Where does one even begin to look for the best content collaboration platforms? Whilst the old way of collaborating on content involved emailing Google Docs or Microsoft Word documents back and fourth, the new way centralizes the content creation process in one powerful content collaboration platform.
When searching for a good content collaboration tool for your team, you might find yourself unsure of where to begin. Features such as version control, an intuitive interface and internal messaging are a few great starting criteria, but other powerful assets such as built-in KPI reporting, cloud-based file storage and a ton of integration opportunities will undeniably set you apart from other content marketing teams.
Excited to learn about more about a tool that enables you to assign, plan, publish and promote? Let’s dive in!
What are content collaboration platforms?
Content collaboration tools are software applications that help teams work together on a wide variety of digital content.
These tools enable multiple users to access, view, edit and share content in real-time. Content collaboration tools also provide a centralized platform for communication between team members, and allow them to comment on each other’s work without using a third party application or tool for communication.
They can also be used to store documents in the cloud/DAM systems and make them accessible from anywhere. These platforms can be used to track changes made by different users to make sure everyone is working on the most current version of a piece of content.
Additionally, they provide features such as task management and notifications so that team members can stay informed about project updates.
Improve team collaboration and content approval with StoryChief
Working with StoryChief to plan and publish your content across all your channels is one of StoryChief's best assets, but you can take your content marketing campaigns to the next level by getting your team and clients working together. In this video, we show you how you can streamline communication with your team and clients.
Essential features for content collaboration
Version Control 👀
All reputable content collaboration tools have version control to enable easy tracking and management of changes to a document or project. This enables users to view any changes made to a document, track who made the changes, when they were made and why.
This feature helps content marketing teams ensure that everyone is on the same page with their work, and allows them to go back to review earlier versions of their work if needed.
Version control has of course been a feature of tools such as Google Docs and Microsoft Word for some time, but with this feature built in to your content collaboration tool you’ll no longer have to copy and paste your content from one source to the next. This built-in feature can save your team time and energy, and prevent confusion and costly mistakes.
Cloud-Based File Storage ☁️
Cloud-based file storage or DAM is an essential feature of a powerful content collaboration tool as it allows users to store, access, and share files from any device or location. This makes it easier for team collaboration on projects without having to be in the same physical space.
Cloud-based file storage provides enhanced security measures such as data encryption and user authentication to ensure files are only accessed by authorised users within the platform. It also offers scalability so that businesses can easily adjust their storage capacity as their needs change.
SEO and Readability Tools 🤖
A content management tool with built-in SEO and readability features is certainly advantageous if you’re into SEO marketing and optimisation. Although not all content collaboration platforms offer this feature, it is recommended to find one that does if you really want to rank high in search engine results and expand your reach.
Internal Messaging 💬
In order to stay connected within your team, it is recommended to seek out a content collaboration tool with an internal messaging feature. This will allow team members to communicate efficiently, to share ideas, ask questions, and to provide feedback with the click of a button. Additionally, it can be used to assign tasks, set deadlines, and remind team members of important dates or events.
External Notifications 🔔
An external notifications feature in your content collaboration tool of choice allows users to be notified when changes are made, or feedback has been given. With this feature, users can stay up-to-date on the status of their projects and collaborate more efficiently. It also helps ensure that all stakeholders are aware of any updates and can take action accordingly.
Multiple Calendar Views 🗓
Using a content collaboration tool with multiple calendar views, users can easily switch between different views such as day, week, month or year. This helps teams with content planning, project planning and task planning more easily by providing more visibility into upcoming deadlines and scheduled events.
Intuitive Interface 💁🏻♀️
Although this feature doesn’t often receive the attention it deserves, the user interface of a content collaboration tool should be intuitive and easy to use. This helps users quickly find what they need without having to spend too much time learning how to navigate the platform.
Seamless CMS Integration 💻
One of the most important features of a reliable content collaboration tool is the ability to integrate with popular content management systems (CMSs). This feature allows for one-click publishing of your article to your blog, without having to go into the back-end of your CMSs.
Integration Opportunities
Copying and pasting, manually hitting “share” on different platforms, and losing track of which content is supposed to be distributed when and where is a struggle that we know all too well.
Thankfully, with a solid content collaboration tool, you’ll no longer need to worry about that. A good content collaboration tool will integrate with a variety of applications and social media channels, CMSs, as well as with drip email tools, DAM and cloud storage, and even workflow automation tools such as Zapier.
This will enable teams to easily publish content across multiple platforms without having to switch between applications, copy paste text, and share passwords to different platforms. Tedious portions of your content team’s old workflow will be cut out entirely, and they will be able to repurpose popular content easily.
KPI Tracking and Analytics 📈
Content collaboration tools are becoming increasingly popular as an effective way to keep track of all the most important analytics and reports behind the content you publish.
Built-in KPI tracking and analytics allows users to track key performance indicators over time, helping them identify trends, measure progress, and make informed decisions about their content strategy in the future.
With the help of this feature, content marketing teams can easily monitor the performance of their content campaigns and adjust their strategies accordingly.
4 Best Content Collaboration Platforms
1. StoryChief
Content collaboration is a key feature of StoryChief that sets it apart from other content management platforms. With its easy collaboration feature, teams can work together seamlessly on creating and editing content.
StoryChief allows multiple team members to collaborate on a single piece of content, making it easy to gather feedback, make revisions, and ensure that the final product meets everyone's expectations. The platform provides a clear overview of who has made changes and when, making it easy to track progress and maintain version control.
In addition to facilitating collaboration within the platform itself, StoryChief also integrates with popular project management tools, making it easy for teams to process content alongside other projects.
Whether you're working with an in-house team or collaborating with freelancers or agencies, StoryChief makes it simple to bring everyone together in one place. By enabling seamless communication and efficient collaboration, the platform ensures that your content creation process is smooth and productive.
This is what content collaboration looks like in StoryChief.
2. Google Workspace
In Google Workspace your team can do anything online, from communicating via Gmail, Chat, and Meet to collaborating on content in Docs, Sheets, and Slides to undergoing training in Classroom.
Google’s suite enables easy file management, real-time file syncing, and team collaboration from any place and device.
Where Google Workspace falls short in terms of content, is that documents can become messy if you include images and videos, and you'll need to publish the content manually.
3. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that allows users to manage, schedule, and monitor their social media accounts and activities from a single dashboard. With Hootsuite, users can streamline their social media workflows, collaborate with team members, and automate tasks, such as social media posting and engagement. The platform supports a wide range of social media networks and provides analytics and reporting features that help users track engagement, followers, and other important metrics across their social media accounts.
Note that this tool focusses on social media management only so it is not possible to publish articles to your CMS, send content out to press contacts or to your email marketing platforms.
4. Trello
Trello is a project management tool that provides a visual way to manage tasks and projects, allowing users to create kanban-style boards, lists, and cards to track their progress on any project. With its super intuitive design, Trello makes it easy to assign tasks, set deadlines, share files, comment on tasks, and more.
It also offers features such as labels, due dates, checklists, reminders, and integrates with tools like Slack. However, it does not integrate with any channels for direct publishing, so you will still have to publish the content manually.
