 5. Always share minutes of any meeting, even if they are rough points.

Ensuring everyone is involved and valued in the team's journey creates a sense of belonging and shared purpose. When every team member feels heard, supported, and recognized for their contributions, it fosters a collective spirit and motivates everyone to work towards common goals and helps to learn and grow together.

Introduce a cross-functional mentorship program within the team. Pairing individuals from different departments fosters a holistic understanding of content creation and promotes continuous learning. This unconventional learning model enhances team dynamics.

We as Content Strategist, working with a remote team leverages digital collaboration tools for communication, project management, and document sharing, like Slack, Asana, and Google Drive. We hold regular video conferences for brainstorming sessions, progress updates, and maintaining team cohesion. Clear documentation of content calendars, style guides, and workflow processes ensures everyone is aligned. Additionally, we establish regular check-ins for feedback and use cloud-based analytics tools to share real-time performance data, allowing the team to adapt strategies swiftly. This setup fosters a cohesive, responsive, and well-coordinated remote content team.

As a content manager and strategist, I am sharing my tried and tested ways to collaborate with a remote team: 1. Use the right remote team communication technology like Skype or Google Chat 2. Define content quality guidelines and prepare a document 3. Create stepwise proofreading checklist for the proofreader 4. Use Google sheets and Google Docs to collaborate from anywhere 5. Create client feedback sheet and share with the team 6. Keep in touch with team on voice call or video call for any issues related to work Thanks. I hope it helps.

When you build your reports, find the story behind the numbers and share it with the team. KPIs can guide your content marketing efforts only when everyone sees the same bigger picture. Without that story, people in your team won’t work towards the same goals because they might put the numbers in different contexts. ________________________________ PS: When you meet these goals, share the good results with your writers and designers and celebrate the wins. PPS: Give them screenshots and reviews that can be easily embedded into their portfolios.