A Primer on the Use of the Cloud for Content Storage

As an enterprise content team, you produce and create a substantial amount of content. While you publish and distribute it through many platforms and channels, the assets you produce need to be stored somewhere. One of the best ways to do that is to develop a repository and procedures for content storage in the cloud.

The cloud can be a content operations team’s best friend. It ensures that the content stays secure, is accessible, searchable, and always backed up. To provide you with insights on why storing your content in the cloud is a good idea, we created this informative post.

Why Do You Need to Store Content in the Cloud?

With a high throughput of content and many team members, the question of “Where is that content piece?” never ends. Without a system of storing content for future access, you’ll spend too much time looking for what you need.

Whereas, if you’re using a content marketing platform, content storage in the cloud is part of the application. It’s searchable as well, so any user could quickly find what they need. It may seem like a minor inconvenience to track down content, but it adds up and impacts productivity. This approach is much easier.

But why do you need to go back to the previous drafts of published content?

The reasons behind this could include:

  • Content audits: It’s important to audit your complete book of content regularly to see how production aligns with your content strategy and plans. You may need to go back to those finished pieces to understand the topic, keywords, and funnel stage in more detail. If they are in one place, it makes the process much smoother.
  • Content updates: To keep content evergreen, you’ll want to have a content update process in place. You can determine what content needs an update after you complete an audit. It’s better to go back to the stored content to make your edits instead of working on the published piece so that you can track changes.
  • Employee onboarding: When you welcome a new content team member, sending them to your content cloud is a great way to get them up to speed. They can view the entire content process from your archives, not just the published versions.
  • Content analytics: When reviewing internal team performance on meeting content goals, you might need to dig into past projects. This information can offer insights into the lags or bottlenecks in your processes.
  • Content repurposing: Content can have a longer life if you repurpose it into other formats. If you want to take a blog and turn it into an explainer video or infographic, being able to go back to the original projects makes it easier.

How Does the Cloud Make Content Storage Efficient?

head in the cloud

The cloud isn’t the only option for storing content. You could use your own servers on-premises. However, that creates friction for usability. As more companies embrace remote and hybrid work structures, where your people are is likely not in one spot.

For remote employees to access content, the cloud just makes sense. The alternative for on-premises solutions would be a remote desktop approach. That can be cumbersome and increase risk, depending on configurations and adherence to cybersecurity best practices.

The bottom line is that the cloud is safe and effective for content storage. In using a content marketing solution, you’ll want to ensure it has:

  • Content archive and auditing capabilities
  • Unlimited storage for content and assets
  • Asset library

To be assured that such a system will be secure, select one that has robust user permissions and rules, SSO (single sign-on), and two-factor authentication. With these controls in place, your content storage will be secure yet still accessible for your team members wherever they choose to work.

Content Storage in the Cloud Is for More than Projects

While the bulk of content storage in the cloud will be the components of each project, you can also house your content strategy and planning documents here. Doing so will provide content teams and other stakeholders the ability to review them at any time. That’s critical because you need everyone on the same page regarding goals and strategy.

In creating parameters for content cloud storage, be sure to include these items as well. Additionally, when you update your strategy or planning, it remains in the same place with versioning. It’s a single source of truth for your content marketing efforts.

On the planning aspect, leveraging the cloud for content storage empowers operations and processes. Content workflows are vital to remaining consistent with velocity and quality. As you learn more from analytics, both content and team performance, you can improve these. They, again, stay in one spot, so there’s no question as to what’s the latest and greatest.

Using a Content Cloud Keeps Control with Your Team

a content cloud helps with team collaboration

When you deploy content marketing software with cloud storage, your content team retains control. This matters, especially for enterprises, because you don’t necessarily need IT to do everything for you.

They have enough on their plates and likely wouldn’t prioritize your needs. You’ll want to engage them around configurations so that best practices are in place. Beyond that, it’s usually something you can manage. For example, you’d be able to add a new user with access to the storage cloud without IT intervention.

In the long run, having such a setup keeps you more agile, flexible, and efficient. Those are three things every content team can celebrate.

Content Storage in the Cloud Delivers So Many Advantages

By implementing a content marketing solution with cloud storage, you can realize many benefits, as described. It drives efficiency, productivity, consistency, and more. The cloud is secure and accessible as well. If those things are essential to your team, you’ll want to explore the features that make this possible with DivvyHQ. Get started today with a free trial!