In this #ContentChat recap, Erika Heald is joined by Andi Robinson, founder of Hijinx Marketing and author of The Content Puzzle, to discuss how to build smarter, scalable content operations frameworks. They explore why content operations challenges are often people problems—not technology problems—and share actionable strategies for embedding governance into your processes.
Watch the full conversation on YouTube or read through the key insights below.
Why Technology Alone Won’t Save Your Content Operations
Many organizations blame technology when their content operations break down. But often, the root cause lies in people and processes, not tools.
“The biggest challenges I see aren’t actually about technology—they’re about change management and lack of communication.”—Andi Robinson
Andi explained that companies often fail to manage change effectively. They introduce new tools without explaining the ‘why’ to their teams or giving employees ownership of the change process. Erika agreed, emphasizing the critical need for documented workflows and clear governance structures.
“When you don’t have workflows and governance documented, you set your team up for missed deadlines, overcommitments, and burnout.”
—Erika Heald
Instead of simply buying new software, teams need a structured approach to how technology is used, maintained, and supported internally.
The Critical Role of Governance in Content Operations
Governance is not a one-time effort. It must be embedded into every step of your content operations and updated regularly.
“You can’t expect a team to collaborate if they don’t understand who’s responsible for what or where to find key information.”—Andi Robinson
Erika shared how a lack of documented workflows creates chaos, especially when scaling a team or onboarding new members. Governance documents like service level agreements (SLAs), RACI charts, and content creation templates provide consistency and set expectations across the board.
“All governance documents are living documents. You have to revisit and update them regularly to ensure they stay relevant and useful.”—Erika Heald
Without consistent governance reviews, undocumented changes create gaps and inconsistencies that slow down production and frustrate teams.
Building Collaboration Through Clear Communication
Content marketers must excel at communication, especially when leading cross-functional initiatives.
“Marketing leadership is communications leadership. If you’re not communicating clearly and consistently, everything else falls apart.”
—Andi Robinson
Both Erika and Andi emphasized that transparency is key. Processes must not only be documented, but also shared and visible to the entire team through accessible internal resources like SharePoint or team knowledge bases.
“Overcommunication isn’t a problem when it comes to change management and governance. It’s essential.”—Erika Heald
Regularly reviewing and sharing process updates ensures alignment across departments, helping teams move faster and more confidently.
How to Evaluate and Simplify Your Content Tech Stack
Technology can empower content ops, but only when used correctly. Many teams adopt too many tools without clear usage standards, leading to inefficiency and confusion.
“Without strong governance, your tech stack turns into the Wild West, with everyone using whatever they want.”—Andi Robinson
Erika and Andi discussed how overlapping functionalities (like project management tools that duplicate chat functions or digital asset management) cause fragmentation. Governance must define not only which tools are used but exactly how they’re used across teams.
“You need consensus on which tools to use for specific tasks—and those choices must be applied consistently across the organization.”—Erika Heald
Evaluating your stack regularly, simplifying wherever possible, and enforcing tool usage policies ensures your technology truly supports your operations.
Content Onboarding and Training: A Missed Opportunity
Strong content ops frameworks also prioritize onboarding and training, which many companies neglect.
“It’s shocking how often marketing teams have no onboarding in place—no content guidelines, no tech stack overview, no style guides.”—Erika Heald
When onboarding is overlooked, new hires and freelancers are left to fend for themselves, leading to inefficiencies, mistakes, and misaligned content.
“You can’t expect new team members to succeed if you don’t arm them with the resources and training they need.”—Andi Robinson
Documented brand guidelines, voice and tone standards, content templates, and workflow explanations should all be part of a new team member’s first-week experience.
Key Takeaways for Smarter Content Operations
Here’s a quick summary of the key points from the conversation:
- Prioritize change management: Communicate early and often about changes. Give teams ownership over new processes.
- Document everything: Workflows, SLAs, and governance must be documented, shared, and updated annually.
- Simplify your tech stack: Use fewer tools, but use them fully and consistently.
- Invest in onboarding: Equip your new team members with all the documentation and training they need to succeed.
- Treat governance as a living system: Review processes regularly to adapt to changing needs.
As Andi put it: “Content governance is like the foundation of a house—without it, everything eventually crumbles.”
Need help designing a smarter, scalable content operations framework?
Reach out to Erika Heald Marketing Consulting to learn how we can help you build the foundation for your content marketing success.
