You've got a dozen requests flying at you from all directions. You're trying to get that brochure going, but the product manager is late with his content. In fact, he is still dialing in the value proposition a month before the launch! Multiple groups are vying for space and messaging at your next trade show. Posters need to be reviewed for branding and legal compliance. And you're trying to assemble a simple email campaign but you know product promotions are lame and you don't have any content that differentiates you from the competition. No one will open it and it will be a huge waste of time. You promise yourself as soon as the trade show is over, you'll get everything under control.

Oh wait. That's not happening. There are the emails from HR about the empty position you are trying to fill, performance reviews for your team and we haven’t even gotten to your other job – driving your kids to soccer practice, attending the PTA meeting and a long overdue oil change.

At some point, you have to resign yourself to this pattern or do something radically different.  Yeah, there is plenty to do.  Yet, there may be something that can be tossed without making a difference. Scratch that. It could make a positive difference. You'll have to make some waves because many of your colleagues are comfortable with the routine. It takes a leader like you to make things better.

The perils of standalone content

Standalone content takes a lot of time and delivers poor results. It hurts you three ways.

1. Without an integrated strategy, content isn't as effective as it could be.

2. Too many meetings to define the project or too many rounds of revisions.

3. This process is repeated for each piece of content and soaks up precious time - something you don't have enough of to begin with.

The irony is that this happens because you are too busy to sit down for a couple days (or block out a couple hours each day for a few weeks) and map out your strategy for content marketing. But you have a choice. Let's wave a magic wand and imagine what that could look like for a minute.

Which would you rather be in charge of: The New Yorker magazine or Kinkos? One has an editorial strategy and a point of view for a clearly defined audience that looks forward to every issue. The other does last minute printing and overnight shipping of random documents. One of these scenarios may feel familiar. If you feel like it's The New Yorker, congratulations. If your workflow feels more like Kinkos, raise your hand. Then take a virtual look around and wave to every other marketing manager in the same position. You are not alone. But you're not stuck either.

Think about your business goals. Who is the audience that you need to influence to achieve those goals? What do they need and how can you deliver it uniquely so that you become the go-to source for that information? Need a plan? Contact me. P.S. For inspiration,  check out this list of 10 Magazines Every Writer Should Read