Content Strategy: The Key to Effective Web Content

Content Strategy: The Key to Effective Web Content Rick Allen Babson College F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business Canadian Post-Secondary Web Conference May 26, 2010 @epublishmedia Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Hi, I’m Rick. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

What I’m talking about @epublishmedia #pseweb

What I’m talking about 1. Why quality web content and strategy are so important @epublishmedia #pseweb

What I’m talking about 1. Why quality web content and strategy are so important 2. Elements that comprise a content strategy @epublishmedia #pseweb

What I’m talking about 1. Why quality web content and strategy are so important 2. Elements that comprise a content strategy 3. What’s needed to maintain quality content @epublishmedia #pseweb

What I’m talking about 1. Why quality web content and strategy is so important Elements that comprise a content strategy What’s needed to maintain quality content @epublishmedia #pseweb

Why am I focusing on content? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Because I’m a publisher. Just like you! @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ The moment you launch a website, an email campaign, a mobile application, or content of any kind, you’re a publisher. Shouldn’t you start acting like one? Kristina Halvorson Author, Content Strategy for the Web @epublishmedia #pseweb

Yes. @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ View yourself more like a publisher delivering valuable editorial products than as a marketer selling products and services. Joe Pulizzi Co-Author, Get Content Get Customers @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content is why people visit your website. @epublishmedia #pseweb

Period. @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ Without content, the web would be a search box and a check out cart. Ian Alexander Eat Media @epublishmedia #pseweb

Quality content Users @epublishmedia #pseweb

Quality content Attracts Users @epublishmedia #pseweb

Quality content Attracts Informs Users @epublishmedia #pseweb

Quality content Attracts Informs Users Engages @epublishmedia #pseweb

Quality content Attracts Informs Users Engages Retains @epublishmedia #pseweb

Would you risk meeting any of these goals? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Warning signs that you need content strategy. @epublishmedia #pseweb

Warning signs that you need content strategy. Welcome & Overview pages Contain redundant, trivial content FAQs pages Compensate for ineffective site content PDFs Sidestep editorial process, compromising quality “Related links” List orphan pages or irrelevant content Points of distinction pages Lack points of distinction or effective brand messaging @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content strategy, anyone? @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ Content strategy is the practice of planning for the creation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable content. Kristina Halvorson Author, Content Strategy for the Web @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content strategy answers critical questions. @epublishmedia #pseweb

@epublishmedia #pseweb

How do we decide what to communicate? @epublishmedia #pseweb

How do we decide what to communicate? How do we decide what content to create and update? @epublishmedia #pseweb

How do we prioritize content requirements? @epublishmedia #pseweb

How do we prioritize content requirements? How do we determine our users’ needs? @epublishmedia #pseweb

How do we align analytics, usability and SEO/SEM with content creation? @epublishmedia #pseweb

How do we align analytics, usability and SEO/SEM with content creation? How do we maintain voice, tone, and branding with content across multiple channels? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Some good questions to answer, right? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Why is content often neglected? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content is massive @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content is political @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content is time- consuming @epublishmedia #pseweb

Real challenges @epublishmedia #pseweb

Poor excuses: @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ It's the content contributors' responsibility. They need to own their content. @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ But, I did make it better! @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ We can't accommodate everyone. @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ Best practices aren't real-world. @epublishmedia #pseweb

Customers don’t forgive businesses for bad websites. @epublishmedia #pseweb

No more excuses. @epublishmedia #pseweb

Make content work http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/tomsaint/ / CC BY 2.0 @epublishmedia #pseweb

Understand your content ecosystem http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/rofanator/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ The ecosystem often reveals the ‘underlying principle’ of the content problem. Colleen Jones Content Science @epublishmedia #pseweb

Web publishing is a collaborative process. @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ Design without content is decoration. Jeffrey Zeldman Author, Designing With Web Standards @epublishmedia #pseweb

A CMS is not enough. @epublishmedia #pseweb

‘Nuff said. @epublishmedia #pseweb

What I’m talking about Why quality web content and strategy are so important 2. Elements that comprise a content strategy What’s needed to maintain quality content @epublishmedia #pseweb

Have a plan: @epublishmedia #pseweb

Plan ‣ Prioritize message hierarchy Audit Analyze Strategize @epublishmedia #pseweb

Message architecture @epublishmedia #pseweb

Message architecture ‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message @epublishmedia #pseweb

Message architecture ‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message ‣ Identiﬁes what your organization wants to convey and how it wants to be perceived @epublishmedia #pseweb

Message architecture ‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message ‣ Identiﬁes what your organization wants to convey and how it wants to be perceived ‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of organization concepts @epublishmedia #pseweb

Message architecture ‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message ‣ Identiﬁes what your organization wants to convey and how it wants to be perceived ‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of organization concepts ‣ Aligns sub-site messaging with organization- wide messaging @epublishmedia #pseweb

Message architecture ‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message ‣ Identiﬁes what your organization wants to convey and how it wants to be perceived ‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of organization concepts ‣ Aligns sub-site messaging with organization- wide messaging ‣ Aligns messaging across all communication channels @epublishmedia #pseweb

Message architecture ‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message ‣ Identiﬁes what your organization wants to convey and how it wants to be perceived ‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of organization concepts ‣ Aligns sub-site messaging with organization- wide messaging ‣ Aligns messaging across all communication channels ‣ Determines if content is appropriate for your users @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ How can you measure if content is appropriate if you don’t have a metric against which to measure it? Margot Bloomstein Appropriate, Inc @epublishmedia #pseweb

Plan ‣ Prioritize message hierarchy ‣ Audit ‣ Analyze ‣ Strategize @epublishmedia #pseweb

Plan Prioritize message hierarchy ‣ Audit Analyze Strategize @epublishmedia #pseweb

“ If you don't understand where you are now, you can't create a plan to get you where you need to be. Kristina Halvorson Author, Content Strategy for the Web @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content audit @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content audit ‣ Content inventory @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content audit ‣ Content inventory ‣ Quantitative audit @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content audit ‣ Content inventory ‣ Quantitative audit ‣ Qualitative audit @epublishmedia #pseweb

Plan Prioritize message hierarchy Audit ‣ Analyze Strategize @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content analysis @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content analysis ‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web content? Does it meet our business objectives and users’ needs? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content analysis ‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web content? Does it meet our business objectives and users’ needs? ‣ How do we want our users to respond to our content? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content analysis ‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web content? Does it meet our business objectives and users’ needs? ‣ How do we want our users to respond to our content? ‣ What content do users need, but not know to look for? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content analysis ‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web content? Does it meet our business objectives and users’ needs? ‣ How do we want our users to respond to our content? ‣ What content do users need, but not know to look for? ‣ What resources are needed to complete the project and maintain it post-launch? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Content analysis ‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web content? Does it meet our business objectives and users’ needs? ‣ How do we want our users to respond to our content? ‣ What content do users need, but not know to look for? ‣ What resources are needed to complete the project and maintain it post-launch? ‣ How will we measure the effectiveness of our content? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Plan Prioritize message hierarchy Audit Analyze ‣ Strategize @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results ‣ Deﬁned target keywords and content topics relating to our brand message @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results ‣ Deﬁned target keywords and content topics relating to our brand message ‣ Web editorial style guide that provides consistent voice, tone, and word usage, catering to our audience and brand @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results ‣ Deﬁned target keywords and content topics relating to our brand message ‣ Web editorial style guide that provides consistent voice, tone, and word usage, catering to our audience and brand ‣ Editorial process: roles, source content, content types, and interaction with marketing, design, developers @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results ‣ Deﬁned target keywords and content topics relating to our brand message ‣ Web editorial style guide that provides consistent voice, tone, and word usage, catering to our audience and brand ‣ Editorial process: roles, source content, content types, and interaction with marketing, design, developers ‣ Editorial calendar, considering content channels, types, and themes • @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results ‣ Page-level content structure @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results ‣ Page-level content structure ‣ Linking strategy @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results ‣ Page-level content structure ‣ Linking strategy ‣ Deﬁned content channels @epublishmedia #pseweb

Results ‣ Page-level content structure ‣ Linking strategy ‣ Deﬁned content channels ‣ Content maintenance requirements @epublishmedia #pseweb

Deﬁne your publishing process: @epublishmedia #pseweb

Publishing roles ‣ Requesters ‣ Providers ‣ Creators ‣ Editors ‣ Approvers ‣ Publishers @epublishmedia #pseweb

What I’m talking about Why quality web content and strategy are so important Elements that comprise a content strategy 3. What’s needed to maintain quality content @epublishmedia #pseweb

Keep it going http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/dasqfamily/ / CC BY 2.0 @epublishmedia #pseweb

Have a plan. @epublishmedia #pseweb

Measure content effectiveness http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/chandramarsono/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 @epublishmedia #pseweb

Web analytics Business Effective Key goals analysis metrics @epublishmedia #pseweb

(More) content analysis: @epublishmedia #pseweb

Is content redundant, outdated, trivial? http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/will-lion/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 @epublishmedia #pseweb

Are links still functional? Is content still ﬁndable? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Is content still useful, relevant, and accurate? @epublishmedia #pseweb

Key points Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Key points ‣ Make content strategy a priority Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Key points ‣ Make content strategy a priority ‣ Be a publisher—focus on content Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Key points ‣ Make content strategy a priority ‣ Be a publisher—focus on content ‣ Know what content you have before determining what you need Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Key points ‣ Make content strategy a priority ‣ Be a publisher—focus on content ‣ Know what content you have before determining what you need ‣ Analyze: determine if content is useful, relevant, and effective Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Key points ‣ Make content strategy a priority ‣ Be a publisher—focus on content ‣ Know what content you have before determining what you need ‣ Analyze: determine if content is useful, relevant, and effective ‣ Strategize: create an achievable, actionable, and sustainable plan Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Key points ‣ Make content strategy a priority ‣ Be a publisher—focus on content ‣ Know what content you have before determining what you need ‣ Analyze: determine if content is useful, relevant, and effective ‣ Strategize: create an achievable, actionable, and sustainable plan ‣ Measure content constantly—adapt to change, make smart decisions Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Questions? Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Thanks. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

Rick Allen @epublishmedia http://www.epublishmedia.com Rick Allen • @epublishmedia @epublishmedia #pseweb • #ContentStrategy #pseweb

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Content Strategy: The Key to Effective Web Content

by Rick Allen on May 27, 2010

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Content Strategy: The Key to Effective Web Content — Presentation Transcript