Content is why people visit your website. Period. So why is quality content so easily discounted? Why do we neglect this critical website element that we rely on to attract, inform, engage, and retain site visitors? Answer: content is massive, political and time-consuming. A college website contains thousands of pages with limited content contributors, editors, and managers, all with different perspectives and priorities. In this session, learn how to implement and maintain effective content that drives marketing, engages users and increases website conversions. - http://www.epublishmedia.com
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
Content Strategy: The Key to Effective Web Content
1. Content Strategy:
The Key to Effective Web Content
Rick Allen
Babson College
F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business
HighEdWeb NY Regional Conference • May 6, 2010
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
4. Hi, I’m Rick.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia
Allen @epublishmedia • #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
#ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
5. What I’m talking about
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
6. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy is so important
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
7. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy is so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
8. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy is so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
9. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy is so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
10. Why am I focusing
on content?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
11. Because I’m a publisher.
Just like you!
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
12. “ The moment you launch a
website, an email campaign, a
mobile application, or content
of any kind, you’re a
publisher. Shouldn’t you start
acting like one?
Kristina Halvorson
Author, Content Strategy for the Web
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
14. “ View yourself more like a
publisher delivering valuable
editorial products than as a
marketer selling products and
services.
Joe Pulizzi
Author, Get Content Get Customers
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
15. Content is why people
visit your website.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
17. “ Without content, the web
would be a search box and a
check out cart.
Ian Alexander
Eat Media
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
18. Quality content
Users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
19. Quality content
Users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
20. Quality content
Attracts
Users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
21. Quality content
Attracts Informs
Users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
22. Quality content
Attracts Informs
Users
Engages
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
23. Quality content
Attracts Informs
Users
Engages Retains
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
24. Would you risk meeting
any of these goals?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
32. “ Content strategy is the
practice of planning for the
creation, delivery, and
governance of useful, usable
content.
Kristina Halvorson
Author, Content Strategy for the Web
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
33. “ Content strategy is the
practice of planning for the
creation, delivery, and
governance of useful, usable
content.
Kristina Halvorson
Author, Content Strategy for the Web
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
34. Content strategy answers
critical questions.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
35. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
36. How do we
decide what to
communicate?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
37. How do we
decide what to
communicate?
How do we decide
what content to
create and update?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
38. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
39. How do we
prioritize content
requirements?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
40. How do we
prioritize content
requirements?
How do we
determine our
users’ needs?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
41. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
42. How do we align
analytics, usability
and SEO/SEM with
content creation?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
43. How do we align
analytics, usability
and SEO/SEM with
content creation?
How do we maintain
voice, tone, and branding
with content across
multiple channels?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
44. Some good questions to
answer, right?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
45. Why is
content often
neglected?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
46. Content is
massive
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
47. Content is
political
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
48. Content is time-
consuming
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
51. “ It's the content contributors'
responsibility. They need to
own their content.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
52. “ But, I did make it better!
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
53. “ We can't accommodate
everyone.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
54. “ Best practices aren't
real-world.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
55. Customers don’t forgive
businesses for bad websites.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
56. No more
excuses.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
57. Make
content
work
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsaint/ / CC BY 2.0
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
58. Understand
your
content
ecosystem
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rofanator/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
59. “ The ecosystem often reveals
the ‘underlying principle’ of
the content problem.
Colleen Jones
Content Science
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
60. Web publishing is a
collaborative process.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
61. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
62. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
63. Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
64. Web publishing is a
collaborative process.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
65. “ Design without content is
decoration.
Jeffrey Zeldman
Author, Designing With Web Standards
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
66. A CMS
is not enough.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
68. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy is so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
69. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy is so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
70. Have a plan:
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
71. Plan
‣ Prioritize message hierarchy
‣ Audit
‣ Analyze
‣ Strategize
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
73. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
74. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
75. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of
organization concepts
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
76. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of
organization concepts
‣ Aligns sub-site messaging with organization-
wide messaging
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
77. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of
organization concepts
‣ Aligns sub-site messaging with organization-
wide messaging
‣ Aligns messaging across all communication
channels
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
78. Message architecture
‣ Ensures a consistent, clear brand message
‣ Identifies what your organization wants to
convey and how it wants to be perceived
‣ Ensures clear, concise descriptions of
organization concepts
‣ Aligns sub-site messaging with organization-
wide messaging
‣ Aligns messaging across all communication
channels
‣ Determines if content is appropriate for your
users
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
79. “ How can you measure if
content is appropriate if you
don’t have a metric against
which to measure it?
Margot Bloomstein
Appropriate, Inc
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
80. Plan
‣ Prioritize message hierarchy
‣ Audit
‣ Analyze
‣ Strategize
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
81. Plan
‣ Prioritize message hierarchy
‣ Audit
‣ Analyze
‣ Strategize
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
82. “ If you don't understand where
you are now, you can't create
a plan to get you where you
need to be.
Kristina Halvorson
Author, Content Strategy for the Web
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
90. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it meet our business objectives
and users’ needs?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
91. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it meet our business objectives
and users’ needs?
‣ How do we want our users to respond to our
content?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
92. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it meet our business objectives
and users’ needs?
‣ How do we want our users to respond to our
content?
‣ What content do users need, but not know to
look for?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
93. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it meet our business objectives
and users’ needs?
‣ How do we want our users to respond to our
content?
‣ What content do users need, but not know to
look for?
‣ What resources are needed to complete the
project and maintain it post-launch?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
94. Content analysis
‣ What is the purpose of each piece of web
content? Does it meet our business objectives
and users’ needs?
‣ How do we want our users to respond to our
content?
‣ What content do users need, but not know to
look for?
‣ What resources are needed to complete the
project and maintain it post-launch?
‣ How will we measure the effectiveness of our
content?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
95. Plan
‣ Prioritize message hierarchy
‣ Audit
‣ Analyze
‣ Strategize
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
96. Plan
‣ Prioritize message hierarchy
‣ Audit
‣ Analyze
‣ Strategize
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
98. Results
‣ Defined target keywords and content topics
relating to our brand message
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
99. Results
‣ Defined target keywords and content topics
relating to our brand message
‣ Web editorial style guide that provides
consistent voice, tone, and word usage,
catering to our audience and brand
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
100. Results
‣ Defined target keywords and content topics
relating to our brand message
‣ Web editorial style guide that provides
consistent voice, tone, and word usage,
catering to our audience and brand
‣ Editorial process: roles, source content,
content types, and interaction with
marketing, design, developers
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
101. Results
‣ Defined target keywords and content topics
relating to our brand message
‣ Web editorial style guide that provides
consistent voice, tone, and word usage,
catering to our audience and brand
‣ Editorial process: roles, source content,
content types, and interaction with
marketing, design, developers
‣ Editorial calendar, considering content
channels, types, and themes
•
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
110. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy is so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
111. What I’m talking about
1. Why quality web content and
strategy is so important
2. Elements that comprise a
content strategy
3. What’s needed to maintain
quality content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
112. Keep it
going
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dasqfamily/ / CC BY 2.0
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
113. Have a plan.
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
114. Measure
content
effectiveness
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chandramarsono/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
115. Web analytics
Business Effective Key
goals analysis metrics
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
117. Is content redundant,
outdated, trivial?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
118. Are links still functional?
Is content still findable?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
119. Is content still useful,
relevant, and accurate?
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
121. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
122. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
123. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
‣ Know what content you have before
determining what you need
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
124. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
‣ Know what content you have before
determining what you need
‣ Analyze: determine if content is useful,
relevant, and effective
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
125. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
‣ Know what content you have before
determining what you need
‣ Analyze: determine if content is useful,
relevant, and effective
‣ Strategize: create an achievable, actionable,
and sustainable plan
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc
126. Key points
‣ Make content strategy a priority
‣ Be a publisher—focus on content
‣ Know what content you have before
determining what you need
‣ Analyze: determine if content is useful,
relevant, and effective
‣ Strategize: create an achievable, actionable,
and sustainable plan
‣ Measure content constantly—adapt to change,
make smart decisions
Rick Allen • @epublishmedia #ContentStrategy • #hewebvc