Everything for a reason: Strategy before tactics
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Content strategy is about providing the right content, to the right people, at the right times, for the right reasons. In our digital disciplines, we’ve gotten pretty good at the right people, and even the right times, stuff thanks to User Experience and User Centered Design. But, we can still do better at making smart decisions about what content we produce and why. That’s something we can all advocate for, whether we call ourselves content strategists or not. The end result is more time and money spent on the right things that get the right results and less time and money wasted on proliferating a content wasteland. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand how content strategy fits into your job 2. Learn one simple and fun way to get the info you need to craft a strategy statement 3. Get collaborative tools for evaluating tactics against your strategy
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Everything for a reason: Strategy before tactics
- 1. EVERYTHING FOR A REASON: STRATEGY BEFORE TACTICS Meghan Casey Brain Traffic @meghscase
- 2. Hi. Meghan Casey Lead Content Strategist Brain Traffic @meghscase #MIMASummit
- 3. Stuff I’ll Talk About What I mean by content strategy Why you should care How it can inform your work What you can do right now (if you’re not already doing it)
- 4. –Meghan Casey Content strategy helps organizations provide the right content, to the right people, at the right times, for the right reasons.
- 5. –Meghan Casey Content strategy helps organizations provide the right content, to the right people, at the right times, for the right reasons.
- 6. A Framework
- 7. States where you will focus your efforts to improve content substance, structure, workflow, and/or governance.
- 8. Answers: - What are we trying to achieve? - What content will help us achieve our goals? - Who is the content for? - Why do they need it? - What do they want and expect from us?
- 9. Substance: Story, topic, brand elements, voice and tone Structure: Organization, categorization, component elements CONTENT
- 10. Substance … fulfills business objectives by meeting audience needs. Structure … makes content findable and usable for users, and manageable for technology. CONTENT
- 11. Workflow: Roles, processes, tools Governance: Policies, standards, guidelines PEOPLE
- 12. Workflow ... creates efficiencies across content properties. Governance … empowers, facilitates, and aligns. PEOPLE
- 13. –Henry Ford Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.
- 14. So, this one time …
- 15. Black Cat SEO “Our SEO consultant recommends that we try to rank for the term black cat in October because it’s something people Google a lot before Halloween.” - Actual client from <large grocery store brand> Not a typo
- 16. Black Cat SEO “What content would you drive them to?” - Me
- 17. Black Cat SEO “They suggested our cat food category page.” - Client
- 18. Black Cat SEO “So, how will it tie to the brand? Is there some spin you can put on cat food and the significance of black cats and Halloween?” - Me
- 19. Black Cat SEO “I don’t thinks so. It will just be a way to drive traffic to the product category page so that people know we carry cat food.” - Client
- 20. Black Cat SEO “But, that’s not really what people will be looking for when they search for black cat, is it?” - Me
- 21. Black Cat SEO “I guess not.” - Client
- 23. –Kristina Halvorson Content strategy helps us say no to things that don’t make sense.
- 24. Reason first.
- 25. Answers: - What are we trying to achieve? - What content will help us achieve our goals? - Who is the content for? - Why do they need it? - What do they want and expect from us?
- 27. Origin Meals We believe in a Paleo diet that’s full of real food, packed with nutrients, and free of potentially irritating ingredients that don’t serve the functions of your body.
- 28. Content Brainstorm Benefits of eating Paleo articles Guest blogger series partnership with Crossfit gyms Guest blogger series with people new to eating Paleo Paleo recipes and shopping lists Ways to turn dishes you already make into Paleo- compliant meals Eating Paleo and working out articles Profiles of people who met their health goals eating Paleo List of Paleo-friendly restaurants Tips for going Paleo articles Sample easy-to-make Paleo menus Feeding your family Paleo- style P P P P P P P P P P P
- 29. Target Audience Single Busy Believe in the Paleo philosophy Eat Paleo when they have time to cook and prep meals Work out regularly at a Crossfit or other small, locally owned gym
- 30. Content Brainstorm Benefits of eating Paleo articles Guest blogger series partnership with Crossfit gyms Guest blogger series with people new to eating Paleo Paleo recipes and shopping lists Ways to turn dishes you already make into Paleo- compliant meals Eating Paleo and working out articles Profiles of people who met their health goals eating Paleo List of Paleo-friendly restaurants Tips for going Paleo articles Sample easy-to-make Paleo menus Feeding your family Paleo- style x P x P P P P
- 31. Content Brainstorm Benefits of eating Paleo articles Guest blogger series partnership with Crossfit gyms Guest blogger series with people new to eating Paleo Paleo recipes and shopping lists Ways to turn dishes you already make into Paleo- compliant meals Eating Paleo and working out articles Profiles of people who met their health fitness goals eating Paleo List of Paleo-friendly restaurants Tips for going Paleo articles Sample easy-to-make Paleo menus Feeding your family Paleo- style x P x P P P P x x P P
- 32. Business Goals Increase first-time orders from partner gym members Increase recurring orders from partner gym members
- 33. Content Brainstorm Benefits of eating Paleo articles Guest blogger series partnership with Crossfit gyms Guest blogger series with people new to eating Paleo Paleo recipes and shopping lists Ways to turn dishes you already make into Paleo- compliant meals Eating Paleo and working out articles Profiles of people who met their health fitness goals eating Paleo List of Paleo-friendly restaurants Tips for going Paleo articles Sample easy-to-make Paleo menus Feeding your family Paleo- style x P x P P P P x x P P
- 34. Content Brainstorm Benefits of eating Paleo articles Guest blogger series partnership with Crossfit gyms Guest blogger series with people new to eating Paleo Paleo recipes and shopping lists Ways to turn dishes you already make into Paleo- compliant meals Eating Paleo and working out articles Profiles of people who met their health fitness goals eating Paleo List of Paleo-friendly restaurants Tips for going Paleo articles Sample easy-to-make Paleo menus Feeding your family Paleo- style x P x P P x x x x x x
- 35. Content Objectives Demonstrate how Origin meals help athletes eat to perform Help athletes choose the meal options that fit their lives best
- 36. Content Brainstorm Benefits of eating Paleo articles Guest blogger series partnership with Crossfit gyms Guest blogger series with people new to eating Paleo Paleo recipes and shopping lists Ways to turn dishes you already make into Paleo- compliant meals Eating Paleo and working out articles Profiles of people who met their health fitness goals eating Paleo List of Paleo-friendly restaurants Tips for going Paleo articles Sample easy-to-make Paleo menus Feeding your family Paleo- style x P x P P x x x x x x
- 37. Content Brainstorm Benefits of eating Paleo articles Guest blogger series partnership with Crossfit gyms about eating to perform Guest blogger series with people new to eating Paleo Paleo recipes and shopping lists Ways to turn dishes you already make into Paleo- compliant meals Eating Choosing a Paleo plan and working out that matches your workouts article Profiles of people who met their health fitness goals eating Paleo Origin Meals List of Paleo-friendly restaurants Tips for going Paleo articles Sample easy-to-make Paleo menus Feeding your family Paleo-style x P x P P x x x x x x
- 38. Content Brainstorm Benefits of eating Paleo articles Guest blogger series partnership with Crossfit gyms about eating to perform Guest blogger series with people new to eating Paleo Paleo recipes and shopping lists Ways to turn dishes you already make into Paleo- compliant meals Eating Choosing a Paleo plan and working out that matches your workouts article Profiles of people who met their health fitness goals eating Paleo Origin Meals List of Paleo-friendly restaurants Tips for going Paleo articles Sample easy-to-make Paleo menus Feeding your family Paleo-style P P P
- 39. What if …?
- 40. Core Strategy Statement We help increase new and recurring orders with motivating content that demonstrates to busy, single, Paleo-minded athletes how Origin Meals fits into their lifestyles.
- 41. Business Goal We help increase new and recurring orders with motivating content that demonstrates to busy, single, Paleo-minded athletes how Origin Meals fits into their lifestyles.
- 42. Audience We help increase new and recurring orders with motivating content that demonstrates to busy, single, Paleo-minded athletes how Origin Meals fits into their lifestyles.
- 43. Content We help increase new and recurring orders with motivating content that demonstrates to busy, single, Paleo-minded athletes how Origin Meals fits into their lifestyles.
- 44. That’s what … Ideas that make strategic sense Better use of budget Content the target audience can use Measurable ROI Content producers with clear direction P P P P P
- 45. GOAL: Eat so that I don’t starve TACTIC: Open my mouth STRATEGY: Go where the food I want is
- 46. I don’t get it. Why isn’t it working? TACTIC: Open my mouth Meghan stole me from Kristina Halvorson, but I’m so good at making this point.
- 47. What can you do?
- 48. Start With A Strategy Ask for it. If it doesn’t exist, do it yourself. Get buy-in.
- 49. 4 Steps Learn about the business environment Get stakeholder perspectives Understand your audiences Distill what you learned Craft your statement
- 50. Content Strategy Tool: Business Model Canvass • Value proposition • Key activities • Key resources • Key partners • Cost structure • Customer relationships • Channels • Revenue streams • Customer segments Find at Strategyzer.com
- 51. Content Strategy Tools: Stakeholder Insights Workshop setting: Find in The Content Strategy Toolkit Interview setting: Find at http://boxesandarrows.com/a-stakeholder-interview-checklist/
- 52. Stakeholder Tool: User Stories As a I need so that I can . More in The Content Strategy ToolkitSource: Joseph Campbell
- 53. Content Strategy Tool: The Mad Lib The content we produce helps our company accomplish and by providing and content that makes feel or so that they can or . <goal> <goal> <adjective> <adjective> <audience description> <emotion or state of mind> <task> <emotion or state of mind> <task> More in The Content Strategy Toolkit
- 54. See the Strategy Through Use the strategy to make decisions about what content to create and where to share it. Make sure the people working on content know and understand the strategy. Review the content products against the strategy.
- 55. Content Strategy Tool: Decision-Making Matrix Idea B U T Beneftis of eating paleo article 1 1 2 Guest blogger series partnership with Crossfit gyms about eating to perform 2 3 5 Guest blogger series with people new to eating paleo 1 1 2 Eating paleo and working out articles 2 3 5 More in The Content Strategy Toolkit
- 56. Content Strategy Tool: Content Table We’re in <Location> Industry Expertise Office intro Contact Us CTA Services Descriptions Case Studies 1 2 3 4 5 Objective Demonstrate the capabilities and expertise of the location and provide contact information for the sales lead. Content Priorities 1. Highlight the key differentiator of the location selected. 2. List the name of the service and a short description about our approach to providing it and the results a customer can expect. 3. List the industries the location specializes in and why that expertise matters. (Industry descriptions will pre-populate based on the taxonomy.) 4. Include the key contact for the office with a short bio and contact information. 5. Provide short teasers of up to three case studies, focusing on the results of the work. Preparing for Launch ⁃ Create the taxonomy and map service descriptions, industry experience, and case studies to the appropriate locations if you’d like to auto-populate that content. ⁃ Each office will need to choose a key contact to include on this page. Can contain things like: • Objective • Audience • Supported user scenarios • Keywords • Meta description • Content priorities and messages • Calls to action • Maintenance schedule • Content owner More in The Content Strategy Toolkit
- 57. Content Strategy Tool: Review Checklist Attribute X Supports our strategy to increase new and recurring orders by providing motivating content that demonstrates to busy, single, Paleo-minded athletes how Origin Meals fits into their lifestyles Conveys one or more of the proof points from our messaging framework Addresses an information need or curiosity our audience is likely to have Contains a prominent an appropriate call to action More in The Content Strategy Toolkit
- 58. Takeaways A strategy statement helps you say no to ideas that don’t make sense. Without it, you risk wasting time, money, and opportunities to connect with your audience. Some small process changes and tools can help you stay on-track. You don’t have to be a content strategist to advocate for a content strategy.
- 59. Questions?
- 60. Thank you. Meghan Casey Brain Traffic @meghscase