Nick Kakanis is a content designer and strategist at Pilot Company in Knoxville, Tennessee. An English literature graduate from the University of Tennessee, Nick’s career has been anything but predictable. After a decade-long stint in sales and marketing within the recycling industry, he found himself drawn back to writing, making the leap into content design in 2021.
Equipped with expertise in generative AI, content management systems, and strategic storytelling, Nick thrives on building efficient, scalable content systems. His ability to blend creativity with structure has been instrumental in shaping content practices at Pilot.
Outside of work, Nick juggles life with his wife, two wonderful daughters, and a long list of hobbies (most of which, admittedly, remain on the back burner). When he’s not chasing after the kids, he’s coaching boxing—because punching a heavy bag is the perfect antidote to life’s chaos.
Lessons from the Trenches: Building a Content Strategy with Small Teams (or No Team at All)
Three years ago, I made a dramatic career shift from the recycling industry and took a role as the sole copywriter on a small team at a large company. Fast-forward to today, I am a content designer and content strategist, and my team has exploded to a whopping three writers supporting 15 creative/product designers. We urgently needed to implement a content strategy into a well-established organization that was not structured for it. After attending LavaCon 2024, I applied what I learned to expand my sphere of influence and developed a content strategy for our growing department.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro looking to streamline efficiency or someone who’s suddenly become “the content strategy person” through necessity (yep, I see you), you’ll walk away with practical advice for fighting that rewarding battle of establishing, maintaining, and evolving your team’s content strategy. It’s time to poke our heads out of the trenches and march forward!
In this session, attendees will learn:
- Mastering the Art of Buy-In: Gain proven strategies to pitch your content strategy to leadership using data, structured arguments, and compelling storytelling.
- Clarifying Roles Across Teams: Leverage writers and non-writers by creating clear roles with writing, editing, publishing, and approvals to foster seamless collaboration.
- Leveraging AI without Losing Control: AI can’t save you, but it’s a great paddle for navigating content strategy. Pair it with structured processes to delegate the heavy lifting effectively.
- Inspiring Team Engagement: Leadership buy-in is step one; team alignment is step two.
- Maintaining and Evolving Strategy: Use audits, feedback loops, and a central content council to ensure your strategy stays cohesive and scalable over time.
- Simplifying Tools and Amplifying Efficiency: Identify the right tools, cut redundancies, and design workflows to streamline your team’s operations.
