aquent/ama webcast: embracing brand-driven content strategy

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Embracing brand-driven content strategy

Margot BloomsteinApril 18, 2013@mbloomstein

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Managing content can become overwhelming with the growing number of delivery platforms. Content strategist Margot Bloomstein, principal of Appropriate, Inc., breaks down the steps to implement a strategy that saves time, money, and frustration.

Embracing Brand-Driven Content Strategy

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COMMUNICATION 101

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CC Sam Korn, via Wikipedia

Gnothi sauton

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Know thyself.

You invest in knowing your users,* but what about your brand?

*right?

Unless you understand what people are trying to do with your content you cannot know if it’s working or not.

Gerry McGovern

If you don’t know what you need to communicate,how will you know if you succeed?

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First things first.

Why start blogging, audit the content, consolidate site architecture, add video testimonials, incorporate user reviews, relaunch the site, develop new brand guidelines, switch to a new CMS, or go “mobile first”… if you don’t know what you need to communicate?

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What is content strategy?

Planning for the creation, aggregation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable, and appropriate content in an experience.

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Steps along the way…

Message architectureContent audit/inventoryPrescriptive content matrixContent modelEditorial style guidelinesMetadata guidelinesGovernance guidelines

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Steps along the way…

Message architectureContent audit/inventoryPrescriptive content matrixContent modelEditorial style guidelinesMetadata guidelinesGovernance guidelines

Deliverables are merely punctuation in the conversation.

Don’t let them replace the conversation.

Why content strategy?

Why content strategy?

Because we all want the same things,but content keeps getting in the way.

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Content demands attention

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Because we all want the same thing,but content keeps getting in the way.

(CC) http://www.flickr.com/photos/slworking

Content demands time

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Because we all want the same thing,but content keeps getting in the way.

(CC) http://www.flickr.com/photos/slworking

Content is expensive

Sustainable content is content you can create—and maintain—without going broke, without lowering quality in ways that make the content suck, and without working employees into nervous breakdowns.

Erin Kissane,The Elements of Content Strategy

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Content dredges up politics

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to change, empower, support, advocate, teach, simplify, consolidate, remind, inform…

You cannot act in passive voice

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to change, empower, support, advocate, teach, simplify, consolidate, remind, inform…

Content demands an owner & ownership.

You cannot act in passive voice

This is your job now.

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©Skillset.org

If you don’t know what you need to communicate,how will you know if you succeed?

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What’s a message architecture?

A hierarchy of communication goals that reflects a common vocabulary.

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A little thing with big impact.

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A little thing with big impact.

How could we prove this is a car not like anything else out there? It’s a small car, but it’s premium. You get a Porsche 911 ride for a fifth of the cost. It’s got history… but in Europe.

You need to give people content to give them history.”

“

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A little thing with big impact.

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Message architecture

Premium technologyPremium technologyPremium technologyPremium technology• Assertive; ready to perform as a driver’s car• Proactive and supportive of spontaneityClassic designClassic designClassic designClassic design• Experienced and savvyCheekinessCheekinessCheekinessCheekiness• Smart, “punny,” hip• Fun, gleeful

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If these emails are boring you

and you don’t mind missing out

on all the lip-smackin’ stuff

we’ll be sending in the future,

simply send a message to owner-

unsubscribe@insiders.miniusa.com

and include “Unsubscribe” and

your favorite fruit in the

subject field.

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Message architecture drives the user experience

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Nomenclature

Calls to action

Instructional content

Sentence structure

Diction

…in content

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Photographic angles

Dark backgrounds

Bold headlines

Thick stroke weights

…and in design

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…and in the choice of features and content types

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What’s a message architecture?

A hierarchy of communication goals that reflects a common vocabulary.

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What’s a message architecture?

Concrete, shared terminology, not abstract concepts.

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Welcoming, but elite.Selective?

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Accessible, open, and premiere.

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Traditional, but edgy.

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© 2013©Warby Parker

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Why do this?

Words are cheaper than comps.

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Why do this?

Let creative colleagues refine the concept, rather than confirm the purpose.

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Why do this?

Gain standards by which to conduct a qualitative audit.

(What is “good” anyway?)

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Why do this?

Promote new content types to manifest the message architecture—not just because they’re trendy or feasible.

Audit time!

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Message architecturePassionate about strategic discoveryPassionate about strategic discoveryPassionate about strategic discoveryPassionate about strategic discovery• Creative, spirited, inspired• Visionary, innovative thought leader and industry leader• FlexibleTactical and handsTactical and handsTactical and handsTactical and hands----onononon• In the trenches, in touch• Detail-oriented and methodicalPioneeringPioneeringPioneeringPioneering• Groundbreaking, trend-setting• Modern and savvyPeoplePeoplePeoplePeople----focused and marketfocused and marketfocused and marketfocused and market----drivendrivendrivendriven• Trusted by medical professionals, researchers, and media• Industry news source

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© 2013Passionate? Creative? Hands-on? Pioneering and modern? Trusted?

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Audit to understand what you have and what you need. Don’t just do it for fun.

Before you can start, you need to know why.What are you trying to learn?

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Every tab tracks the same data

Quantitative:

• Head count: what do we have?

• Is it consistent? What are the patterns?

• Are similar content types consistent in size and structure?

• Is there parity of length, level of detail, and tone?

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Every tab tracks the same data

Qualitative: is it any good?

• ROT analysis: redundant, outdated, trivial

• Current, relevant, and appropriate to the message architecture

• Does it serve the communication goals?

• Does it speak to the target audience?

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Each piece of content gets a row

Set up dropdowns to constrain data• Data Data validation List Sources

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What will you learn?

• What do we have?

• What are the patterns, elements, & types?

• Is it any good?

• Do people even like it? (Check analytics!)

• What do we need to update?

• What do we need to translate?

• Where do we need more?

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Where can you go?

• Identify new content types and channels

• Advocate for more frequent content updates

• Promote a new editorial calendar

• Reallocate budget across channels

• Adapt content for future-friendly cross –channel and –platform delivery

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But first things first:

What are you trying to communicate?

What content do you have and what do you need to do that?

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Thank you!

Margot Bloomstein@mbloomsteinmargot@appropriateinc.comslideshare.net/mbloomsteinamzn.to/CSatWork

All photography © Margot Bloomstein unless otherwise noted. Screen grabs property of their respective owners at time of capture.