This document discusses how associations can maximize the value of their content investments. It notes that associations typically create content in silos by department rather than strategically planning content together based on goals and audience needs. To get the most value from content, the document recommends that associations: 1) plan content creation together across departments; 2) repurpose existing content and add cross-links between pieces; and 3) actively curate existing content on their own websites and channels to showcase value to members. Creating content in a coordinated, repurposed, and curated way allows associations to avoid duplication and ensure all content is working towards common goals.
Earth Day 2024 - AMC "COMMON GROUND'' movie night.
Make the most of your content investments
1. Make the Most of Your Content
Investments
Hilary Marsh
Content Company, Inc.
2. What we’ll cover today
• What you are currently investing in content
• How you can make the most of those
investments
3. What is content?
• Committee report
• Association initiative
• Advocacy call for action
• Code of Ethics
• Original research
• Clinical practice
guideline
• Position statement
• Industry trend analysis
• Thought leadership
• Job posting
• Scholarship
announcement
• Etc., etc., etc.
4. Poll
• Which of these kinds of content does your
association produce?
5. Content takes different forms
• Magazine article
• Talking points
• Research report
• Course
• Webinar
• Conference session
• Press release
• Newsletter
10. Associations face challenges in
delivering content to meet the needs of
increasingly diverse and complex group
of members.
—OmniPress State of the Conference Industry Report,
featuring information from 150 associations
11.
12. How much are you investing?
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
13. Poll
How much do you think your association
spends to produce a single page of content for
your website?
• Free
• $100
• $250
• $500
• more than $500
15. How much are you investing?
One page of web content: about $2,000
• $560/day for each person (writer, manager, IT
support, analytics, etc.) based on $75,000/year
salary + benefits
• Average time of 3.5 days to plan, research,
write, review, and publish, assuming more time
to create and less time to maintain
16. Conference session
Cost
Content creation
Staff time to manage committee in
developing a vision and themes, find and
engage a speaker: XX hours at XX/hour
Speaker cost
Venue costs: space, A/V, wi-fi, video
Food and beverage
Marketing/promotion costs
Total cost $
17. Course
Cost
Content creation
Staff time to manage committee in
developing a vision and themes, find and
engage a speaker: XX hours at XX/hour
Speaker cost
Tech costs: A/V, video, streaming host
Marketing/promotion costs
Total cost $
18. Webinar
Cost
Content creation
Staff time to manage committee in
developing a vision and themes, find and
engage a speaker: XX hours at XX/hour
Speaker cost
Tech costs: A/V, video, streaming host
Marketing/promotion costs
Total cost $
19. How much are you investing?
• Body of knowledge
• Brochure
• Book
• Poster
• Test
• Success story
• Press release
20. How to assess your investment
• Cost to create
• Reach
• Lifespan
21. Reach and lifespan
• Web content
• Course
• Webinar
• Conference session
• Body of knowledge
• Brochure
• Book
• Poster
• Test
• Success story
• Press release
22. Poll
How does your association plan content?
– Each department plans it independently, sometimes
working with our committees
– Each department plans it independently but we inform
each other about what we’re doing
– Sometimes departments plan content together
– We always plan content together based on the
association’s goals and the members’ needs
25. For the most part, our
organization structures mirror
our content types
26. Courses
Content type,
format, and
channel
Members
who want to
take courses
Magazine Press
releases
Advocacy info
Old thinking
Content type,
format, and
channel
Members
who want to
read a
magazine
Content type,
format, and
channel
Members
who want to
know what
we tell the
media
Content type,
format, and
channel
Members
who want to
know what
we advocate
for
27. Different views of the audience
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File
:Blind_men_and_elephant.png
28. “Users don’t care about your
org chart.”
—Lou Rosenfeld
Author, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web
29. If your association creates content
of only one type
for one audience
in one instance
You are wasting resources
30. If your association creates content
of only one type
for one audience
in one instance
You are missing opportunities to
show your value
37. “I am responsible for growing and interpreting the
collection in order to educate, entertain and intrigue
our visitors.”
—Joan R. Kropf, deputy director, Dalí Museum
https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/visualarts/the-art-of-curation-museum-curators-talk-about-what-they-do/2242847/
Photo by Lizzie George on Unsplash
38. Goals Content Formats Channels
why what
(messages,
actions)
how
(course, article,
video, report,
etc.)
where
(website, conference,
e-newsletter,
social media, etc.)
How content should happen
40. Code of Ethics: Goals
• Ensure that members are ethical
• Increase the reputation of the profession
• Help members avoid problems
Goals Content Formats Channels
41. Code of Ethics: Content
• Formalize ethical behavior into a code:
Principles of ethical behavior
• Rewards for following, penalties for not
following
Goals Content Formats Channels
42. Code of Ethics: Formats
• Brochure
• Book
• Course
• Poster
• Conference session
• Video series
Goals Content Formats Channels
• Webinar
• Success story
• Press release
• Presentation
• Podcast episode
• Magazine article
43. Code of Ethics: Channels
• Magazine
• Website home page
• Association “university”
• Conference
• E-newsletter
• Social media
Goals Content Formats Channels
44. Code of Ethics
• Ensure that
members
are ethical
• Formalize
ethical
behavior
into a code
• Principles of
ethical
behavior
• Rewards for
following,
penalties for
not following
• Detailed text
• Course
• Poster
• Test
• Success story
• Webinar
• Book
• Video series
• Website home
page
• Conference
• E-newsletter
• Social media
• Partner website
• Association
“university”
Goals Content Formats Channels
45. Code of Ethics
• Ensure that
members
are ethical
• Formalize
ethical
behavior
into a code
• Principles of
ethical
behavior
• Rewards for
following,
penalties for
not following
• Detailed text
• Course
• Poster
• Test
• Success story
• Webinar
• Book
• Video series
• Website home
page
• Conference
• E-newsletter
• Social media
• Partner website
• Association
“university”
Goals Content Formats Channels
These are the
same for all
content
formats and
types