Marketing: SOPs
Six procedures covering the content brief, the editorial gate, publishing, distribution, the quarterly decay review and claim verification.
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SOP 1: The content brief#
Run: before anything is drafted.
Nothing is written without a brief answering four questions:
| Question | A bad answer |
|---|---|
| Who is this for? | "Anyone interested in AI" |
| What will they be able to do afterwards? | "Understand AI better" |
| What do we know that they cannot get elsewhere? | Nothing. Stop here if so |
| What is the evidence? | "Industry consensus" |
The third question kills most ideas, and that is the point. If we have nothing to say that is not already said better somewhere else, the correct output is no article.
SOP 2: The editorial gate#
Run: on every draft, by a person.
| Check | Fails if |
|---|---|
| Says something | A reader who knows the basics learns nothing |
| Sourced | Any number without a source or a measurement of our own |
| Honest | Claims a capability, customer or result we cannot evidence |
| Voice | Reads as machine-written. The house voice rules apply and are enforced by the build |
| Adds to the domain | Would not be better as a section of an existing page |
The last check prevents the most common mistake, which is publishing a thin new page about something an existing page half-covers. Two mediocre pages compete with each other; one good page does not.
SOP 3: Publishing#
Run: per piece.
Nothing publishes automatically. A person presses the button, and that is the only reliable safeguard against volume becoming the strategy.
Every piece carries: a date, an owner, a review date, and its sources.
SOP 4: Distribution#
Run: after publishing.
One good piece reformatted across four channels beats four weak pieces. Reformatting is genuinely suited to automation; the decision about what deserves amplification is not.
SOP 5: Quarterly decay review#
Run: quarterly. Protect this slot; it is the highest-return work in the function and the first thing dropped when the calendar gets busy.
- What ranked and no longer does: update it first. A refreshed page usually beats a new one.
- What has never earned a visitor: improve or remove. Keeping it costs domain quality.
- What is out of date: anything dated, technical or regulatory. A wrong page is worse than none.
- What sits on page two: the cheapest available wins.
SOP 6: Claim verification#
Run: on anything asserting a fact about us.
| Claim type | Verified against |
|---|---|
| A customer | Their written permission. No exceptions, including logos |
| A result or number | The measurement, with its method and date |
| A capability | Delivery confirming we can currently do it |
| A comparison | Public, checkable sources. Never name a competitor |
Marketing claims are the ones a prospect checks, usually at the worst moment. One unverifiable claim costs more trust than ten good articles build.
Escalation#
| Situation | Goes to |
|---|---|
| A claim cannot be verified | Remove it. Not a debate |
| A customer is named without written permission | Stop publication |
| Thin-content share rising quarter on quarter | Stop publishing, start pruning |
| Positioning drift in drafts | CEO. Positioning is strategy, not copy |