what is content strategy? (acs july meetup)
TRANSCRIPT
ATLANTA CONTENT STRATEGYJuly Meetup
July 9, 2009
WHAT IS CONTENT STRATEGY
Sponsored by
July 9, 2009
Dom Darda Photo
www.meetup.com/Content-Strategy-Atlanta
I’m Colleen Jones, Chair of CHI*Atlanta.
Thanks for caring about content!
UM, WHAT IS CONTENT?
Content is…
“the text, graphics, video, and audio that make up an interactive experience.”
Kristina Halvorson“Death to Lorem Ipsum and Other Adventures in Content”Adaptive Path Essays
Darwin Bell Photo
Content is…
“king!”
Karen McGraneContent is King!From Business to Buttons
CONTENT DESERVES STRATEGY
But we don’t always treat it that way.
WE PUT OFF CREATING CONTENT….
…AND DELAY OUR PROJECTS (NOT TO MENTION RESULTS).
WE MAKE CONTENT SECONDARY TO DESIGN…
….AND DELIVER SHINY BUT EMPTY CANDY WRAPPERS.
Alyson Hurt Photo
WE TRY OUT NEW CHANNELS… ….BUT DON’T GOVERN THEM TO KEEP
FRESH CONTENT FLOWING.
Kathleen Tyler Conkin Photo
So, what is content strategy?
Content strategy is…
“the practice of planning for content creation, delivery, and governance.”
Kristina Halvorson, Content Strategy for the Web (forthcoming)
Content strategy is…
“an emerging field of practice hatched out of user experience design.”
Jeffrey MacIntyre“Content-tious Strategy”A List Apart
Content strategy helps you make content choices.
Sound useful? Now what?
1. Don’t Miss This Event AUGUST 6
WEB CONTENT STRATEGY: Where UX, Marketing, & IT Meet
Kristina HalvorsonAuthor, Content Strategy for the Web
President, Brain Traffic
Register at www.atlantaima.org
Sponsors
Brian Ikeda, Philips Design
Karen McGrane, Bond Art+Science
John Muehlbauer, IHG
Ryan Esparza, CMS Consultant
2. Read, Connect, & Read More
CONTENT STRATEGY KNOL (Google unit of knowledge)
THE WEB CONTENT STRATEGIST’S BIBLE
CONTENT STRATEGY FOR THE WEB
International Email List(Google Group)http://tinyurl.com/csgooglegroup
Twitter#contentstrategy
3. Hang With Us
TONIGHT’S AGENDA• Discovering the Need for Content
Strategy at Philips DesignKatie Riddle
• The Importance of Content to Product Strategy at AutoTraderGreg Vilines
• Web Content Strategy at UPS.comRichard Sheffield
MANY THANKS TO OUR HOST
Discovering the Need for Content Strategy at Philips Design
It all starts with brand…
Philips
Philips Healthcare
Business Line
Business Line
Business Line
Business Line
Product Product Product Product Product
Macro
Micro
Where does content fit in?
As referenced by Kristina Halvorson inContent Strategy: The Myth, The Mania, The Mayhem
Where does content fit in?
As referenced by Kristina Halvorson inContent Strategy: The Myth, The Mania, The Mayhem
Where does content fit at Philips? (ideal)
The world of Philips web presence
Possible user paths
Mapping content strategy to Philips design process
Activities◦ Gather business requirements◦ Determine content requirements◦ Participate in initial planning
meetings◦ Set criteria for success
Deliverables◦ Content brief
INITIATION
Activities◦ User research
Identify key user tasks/goals◦ Content audit and evaluation◦ Content matrix◦ Identify and interview content providers
Get list/location of source materials◦ Competitive analysis◦ Establish key themes and topics◦ Map user goals and biz req. to themes◦ Present findings to client
Deliverables◦ User, competitive and content provider
research findings◦ Key themes and mapping◦ User personas◦ Gap analysis
Mapping content strategy to Philips design process (cont’d)
ANALYSIS
Activities◦ Work with IAs to create site map◦ Create user scenarios, using user
tasks/goals
Deliverables◦ Key messaging and themes◦ Editorial guide (incl. style/tone)◦ Standards document◦ Sample content for comps
CONCEPT
Mapping content strategy to Philips design process (cont’d)
Mapping content strategy to Philips design process (cont’d)
Activities◦ Create style guide◦ Create or edit site copy◦ Map workflow for ongoing content
maintenance
Deliverables◦ Copy deck◦ Content governance plan (workflow
and maintenance) FINALIZATION
Mapping content strategy to Philips design process (cont’d)
Activities◦ User research
Deliverables◦ User research findings
EVALUATION
Why Content is Important to AutoTrader Classics
Greg Vilines - Product Manager
AutoTrader Classics Overview• Autotrader Classics (ATX) is a
multi-channel business unit in the AutoTrader family, with 6 print titles alongside autotraderclassics.com
• Focuses on vintage and late-model enthusiast and collectible vehicles
• Primary online revenue streams are classified advertising from dealerships and private sellers, supported by online advertising
We sell content!
ATX Rebranding and Relaunch• Kicked off in late 2007
• In July 2008, the existing print and online properties were rebranded as AutoTrader Classics
• The website relaunch, which went live in April 2009, was a parallel strategic effort to:– Further enhance the online brand– Expand advertising capability
beyond vehicles and dealerships– Foster an online community for
collector car enthusiasts– Add rich content experiences to
drive site stickiness
Adding quality content leads to measureable business impact!
Market Research Drives the Content Strategy
• Top activities for users:– Education about specific
classic car topics– General learning– Entertainment
• Most used features:– Shop for classic cars– Find events– Find services
Since content is critical to users, it’s critical to the product
Data applies to visitors to classic car community websites
Defining the Content Groups
User-Generated Content
In-House or Aggregated
Vehicle Listings
Part Listings
Dealership Listings
Service Provider Listings
Events
Articles & Resources
Vehicle Information
New
Existing
The complexity of migrating and reimagining existing content, as well as the diverse needs of the new content types, meant…
Each type of content demanded a distinct strategy
Strategy: Vehicle Listings• User-generated: purchased and
created by consumers and dealer customers
• Vehicle listings provide the site’s revenue baseline
• The quality of the listing directly drives the user experience
• Key Strategic Questions:– How do we migrate existing listings
from the previous site to the new site?– What information should be collected
for each listing to satisfy both shopper and seller needs?
– What content needs to be provided to educate sellers how to create effective listings?
– How does the entry and display of the listings need to differ to reflect the needs of each seller group?
Results: Vehicle Listings• Successes:
– Successfully migrated ~10K listings from old site to new
– Listings have the most robust, enthusiast-focused content of any classified site today
– Guided entry of listings give private sellers useful information as they build their ads
– Robust B2B site lets dealers speed through vehicle creation
• Opportunities:– There’s a gap between what
shoppers want to see versus what sellers are willing to enter
– Though listing entry was simplified for dealer power users, even greater simplification and speed is needed
Strategy: Articles & Resources• New feature of ATX
• In-House and Aggregated: sourced both internally and externally
• Key Strategic Questions:– What types of content should we
provide?– What should the format be for
each type?– How do we mesh delivery
systems (CMS, video management, vendor content feeds) to create an ideal solution?
– How do we govern the workflow of editing and publishing content?
– How do we measure what content is most effective to drive stickiness?
– How do we shift site operations to handle the demands of an online content publisher?
Results: Articles & Resources• Successes:
– Identified 6 topic areas of focus– Developed multiple content
templates to flexibly handle multiple content formats
– Developed an integrated CMS solution that can easily handle manual creation or bulk loading from a variety of sources
– Created a simple, reproducible workflow for content management
– The new content has helped improve time on site 16% since launch!
• Opportunities:– We still don’t have a good
understanding of what specific content is driving stickiness
– Creating an editorial calendar to plan and communicate when content will be published is TBD
Summary• For product strategy, Content is King
– Quality content has measureable business impact– Users crave it, so how do we deliver it?
• Each type of content is VERY different – Each needs its own unique strategy– User and market research is invaluable
• It won’t be right the first time– Be prepared for phase 2 - and 3, and 4…
• Content can’t be considered fire-and-forget– It is a living and breathing thing and must be maintained
and improved
A Quick Explanation of Content Strategy
By Richard Sheffield
TYPICAL WEB PROJECT SCHEDULE
As referenced by Kristina Halvorson inContent Strategy: The Myth, The Mania, The Mayhem
It’s Week 10 - The technical lead politely
asks the project
manager for the content.
The project manager
calmly asks the new
copywriter to “go find” the
content.
WTF?
TYPICAL WEB PROJECT SCHEDULE
Content Strategy
Another Definition of Content Strategy:
Content Strategy is all the things that you should have done so that your
content would have been useful and on time.
Content Strategy at UPS.comOctober 22, 2008
Interactive Communications Content Strategy
Agenda
A Little About UPS.com Content Strategy for a Mature Website How Culture Affected Content Strategy
Interactive Communications Content Strategy
UPS.com - Some Context
1.5 million visits per day 140,000 pages of content 40 online applications 110 country versions of UPS.com 33 languages supported Single source for content Localized as needed for factual differences CMS generated - InterWoven TeamSite
It’s Complex
Interactive Communications Content Strategy
Content Strategy for a Mature Website
Current version is six years old Content strategy decisions have been made Content strategy = content development strategy Projects are broadly defined Content strategist’s job to identify content impact Adjust the project plan and set expectations
It’s a well-defined process
Interactive Communications Content Strategy
Corporate Culture and Content Strategy
Where we arrived is not where we were heading
Efficient vs. Redundant
Complex vs. Simple
Centralized control vs. Distributed Development
Complexity drives centralization
Interactive Communications Content Strategy
Typical UPS.com Page
Interactive Communications Content Strategy
UPS.com Page Structure - 13 Modules
Plus 32 more language versions.
Modules move in and out based on metadata.
Interactive Communications Content Strategy
This is a Very Powerful Page Structure
Allows maximum content reuse Allows max flexibility of single source content Relies on accurate and complex metadata Keeps translation costs low
Too complex for an occasional CMS user
Interactive Communications Content Strategy
Impacts of a Complex CMS
A well-trained CS can create a lot of content quickly
Content maintenance cannot be assigned to “the business”
Unexpected surges in work cannot be covered by bringing in short-term contractors
Long ramp-up time for new hires
Interactive Communications Content Strategy
Thanks!
Richard Sheffield
web-content-strategy.com
Don’t Forget AUGUST 6!
WEB CONTENT STRATEGY: Where UX, Marketing, & IT Meet
Invite colleagues, stakeholders, bosses, & more to start a conversation about content.
Invite colleagues, stakeholders, bosses, & more to start a conversation about content.
Kristina HalvorsonAuthor, Content Strategy for the Web
President, Brain Traffic
Register at www.atlantaima.org
Sponsors
Brian Ikeda, Philips Design
Karen McGrane, Bond Art+Science
John Muehlbauer, IHG
Ryan Esparza, CMS Consultant