1. DEFINING OUR PROFESSION,
DEFINING OURSELVES
Content Strategy Summit 2014
#CSSummit
August 19, 2014
Margot Bloomstein
@mbloomstein

2. Wiesloch Stadtapotheke Erste Tankstelle, cc Rudolf Stricker

3. Wiesloch Stadtapotheke Erste Tankstelle, cc Rudolf Stricker
1888, Wiesloch, Germany
City pharmacy

4. City pharmacy = filling station
Wiesloch Stadtapotheke Erste Tankstelle, cc Rudolf Stricker
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 4

5. 1909, Altoona, Pennsylvania
America’s oldest gas station
JohnnieandAngela.blogspot.com
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 5

6. 1913
Road maps & tire service
JohnnieandAngela.blogspot.com

7. Road maps & tire service
Full service
Attended pumps
Self service
Air pumps
Squeegees

8. cc flicker.com/photos/baggis
Is this a gas station?
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 8

12. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 12

13. “A retail business providing the public
a convenient location to quickly purchase
a wide array of food, gasoline, and
services”
NACS, the National Association of Convenience & Fuel Retailing
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 13

14. “2400 square feet
of packaged consumer items.
Today, there are different types of stores:
mini stores under canopies, expanded
food service, in-store seating.”
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 14

15. Industries thrive through differentiation:
both buyers and sellers benefit.
What’s right for me?
What’s right for right now?
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 15

16. Prospect:
Financial services
messaging, workflow,
editorial training
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 16

17. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 17
Prospect:
Financial services
messaging, workflow,
editorial training

18. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 18
Prospect:
Financial services
messaging, workflow,
editorial training
for social media

19. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 19
Prospect:
Midmarket institutional investment
messaging, workflow,
editorial training
for social media

20. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 20
Prospect:
Midmarket institutional investment
messaging, workflow,
editorial training
for social media

21. © Barbara Kruger
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 21

22. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 22
I help brands clarify their communication
goals to develop, instill, and maintain
appropriate content and editorial voice.

23. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 23
Content strategy plans for the creation,
delivery, and governance of useful,
usable and brand-appropriate content.
This is how I define content strategy.

24. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 24
Content strategy plans for the creation,
publication, and governance of useful,
usable content.
Kristina Halvorson, A List Apart 2009

25. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 25
Content strategy is to copywriting as
information architecture is to design.
Rachel Lovinger,
Content Strategy: The Philosophy of Data

26. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 26
I work on how content is organized and
structured. […] I translate designs into
what needs to be built in the CMS to
make the content for the site work the
way it's supposed to.
Rachel Lovinger (@rlovinger), Razorfish

27. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 27
Content strategy within our practice is
less editorial and more strategic. It helps
us determine what and how content will
help solve business and web goals.
Corey Vilhauer (@MrVilhauer),
Blend Interactive

28. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 28
I'm a content strategist, which is a fancy
way of saying ‘a writer who also has
design and marketing skills.’
Tiffani Jones-Brown (@ticjones), Pinterest

29. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 29
I'm a content strategist. This means I help
clients and companies figure out how,
when, and why to talk to their audiences.
Keri Maijala (@clamhead)

30. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 30
We are management consultants for
external messaging and editorial
workflow challenges.
Ahava Liebtag (@ahaval), Aha Media Group

31. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 31
I am often a ‘fulcrum’ between disciplines.
I spend at least half my time focusing on
business and cultural change, before
thinking about content.
Elizabeth McGuane, @emcguane

32. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 32
A content strategist is like a business
analyst for your content. We look at how
content is currently helping (or hindering)
your business and develop a strategy to
make it work better.
Sally Bagshaw, @snappysentences

33. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 33
The analysis and planning to develop a
repeatable system that governs the
management of content throughout the
entire content lifecycle.
Rahel Anne Bailie, @rahelab,
The Language of Content Strategy

34. Industries thrive through differentiation:
both practitioners and clients benefit
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 34

35. Industries thrive through differentiation:
both practitioners and clients benefit
but only when we precisely, narrowly
define both what we do and need
and encourage diverse specificity
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 35

36. • Drive the development and organization of content that is useful, compelling and
meaningful on our site, all social media platforms, and distributed content
• Create user flows, information hierarchies, wireframes, and content strategy
• Maintain fluency in industry terminology and develop our “voice” within it
• Determine content requirements, inventory existing content, identify gaps,
evaluate possible sources for additional material, and manage the process of
getting that content into production
• Maintain current content audit
• Creatively look for opportunities to improve content, consumer experience, and
SEO performance
• Manage editorial calendar to proactively keep content useful and up to date
• Train internal and freelance copywriters; develop any necessary training programs
• Develop analytics, conduct consumer and usability testing to help improve the UX
• Lead projects with the PR and marcomm team to support campaigns and launches
• Work with brand architecture and terminology to guide product organization and
internal customer service content and training
• Drive the architecture of and improvements to the internal product CMS
• Occasionally write or edit content, particularly metadata, titles, alt text and edit
general content to optimize for natural search

37. • Drive the development and organization of content that is useful, compelling and
meaningful on our site, all social media platforms, and distributed content
• Create user flows, information hierarchies, wireframes, and content strategy
• Maintain fluency in industry terminology and develop our “voice” within it
• Determine content requirements, inventory existing content, identify gaps,
evaluate possible sources for additional material, and manage the process of
getting that content into production
• Maintain current content audit
• Creatively look for opportunities to improve content, consumer experience, and
SEO performance
• Manage editorial calendar to proactively keep content useful and up to date
• Train internal and freelance copywriters; develop any necessary training programs
• Develop analytics, conduct consumer and usability testing to help improve the UX
• Lead projects with the PR and marcomm team to support campaigns and launches
• Work with brand architecture and terminology to guide product organization and
internal customer service content and training
• Drive the architecture of and improvements to the internal product CMS
• Occasionally write or edit content, particularly metadata, titles, alt text and edit
general content to optimize for natural search

38. Without clear differentiation,
hiring (and selling) is frustrating,
training and rework is expensive, and
“content strategy” gets a bad name.
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 38

39. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 39
But will we dilute the meaning?

40. But will we dilute the meaning?

41. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 41
But will we dilute the meaning?
We’ll free the meaning
to communicate what we do or need
with greater precision.

42. “ ”I’m a designer

43. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 43
But what about the generalists?

44. @mbloomstein | #CSSummit 44
But what about the generalists?
Follow your passion—
and work to better define the work.

45. Content strategists,
1. Be precise: own your definition.
2. Get specific: narrow what you want.
3. Be honest—and encouraging.
“No… and”
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 45

46. Corporations and marketing departments
who want to hire content strategists
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 46

47. “Clients”
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 47

48. Clients
1. Be precise: own your definition.
2. Get specific: narrow what you want.
3. Be honest—and encouraging.
“No… and”
@mbloomstein | #CSSummit 48

49. This is an opportunity for growth and
specialization within our broad industry

50. because how we define our industry is
the sum of how we define ourselves.

51. THANK YOU!Margot Bloomstein
@mbloomstein
margot@appropriateinc.com
slideshare.net/mbloomstein
amzn.to/CSatWork
© 2014 Appropriate, Inc.
http://appropriateinc.com/ideas/growing-t-shaped-content-strategist/
http://www.slideshare.net/jcolman/content-strategy-for-marketers-smx-advanced-2013
http://www.clevegibbon.com/2011/08/what-do-content-strategists-do/