Phil Jackson, John Wooden and John Madden all have one thing in common: They arguably had perfect championship teams. You can create your own perfect content marketing team, and today I am going to show you how.

When I give talks about digital marketing, one question attendees always ask is about my content creation team. Most marketers understand that it takes a team to create great content, so these questions aren’t surprising.

What is surprising, is the misconception that it takes big budgets, A-list celebrities, and a large sound stage to create great content.

In contrast, great content development doesn’t start with what’s on screen, it’s the team behind it that makes the content special.

Being a sports enthusiast, I know what it takes to build a perfect team.

Essentially, it takes great people who understand each other and work well together. This is the same formula I would use to create the perfect content marketing team.

My perfect content marketing team consists of people (or a person) who will manage the overall content development project. This consists of content creation, curation, and distribution.

These people (or person) should own the function of content marketing.

I’ve noticed the importance of content marketing ownership with my personal and professional brand.

When I work with organizations to improve their content marketing efforts, I’m adamant about establishing a content creation initiative. Reason being, I’ve noticed many organizations fall short as a result of inadequate or limited content that moves their audience to action.

Now I understand many organizations don’t have the budget or resources for a dedicated team. If you find yourself in this situation, make sure you at least have a member of your organization who is responsible for your content.

Ultimately, that person should be an avid content consumer, a visual or graphic artist, and a great communicator.

Here’s my perfect content marketing team structure

With the plethora of digital resources available, content creation has become easy. It doesn’t take a large group of people to create awesome content. Here are the positions I would include on my perfect content marketing team:

Content Marketing Manager

I expect this person to wear many hats. She must be willing to take calculated risks with the organization’s content marketing strategy. I know you probably cringed at my recommendation of having a risk-taking content marketing manager. However, anyone that occupies this position must be willing to create content that not only converts but sets the standard for great content.

Your CMM’s responsibilities could include:

• Creatively telling the brand story.
• Approving final content.
• Developing an audience.
• Aligning content with business objectives.
• Measuring content marketing.

Content Editor

This is a critical role for content management. I advise that you hire someone with a great eye for content consistency, fact-checking, and copywriting. If your budget is tight, however, and you can’t afford a Content Editor, these responsibilities should at least be part of a Content Marketing Manager’s role.

Your Content Editor’s responsibilities could include:

• Content strategy and creation
• Vendor coordination
• Content production
• Content calendaring
• Consistency in messaging
• Search Engine Optimization
• Content publishing
• Blog management

Content Creators

I’m a firm believer that diverse ideas create greatness. This notion should also be considered when searching for content creators. You should draw from internal and external resources when developing content as everyone can contribute to your content.

All hands on deck!

When looking for additional content creators, consider the following:

• Use your current team members. Leverage other team members’ expertise and hold them accountable for creating content. I would even go as far as including content creation in your team’s job descriptions.
• Use outsourced writers. There are many content marketing agencies that can write copy for you. Elance and Zerys are places you can acquire writers. Both have a rating system for giving you an idea of the caliber of writers you’’ve found. Remember, always ask for work samples from their portfolio, ideally client work published online.
• Use internal Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). It is beneficial to leverage members of your team who are well versed in a subject matter.
• Outsource your design. Much like outsourcing writers, you can use sites like 99designs to access low-cost design resources. Also, consider hiring on an intern who is interested in learning more about content design.

Final Thought

When it comes to content creation, you must think outside the box and leverage your internal resources first. You’d be surprised how much talent is right under your nose. Just remember, it usually is a give and take process. One party writes, the other designs, and both make edits. To make your life easier, be sure you come up with guidelines before creating your content.

SEE ALSO: 10 Ideas to Create Must Read Content

How has your content creation process been going? Have you discovered a unique way to develop content? Post your response in the comment section…