How To Sell Content Strategy March 19 2009

How to Sell Content Strategy Content Strategy Consortium March 19, 2009 19 CONFIDENTIAL

Take 1: Our Role & Capabilities… Previous Conversations went something like this… “The Content Strategist: • Analyzes and evaluates … • Formulates and manages … • Defines… • Creates… So, in a nut shell, we need to inventory the site in order to…then we present our findings in an audit, blahblahblah. We create a taxonomy t i dit bl hbl hbl h W tt to…, which takes us to the metadata hi h t k t th tdt yadayadayada, brand personality, writing guides, requirements, sourcing,…” Visuals: Handouts of deliverables, screen shots of sample deliverables, process charts, maps, rationales, testimonies, etc. rationales testimonies etc Result: An incredibly overwhelmed team. Deduction: Our lingo, while intuitive to us, confuses others—particularly when they just want us to Deduction: Our lingo while intuitive to us confuses others—particularly when they just want us to get to the point. Next Steps: 1. Create an argument that the team can relate to. Create an argument that the team can relate to. 2. Simplify the role and services. – Break the services down to a high‐level process that fits the company’s redesign model CONFIDENTIAL ©2009 3

Start at the Beginning: Give Them Something to Relate to. The S Th Scenario: Our Clients are A ki f O H l i O Cli Asking for Our Help…Are W Li A We Listening? i? “Content keeps me up at night..” ‐A reoccurring statement we hear from our clients Clients always ask the following questions: 1. What about content? 2. What existing content should we use? Is our content even good or should we scrap it? 3. Who will create all this new content? 4. How will we map our existing content to the new site? 5. Who will make sure all the content ends up in the right place? Who will make sure all the content ends up in the right place? 6. Is there a person who will edit all the copy before the site goes live? 7. How will we manage the content after the site launches? CONFIDENTIAL ©2009 5

Explain What We Mean When We Say “Content.” The World of Content is Much More Than Text on a Page. A powerful Content Strategy is more than just making sure copy reads well‐‐it’s about creating a user experience. i Clients need the following content: Engaging features that take their products to the E i ft th t t k th i d t t th next level while pleasantly surprising their customers: • Slideshows • Blogs • Interactive, user generated content • Podcasts • Videos And lastly, copy that promotes features, sales, benefits, and has an ongoing conversation with the customer throughout the site. CONFIDENTIAL ©2009 6

Talk to the Sales Team in a Way They Can Get it. Take 2: The Role and Contributions of a Content Strategist…at a Very High Level Take 2: The Role and Contributions of a Content Strategist at a Very High Level Creative Brainstorm with the project team to create dynamic, engaging content features that will generate buzz, increase conversion, and make the company’s site stand out from its competitors. , , py p Strategists Create the content strategy mission for the redesign with measurable objectives of what we want the content to achieve. Writers Create the conversation that the company will have with their customers on each page of the site. Editors QA copy to make sure it is on brand, coherent in thought, engaging, easy to scan, and is grammatically correct. Backend Content Development and Support Create taxonomies, metadata schemas, and workflows, integrate SEO keywords, and help develop the content management system. CONFIDENTIAL ©2009 7

Talk to the Sales Team in a Way They Can Get it. The Services Provided by the Content Strategy Team: This is What We Do (and When We Do it): 1. Perform an analysis Perform an analysis 2. Create a strategy 3. Define…features, requirements, structure, etc 4. Develop 5. Maintain CONFIDENTIAL ©2009 8

Give a Shout Out to ROI: Hey Sales Team—it’s Measurable!! Content Strategy is a Measurable Return on Investment Content Strategists have the solutions and expertise to create content that: • Fully supports the business objectives • Engages the customer • Increases conversion • Is targeted, measurable, and inspires action Is targeted, measurable, and inspires action • Communicates the company’s brand promise and the value of doing business with the company We should not redesign a site without considering content: what it will be, what it g g looks like, who will create it, who will manage it, how often will it be updated? If we only focus on the visuals and the layout, we’ve created a beautifully engaging candy wrapper. CONFIDENTIAL ©2009 9

Supply Your Leads with Reusable Slides. Here’s Your Tools. Go Sell Some Work! You won’t always be at the table, so create slides that your team can include in presentations. Some topics can include: 1. Advantages of a Content Strategy Advantages of a Content Strategy 2. Content Strategy at a Glance 3. Responsibilities at a Glance 4. The Content Strategy Process 5. Who We Work With Who We Work With 6. Our Methodology: Deliverables within each phase or a redesign CONFIDENTIAL ©2009 10

How To Sell Content Strategy March 19 2009

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