discovery well done = right delivery. right content. right user. right context
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© COPYRIGHT 2013 SAPIENT CORPORATION & AZZARD CONSULTING
Content DiscoveryKEVIN P NICHOLS , DIRECTOR AND GLOBAL
PRATICE LEAD OF CONTENT STRATEGY
@ SAPIENTNITRO
REBECCA SCHNEIDER, PRESIDENT, AZZARD
CONSULTING
AZZARD CONSULTING
AZZARDCONSULTING
Today’s Agenda
1. Introduction
2. What is Content
3. Discovery Phase
4. Content Inventory
5. Content Audit
6. Content Strategy Framework
7. Questions and Feedback
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1. Introduction
AZZARDCONSULTING
Introduction
Rebecca Schneider
President, Azzard Consulting18 Years experience in Information ManagementIndustries: Retail, Auto Manufacturing, Financial Services, Technology
Kevin Nichols
Director, Global Practice Lead, Content Strategy, Sapient/Nitro17 Years experience in the Web Development IndustryKey Clients: MIT Open Courseware, Hewlett Packard, Sprint, Intel
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2. What is Content?
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Content is a valuable asset – digital or not
books
HTML
sheet music
car parts
records
CDs
.wav
.jpg
.swf
coffee
bottles of wine
sheet metal
drills
shovels
.aspx photographic print.avi
.mov
socks
DVDs
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3. Discovery Phase
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Discovery Phase – Discover/Define
Discover/Define Design ImplementationContent Assessment• Content Inventory• Competitive Assessment• Content Audit
Content Strategy POV / Recommendations• Audit Findings• Content Requirements• Future-state
recommendations• Conceptual content model
and/or domain model• Governance
Recommendations
CMS Content Model
Content Matrix
Content inputs into IA
CMS Workflows
Taxonomy
Schema-Component-Template Map
Governance Model• Editorial workflows• Processes• Staffing plan• Business Org Structure
Editorial Calendar
Editorial Guide• Voice & Tone Definition• Usage Guidelines• Authoring Guidelines• Writing for SEO
Copy Deck Template
Migration Plan• Content Entry• Resource Planning
Content Production Plan
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Discovery Phase - Purpose
Understand the current-state to frame the future-state:• For content experience• For content delivery• For content governance
Recommends a high-level future-state model.
Goal: Gain enough understanding of content eco-system to kick-off design phase.
AZZARDCONSULTING
Discovery Phase – Role in Content Strategy
Arguably the MOST important phase in content strategy work because it frames the future state solution.
Is the time and opportunity for you to get to know the content ecosystem. Without this understanding your solution will have holes / issues.
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Discovery Phase - Deliverables
Current-state assessment of content ecosystem:
Content Inventory – quantitative assessment of content and its properties
Content Audit – qualitative assessment of content ecosystem (should not just
include the content itself). Requires analysis of content AND stakeholder
interviews.
Content Strategy Framework with findings, gaps and issues analysis and
future-state recommendations:
Stakeholder Interviews – findings and analysis
Audit Findings
Future-state recommendations (tie these to issues uncovered)
High-level roadmap for future-state
AZZARDCONSULTING
Discovery Phase – Going into Discovery
Know the project parameters – why are you doing it?
If you don’t have a project brief and need to uncover this information, review
SOW and ensure alignment with project stakeholder / owner.
If no SOW exists, ensure alignment on the project with key stakeholders at a
high-level: answer questions such as why we are doing this and what is the
high-level scope (just a website? Mobile? All digital properties, etc.)
Come up with a preliminary team who represent the various stakeholders at
play, include technology, marketing, communications, SEO, analytics, business
leads, etc.
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4. Content Inventory
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Purpose Documents the volume of current state content ecosystem in terms of type,
volume and scope. Is critical to understand the content landscape Is critical for any type of content migration Requires manual AND system approach
Goals: Come out with an understanding of all the types of content represented in
the current state, including any relevant properties about that content. Come out with an understanding of any gaps associated with the content
(requires understanding competitive and/or best in class digital sites).
Discovery Phase – Content Inventory
AZZARDCONSULTING
Start with a template that captures the information you need. Use Excel Know the level of detail required If you don’t know, start with the first two levels of information. On a
Website, this would be first two levels in navigation. Get Tech and BA teams to validate to which level is necessary (page-level,
content type-level, modular/object-level).
Run a spider to determine which information is indexed (for web, mobile, etc) What spider does not capture should be noted (non-indexed content)
Ask for any existing inventories or audits, if in a CMS, have team generate a report of all published site(s)
Discovery Phase – Content Inventory – How to do it?
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Discovery Phase – Content Inventory
How to do it: As you complete the work, circulate it with the stakeholders who create or
work with the content; have each indicate who owns which content and any necessary inputs/outputs or systems or data pulls
Validate it with stakeholders: All types of content within the line of business are captured Each content type is prioritized Any inputs or outputs per content type are adequately captured. That is,
what is required to create the content? What are the outputs? Use the inputs/outputs fields in the spreadsheet
Any types of content that are missing or are known to be forthcoming (e.g., a future campaign or a new product launch)
Authors and sources for content
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5. Audit
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Purpose Captures the issues in the content-ecosystem The ‘content audit’ is one aspect and assesses the efficacy, richness,
relevance, accessibility, measurability and optimization of the content experience.
Also includes an audit of the content lifecycle and governance
Goal: Come out with an understanding of all strengths, weaknesses, gaps and
issues with the current-state to frame the future state.
Discovery Phase – Audit
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Draw from the project brief, brand guide and any information known about the project to come up with a set of principles for evaluation. This includes reviewing competitive models
Ensure that you know the criteria for evaluation (this content is rich because of X…)
For the content audit piece, use the inventory and place additional columns in the spreadsheet to capture any issues or qualitative information about the content.
Use stakeholder interviews to fill-in missing pieces of information
Work with project team to identify necessary stakeholders.
Discovery Phase – Audit – How to do it?
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Discovery Phase – Audit – Stakeholder Interview Review Protocol Review Inventory/Audit Template
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Group Exercise - Audit
Zappos is doing a new design of their mobile and Websites. They will use a new CMS, newly designed templates (visual as well as user experience). They want opportunities for new content and leverage existing content as much as possible.
Teams of 15 people (One team do zappos.com/ other team do m.zappos.com) Use template found at:
http://www.kevinpnichols.com/enterprise_content_strategy/ Decide on what the criteria is for the audit Update the template (but cutting out unnecessary fields) so that it reflects
what you feel the content audit should be. Start populating the audit (do at least one row)
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6. Content Strategy Framework
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Purpose Roll-up all the findings from the current state assessment Make recommendations for the design phase around content types and
features, content production and lifecycle, metadata and search, accessibility compliance, taxonomy development, and content governance.
This document becomes the design roadmap for content strategy
Goal: Convey a picture of the current state, any issues and position the
opportunities for the future state in a series of recommendations
Discovery Phase – Content Strategy Framework
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Discovery Phase – Content Strategy Framework – How to do it? Construct a document that captures gaps, issues and pain-points Tie each issue to a future-state recommendation
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Discovery Phase – Content Strategy Framework Sample TOC Introduction—Scope of the audit, what it covers, and why it was completed, as well as
the process used to conduct it (e.g., inventoried content, audited it, identified key issues, sought sign off, etc.)
Content Quality—Brand integrity
Content Quality—Relevance, timeliness, and accuracy
Content Quality—Richness and effective messaging
Content Structure—How content is labelled, categorized, taxonomy, etc.
Content Prioritization —Content priorities per key pages (e.g., priorities on the homepage, key landing pages, etc.)
Metadata and SEO
Accessibility Compliance
Metrics and Analytics
Content Production and Content Lifecycle Findings—These should document the workflow processes and any issues, gaps, and requirements for the future-state design
Website Content Governance
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7. Feedback and Contact Information
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Questions?
What did you want to learn that you still have questions about?
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Keep the conversation going. . .
Rebecca Schneider [email protected] azzardconsulting.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaschneider
Kevin P Nichols [email protected] kevinpnichols.com Twitter: #kpnichols LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-nichols/0/b50/160
29© 2011 SapientNitro | a division of Sapient Corporation