A content lifecycle includes every stage of a piece of content, from planning, creating, distributing, optimizing, to repurposing/archiving. It’s a comprehensive roadmap that guides how you plan, produce, manage, and optimize digital content, such as blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, etc.
Think of the content lifecycle as a journey with distinct phases that helps you maximize the value of your content. Understanding the content lifecycle ensures that you’re creating content that aligns with your target audience’s needs, supports your marketing strategy, and delivers measurable results for your business goals.
Content Lifecycle Benefits
Maximize content value. A content lifecycle helps you get the most out of every piece of content you create. It encourages you to think beyond the initial publication, finding ways to repurpose and update existing content. For example, a blog post can be turned into an infographic, social media posts, or even a short video – extending your content’s reach and lifespan.
Improve content organization. The content lifecycle offers a structured approach for managing your content assets. By consistently tagging content with metadata and having a central storage system, your content team can easily find the specific resources they need. This eliminates wasted time searching and prevents duplicate efforts.
Align content with strategy. The content lifecycle ensures that every piece of content you create supports your overall marketing strategy and business goals. By planning content around audience needs, you create high-quality, targeted content that builds trust, increases engagement, and drives results.
How to Manage the Content Lifecycle
Define the lifecycle stages. The basic stages of a content lifecycle include planning, creation, distribution, optimization, and repurposing/archiving. Start by clearly defining these stages for each piece of content and outlining the goals and tasks involved to manage your workflow effectively.
Develop a content strategy. Your content strategy should outline your target audience, their needs, and the types of content that will best resonate with them. Conduct thorough research to create content that solves your audience’s pain points, ultimately supporting your business goals.
Use tools for efficiency. Content lifecycle management (CLM) tools, like PhotoShelter, help store, organize, and distribute content. This ensures everyone on your marketing team has access to the right assets, keeps things consistent, and eliminates bottlenecks in your process. Consider additional tools that suit your needs for seamless content creation, analytics, and distribution across various channels like social media.
Optimize your content lifecycle and boost your content strategy. Take a product tour and see PhotoShelter in action.