Combing Your Organization for Hidden Content Talent

As technology and software platforms get increasingly easier to use, just about anybody can turn themselves into a content producer these days.

Hobbyists across the globe can hone their video production, photography, podcasting or blogging skills with the use of user-friendly tools and mobile apps like iMovie, Instagram, Garage Band and WordPress (respectively). Publishing that content via blogging engines, social networks and niche community platforms has also never been easier. So this begs the question…

Do you have any hidden “talent” within your organization that might be able to aid in your overall content production effort?

As organizations expand their content offering, it’s not always feasible to outsource the day-to-day development of content to creative agencies.

That can require a big chunk of cash, especially with the frequency of development and publishing that is all but required these days. And when such content formats as photography and video are part of your mix, finding capable folks internally can save you thousands of dollars.

When working with clients, we’ve started asking this very question and I’m no longer surprised to hear that clients are finding closet photographers, bloggers and video production wizards that are currently playing other roles within their organizations.

You might be wondering… How do they find these closet producers? Well, they ask around. In most cases, these employees are more than happy to spend a little of their time doing something fun and creative, especially when their current role is anything but.

A Few Hidden Content Talents to Watch For

• Closet Photographers – My wife is a great example of this. She works in apparel merchandising full-time, but has taken some photography classes on the side as a hobby. Considering her company’s need for a steady stream of photos to feed their social streams, she would be a great candidate to snap and post photos of the cool shirts, hats and jackets that pass through her fingers every day. And if someone asked her to do it, she’d love to.
• Video Production Hobbyists – I live in the suburbs of Kansas City and soccer is huge here. A good friend of mine has become a master at iMovie by shooting videos of his son during soccer games and putting together end-of-season highlight videos. By day, he works in sales for a huge software company that is in dire need of better videos to help their sales people explain their software products and sell more licenses. Alas, he’s never been asked and just has to fend for himself with the resources he’s been given. Wah wah.
• Late Night Bloggers – After laying out a new content marketing plan for a client that provides IT and data center services, our client was a bit worried about the amount of new blog content that we were asking them to develop going forward. Come to find out that they have a tech-support employee that works the “graveyard shift” (typically pretty quiet at night) and has a popular, niche blog that she’s managed for years. They asked her to help out and she’s now providing a blog post per week on whatever technology topic they throw at her.
• Company Spokespeople – With video’s increasing popularity and content marketing benefits, I can make the case that every company needs to start producing more video content. And when we start talking about video ideas with clients, their hands raise… “I want that”. But when your video ideas require your CEO or a sales person to actually get in front of a camera, those hands suddenly drop. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Certainly not everyone makes a good spokesperson on video.  Who might be comfortable enough in front of a camera and have the right amount of energy to bring life to your topic? Here’s a hint: See if anyone on your staff is a former cheerleader. Think about it. Cheerleaders are trained (from an early age) to bring energy to big crowds and motivate them to take action (CHEER!). These same skill sets can and do come through on video (most of the time). And I will admit, I have personal experience with this one.

It’s Your Turn – Have you looked around your organization and found some hidden content talent? Tell us your story in the comments!