Context As A Content Strategy
Creating More Meaningful Web Experiences Through Contextual Filtering Internet User Experience 2010 - 07.26.10

A Few Disclaimers: 1. I
am not a neuroscientist by trade, but I enjoy trying like hell to be one in my spare time. 2. I am constantly questioning the various definitions that have been provided for content strategy 3. This is a high level version of a much deeper conversation that needs to be explored. I NEED your help to start it. 4. We’re all from different backgrounds and smarter than one another in many areas. I attempted to be cognizant of that fact in this presentation.

So, you may have heard
that content strategy is the next big thing.

You may have also heard
that ...

“ Content is King. ”
- Just About Every Content Strategist or Content Marketer You’ll Meet

I disagree.

“ Content is something we
connect to emotionally, converse about or learn from ... but content without context is useless.

Content strategy and information architecture
are more than a means to achieve ‘findability.’

“ We owe visitors and
our site owners more than content, we owe them context ”

Content Strategy In 13 Slides

Content Strategy Plans For: Governance
Creation • Guide (Tags /Meta Data / Best Practices / SEO) • Source (Where Does It Come From?) • Measure (Success Metrics / Refining Measures) • Execute (Production Method / Medium / Tone) • Maintain (Refresh Schedule / Removal Criteria) • Approval (Editing / Review) Delivery • Push (Where Does It Get Placed?) • Pull (What Information Do We Bring In?) • Exchange (What Partnerships Do We Leverage?)

Consumer Soc. Media Analytics/ Product
Insights Insight SEO Strategy Content Strategy Planning Sourcing Creation Governance Content strategists combine consumer insights and product strategy to yield messaging matrices. These matrices aid in the oversight of new content creation and provide key insights into the governance of all content living in the digital space.

Content Strategy and Planning Planning
} Helps to define: • Information • Ownership • Support Content strategy will help answer: • What messages should be communicated? • What medium supports the message? • What tone of voice should be used? • How long will it take to produce the content? • When should content be published? • What kinds of content need to be created?

Content Strategy and Sourcing Sourcing
} Helps to define: • What we have • Where the gaps are Content strategy will help answer: • Where is our content? (Content Inventories) • What content is missing? (Gap Analysis) • What content from our inventory exists to fill the gaps? • How will the new content be sourced? Is it: - Original - Co-Created - Curated - Third Party

Content Strategy and Creation Creation
} Helps to define: • Who should produce • What do they need to be successful Content strategy will help answer: • What best practices and templates can be created to aid writers and content creators? • Who assists in final editing and serves as quality control? • What does the writer, editor or project management need to create content that adheres to product strategy and consumer insight to deliver against agreed upon metrics?

Content Strategy and Governance Governance
} Helps to define: • Guidelines for content management • Creation or adjustment of metrics Content strategy will help answer: • When do we need to review, adjust or delete content? • What metrics do we need to determine if our content is successful? • Can content perform better in a different channel/medium based on current performance?

Deliverables?

Content Audits

Heuristic Reviews

Messaging Strategies

Content Strategy Roadmaps

User Personas Melanie Taylor -
Potential Malibu Buyer Personal Profile Background Melanie is a hardworking, 31- • 31-year-old female year-old mother of one. • Yoga three times per week • Works as a radiology tech at her local She has never owned a 'new' hospital vehicle and is in market to • Married for 5 years purchase or lease. She prides • Thinking about expanding her family in herself on balancing home, work the next three years and a busy personal life. Attributes She is a heavy user of social • Middle Class networking and social sharing • White Web sites. • Generation Y • Influenced by peers and online reviews In her quest for a new vehicle she • iPod and Smartphone user has utilized a variety of review • Spends time in social media (blogs, and research sites in addition to Facebook, Yelp!) discussing her decision with a variety of friends and family "I want a safe, reliable, family members. friendly vehicle that reflects my personal style." Melanie's Needs From Asset Bank • Information about safety and engineering features • Running Footage • Photos and video that highlight vehicle's styling • DVPOD • Guidance and education • Chevy.com Galleries !"#$%&%'()#*+&( • Nameplate validation from peers or others • Targeted Print ,-.*"/( • Ability to gather and share information easily • BYO/Matte Art 0#'()"#&1( • Catalog Images 2*'%-3!-4#5( • Tours • 'Other' Images

Publishing Plans / Governance Models
Chevy Social Publishing Process PUBLISHER (CLIENT) SITE SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVE CREATIVE STRATEGY MODERATOR EDITOR DIRECTOR (CE SITE) (CE-SOCIAL) (WS) (CE DIGITAL) EXPERIENCE WRITER WRITER DESIGNER (WS) (WS) (SHERMAN) Strategy Experience Planning Publisher Responsible for developing best Responsible for the planning, design, The Publisher (Chevy/GM Executive practices for content production, creation, editing and implementation of client) serves as Group director for managing nameplate specific personas social content. Collaborates with governing the production of all content. and providing editorial direction to Strategy and Publishing Executive to This role has final say over what Experience Planning Teams. Also adhere to agreed upon content content is used where and serves as serves as a review layer to ensure strategy plan and messaging matrix. keeper of editorial voice, style and content produced is on strategy and Provides raw assets to Content tone. Serves as chief report for all ready for governance. Management team for ingestion into a creation, management and experience Content Management System. planning leads.

And Lots More ... Chevy
Content Plan - as of 2/5/10 Aveo Camaro Cobalt/Cruze Corvette Malibu Impala Stories Stories Stories Stories Stories Stories !•.Owner Testimonal • Owner Testimonal •!Interview with Jonell •!C6.R To Debut on •!Interview with Cargo •!Interview with GM Smith, owner of iRacing System (w/ Experts on usable space Design about next • Interview with Aveo • What went into the Cobaltss.net about photos from Corvette for Malibu, Equinox and generation Impala Forums influencer Camaro Spring Edition expectations for Cruze Quarterly) Traverse. (http:// SEMA Camaro and • History of the Impala chevroletforum.com/ Tech Specs. • Interview with GM • ZR1 Technical Story • Safety testimonial from and its influence on forum/ Performance Division from Corvette Quarterly OnStar/Malibu owner. automotive design forumdisplay.php?f=11) about the Cruze Design (w/photos) Photos Photos Photos Photos Photos Photos •!GM Design Conceptual •!Gallery of C7 •!Ask users to submit •!Gallery of user • User submitted •!Gallery of the evolution Drawings Gallery Conceptual drawings photos of their modified Impalas and photos of their modified of the Camaro. customized Chevy gallery of race-reay Aveos. • Cruze around the world • Gallery of the history of Malibus. Impalas from NASCAR • User submitted photos • Gallery of Aveo RS of their modified gallery including WTCC Corvette show car Camaros. car. Video Video Video Video Video Video • Interview with GM • Interview with GM •!ZR1 Testing at •!How To: Install a car •!How To: Install a car •!Tour of thoughtful seat in a Impala Design about the Design Team about Nurburgring seat in a Malibu functionality (i.e. cell design of the Aveo Rabid Fan Response to phone space, sunglasses • Road Stories: Extreme Concept initial vehicle success. • Video of performance • Road Stories: Interview holder in grab bar) Interview with Impala Vehicle testing of Corvette Grand with Malibu owners. • Competition Vs. Sport at Milford Proving owners.. • Design videos of Cruze • How to Pack Your Camaro comparison Grounds. • Competitive owners test durability testing and • Look at Impala design Dorm room into an video. drive Malibu and provide quality testing from from past to modern Aveo • Performance Features background on Chevy around the world. day, with GM Design series (Which perception and vehicle. • Competitive owner's accessories, tweaks and features boost • Google/YouTube first look at Cruze and performance and why) annotated videos (Photo their vehicle and their Hunt Style) reaction.

But Where Hell Is The
Context!?

People and search engines do
not consume content in the same way ... =

Search engines consume via tags,
data, code, etc.

Conversely, our brains are affected
by everything — from the amount of sleep we get to the temperature in the room.

FACT: These strange creatures think
and learn differently.

Thinking and learning differs by
device.

And just having content, or
a content strategy isn’t going to necessarily get our message across. WHERE IS THE CONTEXT?!

Context Starts Here

And Continues Here Melanie Taylor
- Potential Malibu Buyer Personal Profile Background Melanie is a hardworking, 31- • 31-year-old female year-old mother of one. • Yoga three times per week • Works as a radiology tech at her local She has never owned a 'new' hospital vehicle and is in market to • Married for 5 years purchase or lease. She prides • Thinking about expanding her family in herself on balancing home, work the next three years and a busy personal life. Attributes She is a heavy user of social • Middle Class networking and social sharing • White Web sites. • Generation Y • Influenced by peers and online reviews In her quest for a new vehicle she • iPod and Smartphone user has utilized a variety of review • Spends time in social media (blogs, and research sites in addition to Facebook, Yelp!) discussing her decision with a variety of friends and family "I want a safe, reliable, family members. friendly vehicle that reflects my personal style." Melanie's Needs From Asset Bank • Information about safety and engineering features • Running Footage • Photos and video that highlight vehicle's styling • DVPOD • Guidance and education • Chevy.com Galleries !"#$%&%'()#*+&( • Nameplate validation from peers or others • Targeted Print ,-.*"/( • Ability to gather and share information easily • BYO/Matte Art 0#'()"#&1( • Catalog Images 2*'%-3!-4#5( • Tours • 'Other' Images

Content Strategy Is Merely Creating
Segments

We Owe Our Users More

Personal-Behavioral Context DOING FEELING environmental
factors, psychological state, stress physical activity, Physical Emotional level, desires, wants, needs habits, disabilities, preferences, sensory stimuli Cognitive LEARNING cognitive assumptions, learning ability, education The "NEW" Persona

Personal-Situational Context Task Need Task
Task Situation Task Need Need Task Task Task Task Scenario Requiring Content

Situational/Behavioral Context Task Need Task
Physical Emotional Task Situation Task Need Need Cognitive Task Task Task Task CONTEXTUAL CONTENT STRATEGY

What Factors Should We Focus
On?

Content Planning For Physical Factors
• Segmentation Potential (Age, Need vs. Task, etc.) • Disability • Device Type (mobile, laptop, tablet, outdoor, etc.) • Gender • Geolocation • Time • And Many, Many More

Content Planning For Emotional Factors
• Marital Status • Personalization Tools • Recommendations • User Feedback • Utilization of social and contextual networking data

Content Planning For Learning Factors
• Familiarity With Content • Education Attained • Learning Disabilities • Reading Level

So What Does This All
Mean?

The Era Of Sameness Is
Over • Traditional SEO will suffer • Context based networks will rise • Media opportunities will multiply based on behavioral and situational needs • Increasingly scientific data will become more important to designers and marketers • Our jobs get harder but more fun

How We Learn Becomes A
HUGE Factor • Different content can be served to target different brain areas • Targeting the brain’s learning centers provides for relevant contextual connections • Content will vary based on sociological, age and emotional factors

How We Learn Visually

How We Create Meaning: #1
Primary Visual Cortex Sight / Visual based center of learning Activates and delivers information to the Ventral Stream, Dorsal Stream and Cerebral Cortex to create meaning and context.

How We Create Meaning: #2
Ventral Stream The Recognition Center The Ventral Stream (left side, Temporal Lobe) figures out what something is visually, like an Apple, or a Computer, etc. It connects images and ideas to words and language.

How We Create Meaning: #3
Dorsal Stream The Locator (Physical Space) The Dorsal Stream (Top and rear, Parietal Lobe) figures out what something is spatially. This part of the brain is crucial in mental mapping.

How We Create Meaning: #4
Limbic System Center for Emotional Reaction (Feeling) The Limbic System (Inside the Cortical areas) processes emotions and controls our body’s endocrine and automatic nervous systems.

Anyone Starting To Feel Like
This?

Leveraging The Mental Map Shape?
Who? What? State? Color? When? Where? Size? Location? Mental Map Visual Data In

Getting To This Won’t Be
Easy

But We Can Start With
Basics • Content Filtering Via CMS • Creating new taxonomies to organize related items and think beyond the link • Develop content for the consumer need not for the marketing need • Begin looking at Personas from a behavioral and situational standpoint to plan content • Think about device in content planning

And Maybe Soon We Can
Be Here Functional MRI With Functional MRI we can record brain stimulation and reaction while a person is totally awake, learning how our designs, web sites and content affect individual operations in the brain.

So in reality ...

“ CONTEXT is the true
King. It’s simply powered by content. ”

QUESTIONS?

Thanks. e: daniel.eizans@c-e.com e: daniel.eizans@gmail.com
w: danieleizans.com t: @danieleizans slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/danieleizans

Photo Sources: (Slide 26) Woman
on Laptop - photographer: Ed Yourdon (Slide 28) Sleeping Woman - photographer: Subtle Mistakes (Slide 29) Man Thinking - photographer: Panther1619 (Slide 29) Woman Thinking - photographer: Vishiro (Slide 30) Pair of cell phone users - photographer: ebjSP (Slide 30) Man on Laptop - photographer: Ed Yourdon (Slide 30) Man on iPad - Apple PR (Slides 36-38) Personal Behavioral Context and Situational Context Graphics: Modified from original concept created by Andrew Hinton (Slide 45) Brain Chart - Courtesy, Society for Neuroscience ‘Brain Facts’ (Slides 47-49) Brain Diagram - WikiCommons (Slide 50) Limbic System Diagram - How Stuff Works Note: All Photos Used were used with permission via a Creative Commons License or with expressed written permission of owner.