Do you work in a large government agency and wonder if your content is effective? Are you struggling to coordinate content across various levels of the organization? If so, a content strategy may be the right tool for you. This presentation covers the basics of building a content strategy and provides resources for additional information. Adapted from an earlier cross-industry version, this edition was specifically created for government agencies. The steps are divided into work to be completed by the global brand (leadership level), by the subunits (topic-specific groups), or through a collaborative effort between both groups. For more from Digital Edge Communications, visit our website: www.digitaledgecommunications.us

1. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
START HERE
Six
Steps
to
Building
a
Content
Strategy
presented
by:
Erin
Edgerton
Norvell
Government
Edi;on

2. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Why Do Government Agencies
Need a Content Strategy?
Today’s
consumers
are
moving
to
mul;-­‐device/omnichannel
approach
to
finding
and
ac;ng
on
digital
content.
To
meet
the
expecta;ons
of
today’s
ci;zens,
government
agencies
need
a
strategic,
coordinated,
and
user-­‐centered
approach
to
developing,
delivering,
and
evalua;ng
their
content
offerings.
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us

3. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
What Makes a
Content Strategy EffecDve?
• Defines
how
you’re
going
to
use
content
to
meet
your
business’
goals
and
audiences’
needs
• Guides
decisions
about
content
through
its
complete
lifecycle
(discovery
to
dele;on)
• Sets
benchmarks
against
which
to
measure
the
success
of
your
content
crea;on
governance
delivery
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
Source:
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(Halvorson
&
Rach)

4. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Your Content’s Maturity Determines
the Focus of Your Strategy
PHASE
01:
PILOTING
If
you’re
in
a
trial
period
of
crea;ng
new
content
or
tes;ng
new
communica;on
channels,
your
strategy
should
help
you
define
your
target
audiences
and
align
content
crea;on
with
their
needs.
PHASE
04:
THRIVING
If
you’re
using
your
evalua;on
data
to
inform
program
enhancements
and
adap;ng
content
to
rapidly
respond
to
emerging
issues,
your
strategy
should
help
you
determine
where
to
focus
resources
for
expansion
and
innova;on
ac;vi;es.
PHASE
02:
SCALING
If
you’re
expanding
your
pilot
phase
to
ongoing
ac;vi;es
or
addi;onal
channels,
your
strategy
should
help
you
develop
rou;ne
processes
for
content
crea;on,
dissemina;on,
and
evalua;on.
PHASE
03:
SUSTAINING
If
you’re
working
from
an
agreed-­‐
upon
content
strategy,
focusing
on
scaling
content
ac;vi;es,
and
evalua;ng
how
your
content
is
performing,
your
strategy
should
help
you
look
for
process
improvements
and
efficiencies.
Pilo;ng
Phase
Sustaining
Phase
Thriving
Phase
Scaling
Phase
Source:
Content
Science
The
Value
of
Content
to
Marke6ng
(whitepaper)
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us

5. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Six Steps to Developing
a Content Strategy
Define
Your
Content’s
Substance
Conduct
Internal
&
External
Analyses
Structure
Your
Content
for
Success
Create
Your
Core
Strategy
Develop
Workflows
&
Governance
Conduct
an
Audit
1 65432
Source:
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(Halvorson
&
Rach)
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us

6. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
AdapDng This Process for
Government
Global
Brand
Subunits
Agency
level
oversight
and
coordina;on
Responsibili;es:
• Amplify
subunit’s
(SME)
content
• Provide
brand
guidance
• Maintain
centralized
tools
(e.g.
CMS
systems)
and
plaUorms
(e.g.
social
media
channels)
• Coordinate
governance
ac;vi;es
• Manage
global
digital
partnerships
Topic
level
groups
with
narrower
missions
and
specific
target
audiences
Responsibili;es:
• DraV
topic-­‐specific
content
and
tailor
content
for
various
target
audiences
• Manage
topic-­‐specific
websites
and
social
media
channels
• Manage
topic-­‐specific
digital
partnerships
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us

7. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Global
Brand
Subunits
Complete
list(s)
of
content,
including
content
formats,
quan;ty
and
complexity
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
Step 1: Conduct an Audit
CollaboraTon
Comparison
of
business
goals
(at
all
levels)
and
best
prac;ces
vs.
your
current
content
There
are
three
types
of
audits
to
analyze
your
exis;ng
content:
Comparison
of
your
overarching
content
(e.g.
homepage
and
top-­‐;er
pages)
against
compe;tors
(e.g.
market
share,
value
proposi;on,
level
of
engagement,
etc.)

8. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Source:
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(Halvorson
&
Rach)
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
Global
Brand
Subunits
• Alignment
between
global
brand
and
subunits
business
goals
• Purpose
of
each
communica;on
channel
(e.g.
centralized
social
media
channels)
• Cross-­‐linking
or
cross-­‐promo;on
strategies
(across
pages,
topics,
or
social
plaUorms)
• Governance
and
workflow
processes
• Content
maintenance
ac;vi;es
• Refining
business
goals
• Target
audiences
(in
priority
order)
• Target
audience
needs
• Preferred
channels
(by
audience)
• Common
calls-­‐to-­‐ac;on
(by
audience)
Step 2: Conduct an
Internal Analysis
CollaboraTon
-­‐
What
do
want
to
achieve?
-­‐
Who
do
we
serve?
-­‐
What
do
they
need?
-­‐
What
do
want
to
achieve?
-­‐
What
channels
are
needed?
-­‐
How
do
we
coordinate
and
support
content
ac;vi;es?

9. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Step 2: Conduct an
External Analysis
Source:
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(Halvorson
&
Rach)
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
Global
Brand
Subunits
• Brand
recogni;on
• Brand
familiarity
and
considera;on
(relevance,
credibility,
perceived
quality,
intent
to
use/engage/act)
• Brand
loyalty
(sa;sfac;on,
reten;on,
word
of
mouth
marke;ng)
• Value
(market
share
vs.
similar
organiza;ons)
• Promo;on
tools
(e.g.
search
tools,
email
marke;ng,
cross-­‐linking)
• Partnership
tac;cs
and
par;cipa;on
• Target
audience
needs
vs.
how
your
content
meets
those
needs
• Target
audience
needs
vs.
internal
business
goals
• Compe;tors’
offerings
and
how
your
content
compares
• Partnership
tac;cs
and
par;cipa;on
CollaboraTon
-­‐
Is
our
brand
posi;oned
well?
-­‐
Are
we
amplifying
our
subunits’
messages
well?
-­‐
Are
we
mee;ng
our
target
audience
needs?
-­‐
Are
we
mee;ng
our
business
goals?

10. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Step 3: Create Your Core Strategy
A
core
strategy
–
or
“content
marke;ng
mission
statement”
-­‐
should
map
to
your
global
mission
statement
but
be
focused
on
the
purpose
of
your
digital
channels.
It
should
also
be
forward-­‐looking,
aspira;onal,
and
answers
these
ques;ons:
• What
does
your
strategy
need
to
accomplish?
• What
content
will
we
produce
for
our
users?
• What
will
the
organiza;on
need
to
do
to
support
the
content?
Source:
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(Halvorson
&
Rach)
3
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us

11. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Step 3: Create Your Core Strategy
Start
with
a
simple
template,
then
wordsmith.
Remember
a
focus
on
plain
language.
Source:
Meghan
Casey,
Content
Marke6ng
Ins6tute
(2016)
3
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
CollaboraTon

12. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Step 4: Define Your
Content’s Substance
Your
content
needs
to
provide
value
to
your
target
audience
and
meet
their
specific
needs.
For
each
audience:
• Iden;fy
your
primary
communica;on
channels
• Determine
the
high-­‐value
content
you
should
offer
(a
balance
between
business
and
users’
needs)
• Define
clear
and
relevant
call-­‐
to-­‐ac;on
for
each
channel,
webpage,
or
content
type
• Document
the
tailoring
strategies
(e.g.
message
framing,
tone,
language,
use
of
mul;media)
Source:
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(Halvorson
&
Rach)
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
Subunits

13. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Refine and Document
Your Brand Voice
To
encourage
consistency
across
all
subunits,
the
global
brand
should
establish
brand
guidelines,
including
voice.
Consider
these
four
brand
voice
aaributes:
Source:
Social
Media
Explorer
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
Global
Brand

14. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Step 5: Structure Content for
Success
Priori;za;on
and
planning
steps
for
structuring
content:
Source:
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(Halvorson
&
Rach)
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
Global
Brand
Subunits
• Iden;fy
common
content
types
and
map
to
each
of
your
communica;on
channels
• Develop
guidelines
for
how
content
will
be
formaaed
for
easy
scanning
and
reading
• Develop
a
metadata
taxonomy
(for
findability,
search
rankings,
and
social
sharing)
• Test
content
across
mul;ple
devices
and
address
issues
for
cross-­‐plaUorm
dissemina;on
• Adapt
global
structure
to
meet
the
needs
of
the
subunits
• Determine
the
priority
order
for
each
content
piece
(per
sec;on
of
content,
not
per
page)
• Par;cipate
in
the
development
of
a
search
engine
op;miza;on
(SEO)
plan
and
social
media
op;miza;on
plan,
including
specific
keywords
and
cross-­‐channel
links
• Evaluate
content
across
mul;ple
plaUorms
(web,
mobile,
social)
• Iden;fy
gaps
in
the
exis;ng
global
structure

15. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Step 6: Develop Workflows and
Governance
03
02
01
05
04
Editorial
Style
Guide
Internal
Tools
&
Resources
Internal
Content
Crea;on
&
Clearance
Processes
Content
Automa;on
Processes
Schedule
&
Process
for
Content
Review
&
Archiving
Source:
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(Halvorson
&
Rach)
A
strategy
is
only
effec;ve
if
it’s
clearly
communicated
to
all
par;es
and
consistently
implemented.
Governance
ac;vi;es
include:
• Define
ownership
and
roles
• Design
workflows
and
governance
processes
for
newly
created
content,
new
dissemina;on
channels,
and
content
maintenance
• Develop
and
share
governance
documents
• Assign
a
lead
for
the
ongoing
implementa;on
of
the
content
strategy
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
CollaboraTon

16. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Gathering Internal Support
To
succeed,
internal
buy-­‐in
and
support
is
important
at
all
levels.
Team
If
they
prioriTze…
And
neglect
to
consider…
The
risks
are…
Leadership
• Budget/ROI
• Schedule
• Deliverables
• User
experience
• Time
needed
to
produce
high
quality
content
• Content
doesn’t
meet
user
needs
• Missed
deadlines
Communica;ons
• Campaign-­‐driven
crea;ve
• Digital
and
social
media
• Highly
interac;ve
features
• SEO
• Exis;ng
content
• Maintenance
post-­‐launch
• CMS
restric;ons
or
requirements
• Content
is
more
flash
than
substance
• Content
is
launched
then
neglected
• Content
is
delivered
in
ways
that
can’t
be
indexed
or
measured
Subject
Maaer
Experts
• Scien;fic
accuracy
• Ability
to
measure
response
• Message
tailoring
• Audience
priori;es
• Usability
• Content
contains
jargon/lacks
plain
language
• Content
doesn’t
resonate
with
target
audiences
User
Experience
• Audience
needs
• Research
• Visual
design
• Current
state
content
analysis
• SEO
considera;ons
• Strategic
business
decisions
• Business
objec;ves
are
overlooked
• Quality
content
can’t
be
completed
on
;me
due
to
lack
or
source
materials
or
resources
Technology
• CMS
development
or
requirements
• Produc;on
workflow
• Content
creators
• Brand
and
message
tailoring
• Content
published
before
it’s
in
a
high-­‐
value
state
• Lack
of
brand
consistency
Source:
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(Halvorson
&
Rach)
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
CollaboraTon

17. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
R E S O U R C E S
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
Books
• Halvorson,
Kris;na
and
Melissa
Rach.
Content
Strategy
for
the
Web
(2nd
Edi;on)
• Sara
Wachter-­‐Boeacher.
Content
Everywhere
• Redish,
Ginny.
Le4ng
Go
of
the
Words:
Wri:ng
Web
Content
that
Works
(2nd
Edi;on)
• Jones,
Coleen.
Clout:
The
Art
and
Science
of
Influen:al
Web
Content
Digital
Resources
• Content
Marke;ng
Ins;tute
• Brain
Traffic
blog
• Hubspot
blog
• The
Content
Strategy
Noob
blog

18. www.rawoonpowerpoint.com
Thank You!
www.digitaledgecommunica;ons.us
Erin
Edgerton
Norvell
Founder
&
Principal
Strategist
Digital
Edge
CommunicaTon
ExecuTve
Director
Society
for
Health
CommunicaTon