The Content Matrix Deconstructed

The Content Matrix: Deconstructed
Marlowe Sarah Beckley
STC 2014

3The Content Matrix: Deconstructed | #stc14 | @marlowebeckley
Marlowe Sarah Beckley
 Manager, Content Strategy at SapientNitro
 8 years in Content Strategy
 5 years tech/web/print publishing
 Specialize in hospitality, financial services,
online applications, content matrix development
 Client projects include work for a major hotel chain,
Allstate, State Farm, Citadel, HSBC, and the Options Industry Council.
 @marlowebeckley
 mbeckley@sapient.com

SapientNitro
PASSIONATE
PEOPLE
7000+
OFFICES
GLOBALLY
CONNECTED
31
YEARS OF
CUSTOMER
INNOVATION
20
COMPANY
1
2012 AGENCY REPORT:
# 1 Largest Digital Agency US
# 3 Largest Digital Agency Worldwide
# 12 World's Largest Agency All Disciplines
LEADER:
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Global
Digital Marketing Agencies
FORRESTER WAVE™:
Global Commerce Service Providers
US Digital Agencies – Mobile Marketing

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN TODAY
 A repeatable methodology to create powerful matrices to
help you and your stakeholders make better business
decisions around content
 Real world examples of matrix solutions
What we’re not going to cover:
 How to turn a matrix into C-suite visualizations

THE BREAKDOWN
 The What/Why/When of Matrices
 A Matrix Methodology
 Matrix Challenges & Solutions
 Summary
 Resources

GOAL FOR THIS SESSION
The Keymaker
from The Matrix
Reloaded.
He creates
shortcuts for the
Matrix.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CONTENT MATRIX?
 It is what we make it
ECM matrix used with permission from Wordimage.com

WHY DO YOU USE A CONTENT MATRIX?
 Any time you need to understand your content
 Structure unstructured content
 Whenever you need:
 Content inventory
 Audit/assessment
 Gap analysis
 Migration plan
 Content development tracking
 Capture any data about content
“A superficial understanding of content isn’t going to cut it anymore.” -
Rachel Lovinger

WHEN TO USE A MATRIX BY PROJECT PHASE
 Discovery: Inventory, audit, gap analysis
 Design: Site map, content model
 Develop: Page templates, tracking
 Deploy: Migration plans
 Govern: Taxonomy, metadata

WHEN DON’T YOU USE A CONTENT MATRIX?
 You work in a structured content environment and/or your
CMS can produce all the reports you need
 Your company uses automated inventory tools
 But you may still be validating these manually, which
were probably exported into Excel

A MATRIX METHODOLOGY
 Discover
 Define
 Design
 Deploy
 Govern

A MATRIX METHODOLOGY: DISCOVER
 Before you build:
 Plan for the handoff; consider the entire project
lifecycle’s needs
 Matrix goals: audit, gap, migration, content dev. Tracking
 Matrix audience(s): content owners, SMEs, legal,
developers
 Client needs: offshore developers, reviewers, legal
approval, external compliance

A MATRIX METHODOLOGY: DEFINE
 Determine matrix requirements:
 Outputs: audit findings, site map, charts, gap analysis,
keyword tracking, etc.
 Required fields: page name, url, content type, reviewer,
template
 Can one matrix rule them all?

SAMPLE MATRIX INPUTS
 Content
 Text, images, whole Word docs
 Metadata
 Structural, admin, descriptive, 508(c)
 Reviewers
 Legal, lines of business SMEs
 Status
 With business, with legal
 Ratings
 Brand, accessible, tagged

A MATRIX METHODOLOGY: DESIGN
 Add bells and whistles:
 What can you automate or accelerate?
 Create filters, formulas, macros, and/or pivot tables
 Test your design: is it client proof?
 Format for ease of use and readability
 Assign numerical values to content when appropriate

A MATRIX METHODOLOGY: DEPLOY
Share the matrix:
 Socialize, socialize, socialize
 Morph to accommodate different audiences
Content
Strategist
User
Experience
SEO Team Dev. Team
Design Team
CMS Admin

CHALLENGE: MAPPING CONTENT
 Auto quote content needs to map to Business
Requirements, Wireframes, and include Standard Path,
Alternate Path, plus Help copy
 Content in both wireframes and copy deck
 How do you map your content (in the matrix) to multiple
deliverables?

SOLUTION: COLOR CODE AND TRACK

CHALLENGE: MANUAL INVENTORY
 Non-profit needs a content inventory
 Small project (~500 pages)
 Or sample-size inventory of larger site
 Can you automate it? How?

SOLUTION: Inventory with macro
Inventory matrix used with permission from Jen O’Brien.

CHALLENGE: CONTENT AUDIT
 Client only responds to quantitative data
 Need to evaluate content for quality
 Client has politically sensitive content
 Can you quantify qualitative variables?

SOLUTION: QUANTIFIED RATINGS AUDIT
Ratings matrix used with permission from Robert Atkinson.

SOLUTION: PRIORITIZE CONTENT

CHALLENGE: MULTIPLE AUDIENCES
 Insurance company wants one matrix for the auto quote
authors, legal, developers, and marketing
 Different views needed across audiences
 Large volume of content
 How can you accommodate everyone without every
audience seeing all content?

SOLUTION: AUDIENCE MACRO
 Mega matrix zoomed out
Macros matrix used with permission from Jeff Pfaller.

SOLUTION: AUDIENCE MACRO
Macros matrix used with permission from Jeff Pfaller.

CHALLENGE: MULTIPLE VERSIONS
 National company’s product varies by state
due to legal requirements
 How do you track the content variances?
 Can you automate it?

SOLUTION: VARIATIONS MACRO

CHALLENGE: MATRIX-SHY REVIEWERS
 Company stakeholders refuse to review a “regular” matrix
 Many reviewers, little collaboration between them
 Client won’t consolidate review feedback
 How can you get good feedback and automate feedback
consolidation?

SOLUTION: MAP/MIMIC/CAPTURE

SOLUTION: “DYNAMIC PROTOTYPE” HACK
Comments matrix used with permission from Robert Atkinson.

CHALLENGE: THE DEVELOPER VERSION
 Bank is handing off content to offshore developers and it
must map to the page template
 Content editing and delivery must be in a matrix
 Copy has long and short content blocks
 Must map to other deliverables
 How do you deliver this content?

SOLUTION: GET GRANULAR
Bank Bank
Ban
k
B
a
n
k
Ban
k
B
a
n
k
B
a
n
k
B
a
n
k
Ban
k

SOLUTION: EMBED WORD FILES

DON’T LET I.T. CREATE THE MATRIX ALONE
Bank
Bank
Bank
Bank Bank

A MATRIX METHODOLOGY
 Discovery: Requirements gathering
 Define: Inputs/outputs, audiences
 Design: Build in accelerators and automation
 Deploy: Socialize and release
 Govern: Actively update and maintain

RESOURCES: AUTOMATED INVENTORY
 XML SiteMaps
 Snap Sitemap
 CAT Content Analysis Tool
 Website Auditor

RESOURCES: TEMPLATES
 KPN: www.kevinpnichols.com
 Intentional Design (Rahel Bailie)
 Web Content Strategist’s Bible (Richard Sheffield)

RESOURCES: EXCEL MASTERY
 Excel Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips and Tools by
David E. Hawley, O’Reilly
 Excel Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things
about Your Favorite Spreadsheet by Curtis Frye, O’Reilly
Publishers
 “Become Awesome in Excel”
 Count (value) formulas
 Learn VBA
 Excel macros video
 Filter intro; Custom filters
 Pivot tables video

The Content Matrix Deconstructed

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