Uploaded byRoger Hart
The Spork / Platypus Average: Content strategy at Red Gate Software
The document discusses content strategy at Red Gate Software. It explains that content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful content to ensure a website does not suck and continues not to suck. It provides examples of the large amount of content in Red Gate's SQL Tools division and for its main SQL Compare product. Recommendations are made to delete 60-70% of existing content after analyzing the content inventory and feedback from various sources. The challenges of content strategy are discussed as well as next steps for content design around a new flagship product.
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The Spork / Platypus Average: Content strategy at Red Gate Software
- 1. The spork /platypus averageContent strategy atRed Gate SoftwareRoger Hart
- 2. Twitter: @RMH40Email: Roger.Hart@red-gate.comBlog: http://tinyurl.com/RMHBlog
- 3. Twitter meetup#TCUK10in thebartonightbefore dinner
- 4. What counts ascontent?
- 5.
- 6. What is ContentStrategy?
- 7. “ Content strategyplans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content. ”Kristina Halvorson - The Discipline of Content Strategy ( http://is.gd/eNmvI )http://www.flickr.com/photos/seanosh/3306450407/
- 8.
- 9. Making sure yourwebsite doesn’t suck
- 10. and continues notto suck
- 11.
- 12.
- 13. What is itfor?
- 14.
- 15.
- 16. Is it anygood at it?
- 17.
- 18.
- 21. Tech comms helpreview: what do we have?
- 22. what dowe need?
- 23.
- 24. Sales &Support feedback
- 25. user feedback& testingcontent strategy at
- 26.
- 27.
- 28. we’ve grownso hasour websitehttp://web.archive.org/web/*/red-gate.com
- 29.
- 30.
- 32. SQL Tools Division(1/4of Red Gate)11 products1030 web pages
- 33. SQL Compare(our mainproduct)has…158 web pages 41 “product” pages
- 34. 41 LearningTopics
- 35. 55 KnowledgeBase articles
- 36. 21 “Notes& articles”time for a new one
- 37. Content analysis: contentinventory
- 38. what isthis for ?
- 39.
- 40. sales &support feedback
- 41. user feedback& testingLook familiar?http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonibduguid/2836161961/
- 42. Content analysis: Tech Comms help review: content inventory
- 43. what isthis for ?
- 44.
- 45. sales &Support feedback
- 46. user feedback& testingContent inventory:“Or, A mind-numbingly detailed odyssey through your web site”Jeffrey Veen, Adaptive Pathhttp://is.gd/eP7Nx(it’s a big list of everything you’ve ever put online)
- 48. Web analyticsknow yourcontent
- 51.
- 52. RecommendationsShort version: justdelete it all
Editor's Notes
- #2 Right after the keynoteNo pressureDavid Black we’re all fucked. Time to go sort out Marketing.
- #3 Working with marketingWhat is content strategyWho are red gateWhat happened when they met
- #4 Just one thing before we get started...
- #5 Is it just tech commsJust marketing?Different bits of the business Before I can talk about CS
- #6 VideosCase studiesHelpEmailThe worksIncludes some awesome stuff...Conference – eLearning, video, Zoe, Chris
- #7 Quick overview before we startShow of handsParis forum?Breakout year
- #8 Article in a list apartRachellovinger, boxes & arrows. CS philosophy of data. March 2007It’s actually much older. It’s sort of what we doPublication and governance – business credible, but a bit scary
- #11 This is the hard part.Analogy to explain
- #12 Shovelwareis not overcase studies, that Ikea cats videoContent that is awesome but may not serve a purpose
- #13 Beaver tail, duck bill, otter footLays eggsVenomouselectrolocation
- #14 Don’t worry – it’s a silly joke. The rest of the talk isn’t about creationism.
- #15 Bad seoThings with great titles and bad contentFAQHelp that just describes the UI
- #16 Clear business purpose, but it fails
- #17 So, the very bets content takes the S P averageBut how do we measure?That’s content strategy 101Who are red gate?
- #18 28 productsAround 1m users10 years old. MS space.Making the MS experience suck a bit less for B2B
- #19 Find something that sucks hard enough for people to give you money to make it go awayUser contactUser researchImplications for UAMore on this later
- #20 User assistance highly visibleWe work on the UIIdeal of no help? Fallacy, but close.Links to web helpEdinburghPath in, path out – we must minimise cognitive load / imposition on users
- #21 Working in dev teamsEdit things in source codeHeavily involved in project planningEmbedded marketing?What about products with no current dev?
- #22 Every 3 monthsOr when designing helpMinimal docs for releaseSkill set is a tech comms / CS skill set
- #23 It’s a new thingWork in progressSeries of happy coincidences (web project, down tools)Lots of content, but not fit for strategy.
- #24 Everyone can try itGetting startedContent – does this solve my business problemStrategy: get downloads, support evaluators, convert.Direct salesDay 1 email, day 7, end trialBusiness need our content must support
- #25 But our content doesn’t serve our business purposeIT DOESN’T WORK
- #26 Way back machineUseful, usable content?Who owns this stuffWhy are we making itUX trials show users can’t find thingsWatch the swearing
- #27 Eating marshmallow fluff with a sporkWhat is quality content?
- #28 What is quality content?1) Messaging2) Help –error msg3) 3rd cat – how does your product solve my business problem.Must be true & realGreat natural SEOTech commsWhat do we have on our website?
- #29 3rd cat content826 pageviews YTDToP – 1:13Bounce 70%30% thrashGood seo(NB: analytics are flaky)
- #30 Replicated across the site
- #31 Look at the clutter on the pageExplain categories
- #32 5 weeksConsultations with tech commsContent migrationThat old “Wireframe & loremipsum” problemCSS on it’s own forth sweet FA
- #35 It shouldIt’s what we do
- #37 Owners?Security use casestudy Why? What for?Client sycn case study using SC 3.1 (no 30) SPORK brand damage? Misleading?This stuff is not ok.
- #38 Analytics for finding outliersAstronomical bounce rate for category – good seo, bad content.Good SEO attached to bad content is... Say it with me...Clear case for curation & we’re the guys to do it
- #39 I really want to update or delete thisBut sales & support say nobody gets stuckWhat else...Building deletion list...
- #40 Also asked for feedbackGreat way to sell the ideaScale of problemShape criteria
- #41 Describe criteria
- #43 Action plan.Bottom half page views, on hit list, ROTUnless ToP or feedback
- #44 That’s optimistic, but half that would be greatOf course, you can’t delete everything
- #45 That’s old contentWhat about the future?
- #46 I’ll let you draw your own conclusionsWe need to work togetherWe have these skills they need.
- #48 Most valuable content. Only that
- #49 Overwhelmingly tech comms contentSome compromiseUsed in “Tips & tricks” sales emails
- #50 Early daysWe’re seeing good salesGood user response to contentFew support callsEmail marketing response
- #51 Our toolkit of cools stuff is the content strategist’s toolkit of cool stuff.
- #52 They’ll ask about buy-in / time / project pressures.Sorry – it’s Red Gate
- #53 One last time