No. I did not steal Kristina Halvorson’s presentation - “A Content Strategy Roadmap.” I’d already published this topic before I was aware of hers, but you should definitely check out her slide deck. �http://www.slideshare.net/khalvorson/a-content-strategy-roadmap
What I’ll cover in 15 (OK maybe 20) minutes!
What I’ll cover in 15 (OK maybe 20) minutes!
1. Content. What it is.
2. What’s quality content?
3. What distinguishes quality content from the hoi polloi?
4. What’s a content strategy?
5. How can a content strategy help you reach your destination?
We all know that content is the “stuff” our clients put online; it’s copy and images and videos; it’s microcopy, calls to action, and case studies, tweets, posts, and so on and so forth. But it’s also:
1. An ambassador.
2. Good communications.
3. Increasingly important business asset.
Presenter
We all know that content is the “stuff” our clients put online; it’s copy and images and videos; it’s microcopy, calls to action, and case studies, tweets, posts, and so on and so forth. But it’s also: An ambassador. It represents who our clients are, and why they’re worth my time. It’s good communication that tells stories, solves problems, offers experiences, and makes it easy for people to accomplish tasks. It’s an increasingly important business asset that markets our client’s products and services.
What is quality content?
Presenter
First, What does Google mean by quality content? Image: Panda and Penguin www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com Here’s a quote from Matt Cutts: “We have modified a classifier we use to promote fresh content to exclude fresh content identified as particularly low-quality.” –Matt Cutts
What is quality content? What does Google mean by quality content?
“We have modified a classifier we use to promote
fresh content to exclude fresh content identified as particularly low-quality.”
–Matt Cutts www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com
Presenter
First, What does Google mean by quality content? Image: www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com Here’s a quote from Matt Cutts: “We have modified a classifier we use to promote fresh content to exclude fresh content identified as particularly low-quality.” –Matt Cutts WTF. What we do know is that Google is looking hard at the quality of web content, and that should be enough to encourage us to focus on adding content strategy in one form or another to our web design processes.
What is quality content? What do I mean by quality content?
1. Content that earns it’s keep.
2. Content that helps both the business and the audience reach their destination.
What do I mean by quality content? Image: http://www.choicehotels.ca/en/quality-hotel-cn547 When I talk about quality content, I mean content that earns it’s keep. Content that helps both the business and the audience reach their destination. It attracts customers, encourages and facilitates action, offers measurable feedback, and delights. It informs, educates, and engages. And it achieves the desired results for the organization or business owner.
What distinguishes quality content from the
rest of the hoi polloi?
1. Findable Easy to find
2. Actionable Capable of being acted upon
3. Measurable Capable of being measured
4. Shareable Designed to be shared
Presenter
For the purpose of this discussion, quality content has 4 distinguishing characteristics; it’s findable, actionable, measurable and shareable (FAMS™). Findable - Information can be found easily.�Quality content is findable. If customers can’t find it, is it any good? No - unless you’re a narcissist publishing for yourself. � Actionable - Capable of being acted upon.�Quality content is purposeful - it exists for a reason. It’s actionable (sign-up, download, join, buy, comment, call us, review, or share). If customers and prospective customers have to guess what they’re supposed to do, is it any good? No. It’s passive aggressive.� Measurable - Capable of being measured.�It provides a direct and measurable correlation between action and business results. You know when it’s earning it’s keep. If you can’t measure it, is it good? Maybe - maybe not. � Shareable - Designed to be shared.�Quality content is shareable. Sharing drives the social web. It makes shared content findable, it’s certainly actionable, and it’s measurable too. If it isn’t memorable and easy to share, is it just a nutritionally devoid twinkie? Yes. Good road food, but not quality content.
1. Findable Easy to find
2. Actionable Capable of being acted upon
3. Measurable Capable of being measured
4. Shareable Designed to be shared
Presenter
For the purpose of this discussion, quality content has 4 distinguishing characteristics; it’s findable, actionable, measurable and shareable (FAMS™). Findable - Information can be found easily.�Quality content is findable. If customers can’t find it, is it any good? No - unless you’re a narcissist publishing for yourself. � Actionable - Capable of being acted upon.�Quality content is purposeful - it exists for a reason. It’s actionable (sign-up, download, join, buy, comment, call us, review, or share). If customers and prospective customers have to guess what they’re supposed to do, is it any good? No. It’s passive aggressive.� Measurable - Capable of being measured.�It provides a direct and measurable correlation between action and business results. You know when it’s earning it’s keep. If you can’t measure it, is it good? Maybe - maybe not. � Shareable - Designed to be shared.�Quality content is shareable. Sharing drives the social web. It makes shared content findable, it’s certainly actionable, and it’s measurable too. If it isn’t memorable and easy to share, is it just a nutritionally devoid twinkie? Yes. Good road food, but not quality content.
What’s a content strategy?
Presenter
What‘s a Content Strategy? Image: destination360.com A content strategy is a plan for gathering, creating, publishing and managing content that is findable, actionable, measurable and shareable; content that bridges business goals and audience needs. What a content strategy isn’t. Image: Pounding pegs is holes labeled discover, design, develop, deploy It isn’t a production project with a defined beginning and ending. Content strategy is a cyclical and ongoing business process. It isn’t a task or step that fits nicely into a “do it here” slot. Content strategy informs every step of our web design processes. It isn’t a fad. The web has become an “organization’s primary communications, sales, marketing, and transactional vehicle.” — Lisa Welchman, Welchman Pierpoint And it’s not a shortcut either. Image: Shortcut sign “Thinking about it is easy - doing it is hard.” –Karen McGrane
A content strategy is a plan for gathering, creating, publishing and managing content that is findable, actionable, measurable and shareable; content that bridges business goals and audience needs.
destination360.com
Presenter
What‘s a Content Strategy? Image: destination360.com A content strategy is a plan for gathering, creating, publishing and managing content that is findable, actionable, measurable and shareable; content that bridges business goals and audience needs. What a content strategy isn’t. Image: Pounding pegs is holes labeled discover, design, develop, deploy It isn’t a production project with a defined beginning and ending. Content strategy is a cyclical and ongoing business process. It isn’t a task or step that fits nicely into a “do it here” slot. Content strategy informs every step of our web design processes. It isn’t a fad. The web has become an “organization’s primary communications, sales, marketing, and transactional vehicle.” — Lisa Welchman, Welchman Pierpoint And it’s not a shortcut either. Image: Shortcut sign “Thinking about it is easy - doing it is hard.” –Karen McGrane
What a content strategy
isn’t.
Presenter
What‘s a Content Strategy? Image: destination360.com A content strategy is a plan for gathering, creating, publishing and managing content that is findable, actionable, measurable and shareable; content that bridges business goals and audience needs. What a content strategy isn’t. Image: Pounding pegs is holes labeled discover, design, develop, deploy It isn’t a production project with a defined beginning and ending. Content strategy is a cyclical and ongoing business process. It isn’t a task or step that fits nicely into a “do it here” slot. Content strategy informs every step of our web design processes. It isn’t a fad. The web has become an “organization’s primary communications, sales, marketing, and transactional vehicle.” — Lisa Welchman, Welchman Pierpoint And it’s not a shortcut either. Image: Shortcut sign “Thinking about it is easy - doing it is hard.” –Karen McGrane
1. It isn’t a production project. It’s a cyclical and ongoing business process.
2. It isn’t a task or step that fits nicely into a “do it here” slot. It informs every step of our web design processes.
3. It isn’t a fad.
The web has become an “organization’s primary communications, sales, marketing, and transactional vehicle.”
— Lisa Welchman, Welchman Pierpoint
amazon.com
Presenter
What‘s a Content Strategy? Image: destination360.com A content strategy is a plan for gathering, creating, publishing and managing content that is findable, actionable, measurable and shareable; content that bridges business goals and audience needs. What a content strategy isn’t. Image: amazon.com It isn’t a production project with a defined beginning and ending. Content strategy is a cyclical and ongoing business process. It isn’t a task or step that fits nicely into a “do it here” slot. Content strategy informs every step of our web design processes. It isn’t a fad. The web has become an “organization’s primary communications, sales, marketing, and transactional vehicle.” — Lisa Welchman, Welchman Pierpoint And it’s not a shortcut either. Image: Shortcut sign “Thinking about it is easy - doing it is hard.” –Karen McGrane
And it’s not a shortcut!
Presenter
What‘s a Content Strategy? Image: destination360.com A content strategy is a plan for gathering, creating, publishing and managing content that is findable, actionable, measurable and shareable; content that bridges business goals and audience needs. What a content strategy isn’t. Image: amazon.com It isn’t a production project with a defined beginning and ending. Content strategy is a cyclical and ongoing business process. It isn’t a task or step that fits nicely into a “do it here” slot. Content strategy informs every step of our web design processes. It isn’t a fad. The web has become an “organization’s primary communications, sales, marketing, and transactional vehicle.” — Lisa Welchman, Welchman Pierpoint And it’s not a shortcut either. Image: Shortcut sign “Thinking about it is easy - doing it is hard.” –Karen McGrane
And it’s not a shortcut!
“Thinking about it is easy - doing it is hard.” –Karen McGrane
Presenter
What‘s a Content Strategy? Image: destination360.com A content strategy is a plan for gathering, creating, publishing and managing content that is findable, actionable, measurable and shareable; content that bridges business goals and audience needs. What a content strategy isn’t. Image: amazon.com It isn’t a production project with a defined beginning and ending. Content strategy is a cyclical and ongoing business process. It isn’t a task or step that fits nicely into a “do it here” slot. Content strategy informs every step of our web design processes. It isn’t a fad. The web has become an “organization’s primary communications, sales, marketing, and transactional vehicle.” — Lisa Welchman, Welchman Pierpoint And it’s not a shortcut either. “Thinking about it is easy - doing it is hard.” –Karen McGrane
How can a content strategy help you reach
your destination?
Road Trip!
A content strategy is a plan, and if a web project was a road trip, you might order a AAA TripTik® for your client.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbarefoot/372428701/
Presenter
A content strategy is a plan, and if a web project was a road trip, you might order a TripTik for your client that looks like this:
Planning a road trip. 1. What’s their destination, and why are they taking
this trip? 2. What resources are available? 3. Who’s traveling with them? 4. How are they going to get there? 5. What do they need to take with them? 6. How will they pack so everything can be found? 7. What will they do when they reach their
destination?
Presenter
What’s their destination, and why are they taking this trip? What resources are available? Who’s traveling with them? How are they going to get where they’re going? What do they need to take with them? How will they pack everything so it can be found? What will they do when they reach their destination?
Planning a road trip. What’s their destination, and why are they taking this trip?
1. Invite all of the stakeholders to the table. 2. Revisit their mission and vision. 3. Explore what they want to accomplish. 4. Define tangible and measurable objectives.
Presenter
What’s their destination, and why are they taking this trip? Where do they want to go and what do they want to get from the trip. Where’s the common ground. Lake Tahoe? Invite all of the stakeholders to the table for the kick-off meeting. Revisit their mission and vision; who they are, who they want to be, what’s their promise, their story? Explore what they want to accomplish. And dig deep. It’s not always the obvious. Define tangible and measurable business objectives that will help them accomplish their goals.
Planning a road trip. What resources are available?
1. How much time and money do they have? 2. Who will collaborate with you? 3. Do they have anyone on staff qualified and
available to create content?
Maybe the trip to Europe will have to wait, but Las Vegas is doable.
dailymail.co.uk
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What resources are available? Image: dailymail.co.uk Maybe the trip to Europe will have to wait, but Las Vegas is doable. How much time and money do they have, and how far can they go on the resources available? Who’s will collaborate with you and how much time do they have? Do they have anyone on staff who is qualified and available to create content. No? A-ha. Better save some budget for content creation.
Planning a road trip. Who’s traveling with them?
1. Who is their audience? 2. What are their stories? 3. What do they care about? 4. What are they looking for? 5. Are business goals
aligned with audience goals?
Dairy Queen, outdoor adventure, luxury?
Papiblogger.com
Presenter
Who’s traveling with them? Image: papiblogger.com Dairy Queen, endless pool time, luxurious accommodations, outdoor adventure? What are they looking for? Who is their audience. Demographics are statistical, personas humanize them. What are their stories, goals, problems, frustrations, pain points? What do they care about, what are their priorities, typical tasks? What information are they looking for, and how do they seek information? What types of content will solve their problems, entertain them, educate and inform them, and how can you make it easy for them to get what they’re looking for? Are your client’s business goals and the goals of their audience(s) aligned?
Planning a road trip. How will they get where they’re going?
1. What is their core content strategy? 2. What are their key messages? 3. What is their editorial strategy, UX strategy? 4. What about “intelligent content and CMS
requirements?
What’s the best way to reach their destination? The direct route, the scenic route, over the river and through the woods?
Presenter
How will they get where they’re going? What’s the best way to reach their destination? A direct route, the scenic route, over the river and through the woods? What is their core web content strategy - how will it help direct and prioritize their content choices, and guide design and development decisions? What voice and tone will best express their brand personality? What are the key messages that can be mapped to their personas? What does their content need to communicate to their audiences? What is their editorial strategy* - how, what, when, where, and why they publish content and for who. What is the UX strategy for the content? How will it flow and link? How will users interact with the content? What content types and formats are needed What about “intelligent” content (packages of information, not documents), content re-use, content modeling, and multi-channel publishing? What are the CMS requirements? Is there a migration plan? What about business rules? *Content Strategy within the Design Process, Smashing Magazine, December 2, 2011 –Brad Storrs
Planning a road trip. What do they need to take with them?
1. What do they have? 2. Is it any good? 3. What do they need? 4. Where will it come from?
What content do they need? Do they have a swimsuit. Does it fit? Do they need a new one? If so, who’s doing the shopping? If a new swimsuit isn’t in the budget, can they get by with the old swimsuit.
Presenter
What do they need to take with them? What content do they need? Do they have a swimsuit. Does it fit? Do they need a new one? If so, who’s doing the shopping? If a new swimsuit isn’t in the budget, can they get by with swimsuit. What content do they have (inventory)? Is it any good (analysis)? Does it meet their needs and their audience needs? Can be “enriched” or updated to meet your needs and your audience needs? Is it ROT? What ‘s needs to be created (gap analysis)? Where will it come from? Who will create it?
Planning a road trip. How will they pack everything so it can be found?
1. How will the information architecture be structured?
2. What are their taxonomy and metadata strategies?
3. What’s their SEO strategy?
It’s a sure bet someone will want to find a book, camera, snack or iPod you packed. And they don’t all want the same thing at the same time.
kidculture.wordpress.com
Presenter
How will they pack everything so it can be found? Image: kidculture.wordpress.com It’s a sure bet that folks are going to want to find books, the camera, the snacks and iPods that you packed. And they don’t all want the same thing at the same time. How will the information architecture be structured. IA is not navigation but it informs our navigation decisions; it’s the art and science of structure (classification, labeling and search), and the foundation of UX. What taxonomy and metadata strategies will make their information searchable and findable What’s their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy? “Organizing and labeling information to help people find it and manage it.” – Louis Rosenfeld http://prezi.com/aafmvya6bk7t/understanding-information-architecture/
Planning a road trip. What will they do when they reach their destination?
1. How are key content decisions made, initiated and communicated? 2. How will their content be maintained throughout its lifecycle? 3. What are the rules, policies, guidelines, standards that govern their content workflow
and processes? 4. Are content production and CMS workshops and training scheduled 5. Who’s qualified to produce content? 6. How often will they measure success, and who will do it? 7. What is their ongoing content marketing plan and who will do it?
What’s the plan? Who will be in charge of activities and schedules? Who will make sure that folks scuba diving know how to swim and get proper training.
Presenter
What will they do when they reach their destination? What’s the plan? Who will be in charge of activities and schedules? Who will make sure that folks scuba diving know how to swim and get proper training. How are key content decisions made, initiated and communicated? How will their content be maintained throughout its lifecycle? What are the rules, policies, guidelines, standards that govern their content. Content production and CMS workshops and training Task qualified, and trained people with content production Provide adequate CMS training Create style guides - a common vocabulary Create Editorial calendars, and/or monthly, weekly and daily to-do lists Content development and publishing processes and workflows Content approval workflow, liability and risk How often will they measure success, and who will do it? AB testing, analytics and other measurements, benchmarks What is their ongoing content marketing plan and who will do it? SEO, social media, blogging, white papers, newsletters, landing pages
Let’s get this show on the road. “A content strategy must achieve a harmonic balance between business goals, editorial mission, user expectations, design vision, the content production process, and technological capabilities. All of these elements must work together to bring a content strategy to life. …Content is the common thread that runs through all of these elements.”
– Rachel Lovinger
Presenter
“A content strategy must achieve a harmonic balance between business goals, editorial mission, user expectations, design vision, the content production process, and technological capabilities. All of these elements must work together to bring a content strategy to life. …Content is the common thread that runs through all of these elements.” – Rachel Lovinger
This is what your processes can look like when you have a plan;
a content strategy.
Presenter
This is what can happen to our processes when you have a plan; a content strategy.
Discovery 1. The discovery worksheet becomes a thoughtful and intentional road map. 2. Plans are made based on available resources. 3. Personas identify what audiences care about. 4. Core web strategies, messaging and editorial strategies inform content and design
decisions, and features and functionality needs. 5. Content audits document the quantity and quality of your content. 6. Purposeful content is planned for, collected and generated. 7. Content modeling and content templates direct content production. 8. Fantasy architecture is replaced with useful, usable structure. 9. Success metrics and a plan for ongoing maintenance are pre-determined. 10. Design and development costs now become predictable.
Presenter
Discovery The traditional discovery worksheet becomes a thoughtful and intentional road map. Measurable goals and project objectives are thoroughly documented. Plans are made based on available resources. Personas are created to identify what the desired audiences care about; what content types and formats will solve their problems, entertain them, educate and inform them, and how can you make it easy for them to get what they’re looking for? Core strategies, messaging and editorial strategies inform content and design decisions, and needed features and functionality. Content audits document what you have, what you can use, what needs to be produced, and who’s going to produce it. Purposeful content is planned for, collected and generated. Content modeling guidelines and page level content templates direct content production. Fantasy architecture is replaced with useful, usable structure with systems for information classification, labeling, and search and strategies for taxonomy and Metadata. Success metrics and a plan for ongoing maintenance are pre-determined. A CMS choice is based on requirements instead of popularity. Design and development costs now become predictable, and scope creep becomes (almost) a thing of the past. And all this before you open Photoshop.
And all this before you open Photoshop!
Presenter
And all this before you open Photoshop!
UX & Visual Design
1. Branding and visual design decisions support business and user goals. 2. Multiple comps and endless rounds of revision are a thing of the past. 3. The layout supports UX and user goals. 4. Micro-copy, button text, navigation, and error messages are planned for.
“Content strategy frames a project for the designer.” – Brad Shorr
Presenter
UX & Visual Design “Content strategy frames a project for the designer.” – Brad Shorr Branding and visual design decisions are based on strategies that support business and user goals instead of client “preferences.” The need for multiple comps and endless rounds of revisions is a thing of the past since you’re framing real content and real navigation instead of fantasy content. The layout supports UX and user goals, and -bonus - you don’t have to cram the content into the layout. Micro-copy, button text, navigation, and error messages, are all accounted for.
Develop 1. Web page “templates” are built based on real content reducing the
amount of HTML/CSS/JS rework. 2. Features and functionality are based on business requirements, user goals
and available resources. 3. CMS requirements drive the build, and content is migrated seamlessly. 4. CMS interfaces accommodate the content, workflow, taxonomy, metadata
and CMS users, etc.. 5. CMS Authors are happy!
Presenter
Develop Web page “templates” are built based on the content that will actually populate them thanks to early content production and content modeling, reducing the amount of HTML/CSS/JS rework. Features and functionality are based on business requirements, user goals and available resources. The CMS is built based on content requirements, and content is migrated seamlessly. CMS interfaces are customized to accommodate the content, workflow, taxonomy, metadata and CMS users, etc..
Deploy 1. Governance and maintenance rules, policies, workflows, and standards
are pre-determined 2. CMS documentation has been created and training has been scheduled. 3. Editorial calendars and style guides ensure consistency in future content 4. Metrics tools are installed and reviews are scheduled. 5. SEO plans are in place
Presenter
Deploy Governance and maintenance rules, policies, workflows, standards etc. are pre-determined CMS documentation has been created and training has been scheduled. Editorial calendars and style guides ensure consistency in future content have been produced. Metrics tools are installed and reviews are scheduled. SEO plans are in place
And finally… You’re ready to execute your marketing plans. Whether you’re planning for social media inbound campaigns, blogging or white papers, your internet marketing plans will look remarkably like your plans for content.
business-opportunities.biz
(Substance before sizzle!)
Presenter
Image: business-opportunities.biz And finally - substance before sizzle - you’re ready to execute your marketing plans. Whether you’re planning for social media inbound campaigns, blogging or white papers, your internet marketing plans will look remarkably like your plans for content
Final words of wisdom.
Presenter
Final words of wisdom.
“As content marketing becomes an integral part of the mix, marketers need to start thinking about content first”
– Stacey King Gordon, Suite Seven
“Our job is not to convince and evangelize people who don’t get the importance of ours job, but rather to find the people who get it, and make them great.”
– Karen McGrane, Art Bond & Science
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Final Words “As content marketing becomes an integral part of the mix, marketers need to start thinking about content first” – Stacey King Gordon “Our job is not to convince and evangelize people who don’t get the importance of your job, but rather to find the people who get it, and make them great.” – Karen McGrane, Art Bond & Science
“You can’t fix everything.” – Lisa Welchman, Welchman Pierpoint
A content strategy can fix a lot of our content problems, but…
Presenter
A content strategy can fix a lot of our content problems, but… “You can’t fix everything.” – Lisa Welchman, Welchman Pierpoint
Know your goals Know your audience Know what you have Know what you need Know who’s responsible for it Know when you need help
