6 tips to get your SMEs talking

The term ‘thought leadership’ can be overused, granted. But in a world that’s saturated with content, you need to use the one thing that truly differentiates you from your competitors. 

And that’s your people. 

In the business-to-business environment, that person-to-person connection is often overlooked – but why? After all, we’re all still consumers. We’re all still people. We don’t suddenly become straight-laced and serious when we log on for work each day. 
We – generally – like to engage with other people, listen to other people’s thoughts, opinions and views. 

We like to learn, and feel smarter. 

And that’s where your people come into play. 

But, of course, it’s easier said than done. Getting your people aligned with your content strategy can be a challenge. And that’s completely understandable. They’ve got their own remit, their own job to do, and their own seemingly never-ending to do list. 

In order to get your people – your subject matter experts – involved in content, you need to make it as easy as possible for them. 

And you also need to engage them up front – sell the benefits of being involved to them, and demonstrate the business importance, too. 

So, if you’re struggling to get your experts involved in content production, here’s six tips to help smooth the process over. 

1. Tell the business story 

First and foremost, your people need to understand the business context. Why are they being asked to do this? Is it a whim of the marketing manager, or is part of a strategic play that is demonstrably linked to delivering on the business’s goals. The importance of your people’s involvement needs to come from the leadership team. The boss. The CEO. The MD. At worst, the Marketing Director. Because if everyone in the company sees the leadership team is not only aware of this but is actively involved in it, they’re going to be far more willing to get involved themselves. Tell the story, too, of how content marketing works – how it can impact the business over the long-term and the strategic importance of getting it right. 

2. Sell the benefits 

Of course, the business benefits are one thing, but by actively contributing to content people can build their personal brand, too. By publishing content authored – ghostwritten – by your experts, they can build their reputation as an expert in the field. This has significant personal benefit, particularly around career growth, and positioned correctly is a huge incentive for people to get actively involved. 

3. Create a plan 

As with all of your content production, it’s important to have a plan. Give your experts a schedule to work to – interview times, first draft review, feedback required and publication date. Don’t spring it on them one day, needing something published the next. Send calendar invites, send reminders – give them plenty of notice, plenty of time and keep it front of mind.

4. Come up with the ideas 

‘I don’t know what to write about’. It’s the first hurdle placed in front of many people when talking to their experts about becoming actively involved in content production. And it’s true. When you know a subject deeply, it’s difficult to distil what you know into something that people will want to read about – or listen to. So give them a helping hand. Speak with your audience, ask your customer-facing employees what questions are being asked, and come up with topics and angles that are answering those questions. 

5. Give them a helping hand 

The key to getting your people actively and consistently involved in content production is to make it easy for them, so give them a helping hand. As well as coming up with the topics and scheduling them in for a regular contribution, you need to make the process as seamless and simple as possible. And that means getting the right person to interview them and write the article on their behalf. Don’t expect the expert to write it themselves – it will always get pushed down the list. 

6. Give them something back, too 

Part of the ‘sell’ for internal experts is the building of their personal brand, so make it easy for them to use the content. Create social posts for them to use on their personal accounts, tag them into posts and pitch their expertise to the media, too. When they see the tangible benefits, they’ll place increasing importance on contributing to your content program. Tell the story internally too, champion those who contribute and show willing – and share the results of their content! 

In summary

Enabling content creation, as well as actually creating the content, is a critical responsibility of a content team. By embedding content within the organisation, and helping your experts create content that serves both the business and themselves well, you can begin to ramp up your content efforts with a lot less friction than you may otherwise have encountered.