In my last post I outlined the challenges with getting subject matter experts to create a regular stream of compelling and differentiated content. In this entry I explain one of the best practices I have found for encouraging opinion leaders to write down their ideas.
Make the process of creating and publishing the content easy for your SMEs. Web-based self-service tools such as corporate blogs, Twitter, Squidoo, SlideShare and Digg allow end-users to logon and write whenever and wherever they please. They also allow ideas to go directly to print avoiding the often laborious copy editing, layout and formatting processes typically associated with collateral development.
I recommend that corporate marketing departments do not handcuff employees with multi-tiered approval processes for user-generated content on blogs and social sites. If you have concerns about the risk associated with user-generated content, I have found a better process is to encourage the SMEs to request a peer review for content that they view as controversial.
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