A Content Strategy Roadmap

A Content Strategy Roadmap
Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traﬃc • @halvorson

Content strategy plans for the
creation, delivery and governance
of useful, usable content.

But …
• What • With what
• Why • Where
• How • When
• When • How often
• For whom • What next

Core Strategy
(or, Purpose)

What will your content do for
your business and your users?

Substance
What content do you
and your audiences
need, and why?

Structure
How is content organized,
prioritized, and accessed?

Workﬂow
How is content created
and maintained?

Governance
How are decisions about
content and content
strategy made?

The Story of Jasper
and the Tree Frogs
(and His Website)

http://www.animalpicturesforkids.info/images/wmwallpapers/Blue-Poison-Dart-Frog-1.jpeg

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/briangratwicke/4396412750/

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/briangratwicke/4396252726/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/meneldur/128086667/sizes/z/in/photostream/

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/striatic/1101476/sizes/z/in/photostream/

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/fernando/36759033/

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/bennybenso/1477405293/

TEAMWEB

ANGIE BEN DAVE CARI
PROJECT USER VISUAL DEVELOPER
MANAGER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER

Discover
Deﬁne
Design
Develop
Deploy

How will your content
serve your business and
your users?

Discover
Discover
Deﬁne
Design
Develop
Deploy

Discover
• Business objectives • Current technology

• Project objectives • Functional requirements

• User research • Cross-platform initiatives

• Stakeholder interviews • Industry trends

• Usability testing • Competitors

• Design research • Content audit

high level tree
frog audit

http://lsdev.biz/ﬁles/2010/08/Sample_Content_Audit.jpg

JULIE
CONTENT
COPYWRITER
WRANGLER

Discover CONTENT
• Business ROT
Content objectives • Current technology
Stakeholder agendas

• Project objectives
Current style guide • Functional requirements
Content owners

• User research
Content readability • Contextual considerations
Workﬂow and timelines

• Stakeholder interviews
Search analytics • Industry trends
Metadata integrity

• Usability testing
Legal requirements • Competitors
Translation requirements

• Design research
Channel requirements • Content audit
Accessibility requirements

• Substance: Who are you trying to reach?
Why? What do they want to know? Is your
current content accurate, relevant, up-to-date?

• Structure: Where is your content? How is it
organized? What does your metadata look like?
How do people ﬁnd your content? Are you
delivering content on multiple channels and
platforms?

• Workﬂow: How does content happen (from
creation to deletion)? Who is involved?

• Governance: What are your policies,
guidelines, and standards? Who owns that?

“Tell me more about that.”

Discover
Deﬁne
Deﬁne
Design
Develop
Deploy

Deﬁne
• Project plan • High level architecture
• Website objectives • Content requirements
• Success metrics • Features deﬁnition
• Dependencies • Development plan
• Branding elements • User testing/QA
• Design mock-ups • Launch plan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/foodclothingshelter/3697096198/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Back it up.
• What • With what
• Why • Where
• How • When
• When • How often
• For whom • What next

Define CONTENT
• Project plan • High level architecture
• Core messaging
Core messaging • Workflow design
• Website objectives • Content requirements
• Style guide • Role descriptions
• Success metrics • Features definition
• Topics and transactions • Editorial calendar
• Branding elements • Development plan
• Governance guidelines • Content migration plans
• Design concepts • QA requirements

Messaging
Mesaging is an internal tool used to…

• Prioritize content types and choices
• Keep content consistent (over
media and time)
• Guide design choices
• Align content owners

JULIE BEN
CONTENT USER
WRANGLER EXPERIENCE

CORE MESSAGE

Junglebox makes it
possible for everyone to
experience the joy of
owning, breeding and
raising exotic frogs.

Deﬁne CONTENT
• Core messaging • Workﬂow design
• Style guide • Role descriptions
• Topics / Transactions • Editorial calendar
• Governance guidelines • Content migration specs

SHORT STYLE GUIDE:
Junglebox is… Like this. Not this.

Due to their tiny size, springtails
These tiny springtails float on the float on the surface of water. This
Smart water’s surface, which makes it trait can be exploited when
easier to remove them for feedings. attempting to remove the springs
from their culture for feedings.

Should you have questions or
concerns regarding our live
Have questions? I’m happy to help
Helpful out however I can.
specimens, products, shipping or
other subject, please contact us so
we may be of assistance.

OMG! Check out our awesome new
Our new vivariums have us crop of Dendrobates Tinctorius!!
Enthusiastic hopping up and down with
excitement.
Seriously, you’ll freak out over
these. FREAK. OUT.

JULIE ANGIE
CONTENT PROJECT
WRANGLER MANAGER

Discover
Deﬁne
Design
Design
Develop
Deploy

Design
• Detailed site map • Visual treatment deﬁnition
• Page types • Mockups
• Wireframes • Style guide
• Storyboards • Copywriting
• Task design • Video/audio creation
• Application structure • CMS templates

JUNGLEBOX
Login | Checkout

Herpetology the way you like it.

Buy Buy Our Our Jasper’s Watch & Contact
Dart Frogs Supplies Gallery Story Frog Blog Learn Jasper

FEATURED FROGS

FROG 1 FROG 2 FROG 3

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum
non massa accumsan odio non massa accumsan odio non massa accumsan odio
consectetur consectetur consectetur

Flexible space #1 Flexible space #2 Flexible space #3
non massa accumsan odio non massa accumsan odio non massa accumsan odio
consectetur consectetur consectetur

JUNGLEBOX
Login | Checkout

Herpetology the way you like it.

Dart Frogs Supplies Gallery Story Frog Blog Learn Jasper

FEATURED FROGS

frog 1 frog 2 frog 3
non massa accumsan odio consectetur non massa accumsan odio consectetur non massa accumsan odio consectetur

Learn: (topic) Frog Blog ON SALE!

consectetur adipiscing elit. consectetur adipiscing elit. consectetur adipiscing elit.

Design CONTENT
• Messaging hierarchy • Workﬂow design
• Page tables • Role descriptions
• Content attributes • Editorial calendar
• Metadata schema • Content migration specs

Design CONTENT
• Messaging hierarchy • Workﬂow design
• Page tables
Page tables • Role descriptions
• Content attributes • Editorial calendar
• Metadata schema • Content migration specs

Page Table
Page: Products
Objective: Help customers understand we are experts who sell
the same high quality products we use ourselves, so
they will have the confidence to buy.

Source Material: Current site, product box copy, current campaign materials
Maintenance: Monthly

Key Messages: After 10+ years of raising frogs, these are the products we
recommend. You don’t have to shop around, because
everything you need is right here.

Priority 1: Highlight product categories
Only three bullet points (10-15 words each) for each category.
- What is it?
- What is it for?
- Why will it help you?

Priority 2: Intro text
One sentence about how Junglebox only offers the products we
use ourselves.

JULIE DAVE
CONTENT VISUAL
WRANGLER DESIGNER

JUNGLEBOX Herpetology the way you like it.

Dart Frogs Equipment Gallery Story Frog Blog Learn Jasper

EXCITING, EXOTIC DART FROGS

Phyllobates terribilis Dendrobates auratus Epipedobates tricolor
The world’s most poisonous The green-and-black poison Some of the smallest frogs
vertebrate. Vulnerable to arrow frog is the most-often around, ranging from 1 to 4
disease and climate change. sighted frog in the wild. centimeters.

Learn: Feeding Frog Blog ON SALE!

Avoid these top 5 mistakes when 04.17.12 — Jasper shares how climate We’re overstocked on a few of
feeding your growing frog. change can affect your littlest friends Jasper’s favorites. Check them out >

Discover
Deﬁne
Design
Develop
Develop
Deploy

Develop
• HTML templates • Development environment
• Back end components • Data model
• QA • Content upload
• Error log • Authoring conventions
• System integration • SEO implementation

http://www.web-content-strategy.com/

•`

http://www.web-content-strategy.com/

Develop CONTENT
• HTML templates
• Content inventory • Development environment
• Per-page metadata
• Coding upload
• Content • Data model
• Error messages
• QA editorial style guide • Content upload
• Full • Training materials
• Error guidelines
• SEO log • Authoring conventions
• Content QA plan
• System integration • SEO implementation

Discover
Deﬁne
Design
Develop
Deploy
Deploy

h"p://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/pinguino/4081421885/

Care for CONTENT
• Ongoing QA plan • Rolling content inventory

• Metrics analysis • Staﬀ coaching

• Editorial oversight • Sourcing reviews

• Metadata oversight • Governance board reviews

“ Fragmenting our content across diﬀerent
‘device-optimized’ experiences is a losing
proposition, or at least an unsustainable one.

– Ethan Marcotte, Responsive Design

http://nimble.razorfish.com/publication/?m=11968&l=1

Start small. Start here.
• Empower your writers • Use real copy

• Assign content owners • Editorial calendar

• Content inventory • Collaborate on metadata

• Short-form style guide • Content QA plan

• Page tables • Don’tlook back
Don’t look back

Thanks.
• kristina@braintraﬃc.com
• http://braintraﬃc.com
All
images
used
under
CreaAve
Commons
licensing

Get the book!
• Amazon.com
• Barnes and Noble
• Other terriﬁc bookstores

http://contentstrategy.com

And thanks to our cast…

ANGIE BEN DAVE CARI JULIE
DOERR BEUCHLER DOHMEIER TUMA HORTON

A Content Strategy Roadmap

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