What is Content Orchestration and how does it work?
If you’ve heard the term ‘content orchestration’ used in relation to publishing, marketing or content workflows, you might be wondering: what is content orchestration and how does it work? Allow us to explain.
Content Orchestration for beginners
Content orchestration is a strategic approach to increasing efficiency and productivity in the content supply chain. And creating competitive advantage and value for the business by doing so.
It is concerned with minimizing manual work, bottlenecks and silos within the content supply chain – to reduce the time and cost associated with ideating, creating, disseminating and repurposing content.
A content orchestration strategy redesigns processes and workflows around the latest technology – to empower creative colleagues to deliver their best work, better.
The PPT framework describes how work gets done in a business. It stands for People, Process and Technology. People do the work. Processes make that work more repeatable. And technology makes processes more efficient.
This is the heart of a content orchestration strategy – optimizing people, processes and technology to deliver the content your organization needs in the most efficient way possible.
What does that look like in practice?
In practice, content orchestration looks like different things to different businesses. After all, you all have:
- Different content to deliver
- Different audiences to delight
- Different strategic goals to achieve
- Different challenges to overcome
So there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. That’s why content orchestration starts with assessing the current state of your content supply chain and developing solutions from there.
The clue’s in the name…
One way to think about content orchestration is like an orchestra. An orchestra has lots of people playing lots of instruments. They need the conductor to make sure they’re all playing in harmony.
That’s what content orchestration is all about. Making sure everyone is on the same page, playing the same tune, and making the audience happy.
Why is Content Orchestration important?
Content orchestration is increasingly important because the content supply chain keeps on growing.
Consumers are demanding more content across more channels. And businesses are seeing bottom-line benefits – like increased revenue and customer lifetime value – by meeting that demand.
However, they’re not always meeting that demand efficiently.
The rapid growth of content marketing, the explosion of channels, the evolution from print to digital… These developments have left some businesses struggling to keep up, thanks to sub-optimal content processes.
Some content teams are making do with makeshift workflows and not-quite-fit-for-purpose processes. Often print-centric processes that have been shoehorned into the omnichannel environment. These might do the job – but not do it well. As a result, content teams aren’t able to fulfil their potential as drivers of customer loyalty and value.
This is why content orchestration is important. Because it creates fit-for-purpose processes that are efficient, scalable, and empower your creative teams to work faster and smarter.
What are the benefits of Content Orchestration?
Content orchestration delivers a number of operational, financial and strategic benefits. These include:
- Making content operations more productive
- Using automation to reduce time-to-market
- Lowering costs through operational efficiencies
- Freeing up resources to reinvest in more value-adding activities
- Creating scalable processes (without scaling inefficiencies)
- Stimulating business growth through digital transformation
This is just a snapshot. To find out more, read the benefits of content orchestration next. Or download our executive briefing on content orchestration benefits.
What software do you need for Content Orchestration?
Because every business is different, the software they use for content orchestration will be different too. It’s about combining the right mix of tools to streamline your unique content creation processes. This might include:
- Publishing, design and Adobe InDesign automation software
- Digital asset management and brand tools
- Sector-specific software, like PIM for retail
It isn’t a question of finding the best software for content orchestration – it’s about finding the best software for your business case.
Who can help with Content Orchestration?
To ensure your content orchestration strategy is implemented successfully, you’ll need to draw on the expertise of people who’ve done this sort of thing before. There’s a range of people who can help you with content orchestration – either in-house or as external consultants.
- Business analyst – to help you work out how to optimize your processes
- DevOps Engineer – to help integrate different software solutions
- External IT consultant – to deliver the project if you don’t have in-house support
Read more about who can help with content orchestration.
By optimizing the people, processes and technology in the content supply chain, organizations can gain a significant competitive advantage. If you want to know more, check out our Ultimate Guide to Content Orchestration for more depth and detail.
Qonqord have been helping publishers and global brands implement successful content orchestration strategies for over 20 years.
Our process and IT experts can help at every stage – from understanding existing workflows and painpoints, through designing new fit-for-purpose processes, to installing a brand new software stack.
If you’re ready for faster, more efficient content workflows, speak to one of our experts today. Book a call now.
