Expert Q&A: Rebecca Kalra on engaging SMEs and amplifying their expertise

Great B2B technology marketing content showcases your unique expertise, perspectives, and insight. The trouble is, in most organisations those things tend to be trapped in the minds of busy Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).

Over the years, we’ve worked with a lot of amazing marketers. But when it comes to effectively engaging a diverse team of SMEs, one of the most adept is Senior Communications Manager, Rebecca Kalra.

Rebecca manages a global team of SMEs and uses their insights to create consistently great marketing content. Recently, she kindly agreed to sit down with us and share some advice to help you do the same.

Radix: Hi Rebecca! First things first, from a marketer’s perspective, what makes a great SME?

Rebecca: It’s hard to say exactly what makes an SME ‘great’, as the ideal person to provide input for your content will depend on what you’re trying to create. However, there are a few general traits that I try to look out for when engaging new SMEs.

The perfect SME will be a leading authority on the topic within your organisation, a good communicator, value the role marketing plays in your organisation’s success, and understand your target audience and the challenges they face. It’s also important that they’re comfortable being interviewed, and it helps if they’re keen to build their own professional profile.

Invariably, the best SMEs have a unique balance between expertise and storytelling skill. They offer their insights without getting lost in jargon. In a perfect world you’re looking for someone who can communicate with passion, credibility, and clarity.

Radix: That’s great. And what comes next then? Once you’ve chosen a SME to provide input for your content project, how do you get that input from them?

Rebecca: Typically, SME input is gathered by me and the copywriter. We do this on an interview call, and the value of that call really rests on how well you prepare yourself and your SME for it.

Before jumping into an interview, your SMEs should know exactly what to expect. People don’t like being blindsided, so get the basics down into a briefing document for them, clearly set your expectations, and enable them to prepare answers to questions beforehand so they come into the meeting feeling confident.

Radix: Once you’re in that meeting is there anything you do to make sure everyone gets what they need from it?

Rebecca: If you’ve prepared well and everyone knows what to expect – and what’s expected of them – you should be well on your way to having an extremely productive and valuable input session. But, even then, it can be pretty easy for things to go off track.

This is where the relationship between the marketer and copywriter is so important. Great interviews are co-managed by marketers and copywriters. If one of you goes off on a tangent, for example, the other should be able to bring things back onto the core topic. It’s a mutually supportive relationship.

The marketer and writer should work in tandem to keep the SME on topic, put them at ease, and ensure you get through everything on your agenda within the allotted time. It sounds simple, but it can be incredibly tough to do consistently.

Radix: And after you’ve got your input from the SME, how do you keep things moving and keep them engaged with the content development process?

Rebecca: When you’re choosing SMEs, you’re also looking for someone who respects timelines and is open to feedback. You don’t just need buy-in at the start of your project – you’ll need their feedback until the process is complete.

If you’ve kept them in the loop and communicated your needs and expectations well, your SME shouldn’t be surprised when you send them the copy. In fact, they should be excited to see the wonders your writer has spun from the raw insight they provided.

Providing feedback can be quite an uncomfortable process for people the first few times. So, make sure they know that their feedback will be required, and that you really need them to be honest and direct about anything the writer has misinterpreted. You don’t want to get into a situation where they wave something through that’s almost right just to avoid a perceived conflict— or to just get the task off their desk.

Radix: So, with that all said and done, the process is over, right? Mission complete?

Rebecca: Not exactly! If the SME proved to be a valuable source of insight, you’re going to want to repeat that process again the future. So, my final tip is that you should always celebrate the success of your content with the SMEs involved.

Share the final version with them so they can appreciate what they helped shape. Tell them what it’s helped you achieve, and make sure they feel valued. If possible, share it in ways that help boost the SME’s profile, so they get something out of the deal too.

The real key to building great relationships with SMEs is working out how to make them mutually beneficial. If you do a little bit of digging, you may find your SMEs have ambitions you could support, like being featured in a specific publication. They help you achieve your marketing goals, so find something you can help them achieve in return.

Get more tips in our B2B content marketer’s handbook

Rebecca was one of many experts who contributed to the creation of our B2B content marketer’s handbook. For more practical tips from her, and a range of experts from across the B2B content marketing industry, download your copy now.