The document discusses creating and executing an effective content strategy. It begins by defining what a content strategy is and why it is important for meeting organizational goals and attracting website visitors. It then outlines key facets of a content strategy like collaborating across departments and understanding different audience layers. The document provides examples of questions a content strategy will answer and tools that can be used like content audits. It proposes a 7 step process to put a content strategy to work, including realizing there is a problem, building a team, brainstorming, prioritizing projects, applying tools, socializing the strategy, and repeating the process.

1. Creating and Executing
a Great Content Strategy

3. Rules of the Road
1. What is a content strategy?
2. What strategies and challenges can content
solve?
3. Content strategy facets
4. Collaborations & bridges
5. Association audiences – layers of the onion
6. Questions you’ll be answering
7. Tools you’ll use

4. What is a content strategy?
§ The who, what, when, where, why, and how
of all the content a digital experience will offer
§ A statement showing how content will help
the association meet its strategic goals
§ And the people, processes, and power to
execute that statement

5. What is a content strategy?

6. Why do people visit your website?
Not for your design
Not for your widgets
Not for the flash on your homepage
Not for the technology you use
They come for the content!
A good content strategy ensures that they can
find what they were looking for

7. What strategies and challenges can
content solve?
§ Attract prospective members
§ Retain and engage current members
§ Increase usage of specific programs,
resources, tools, and information
§ Increase awareness of and participation in
political advocacy efforts
§ Increase non-dues revenue

8. How are these content challenges?
§ Language/jargon (web writing, audience
awareness – “HOP e-news”)
§ Online “real estate” space (roles, ownership)
§ Mass of content (everything ever published is
still online)
§ Badly formed content (4002.pdf, no title or other
metadata)
§ Latest updates missing, outdated content online
§ Different content on social media & home page

11. Collaborations & bridges
§ Technology
§ Marketing
§ Communications
§ Membership
§ Management
§ Program staff
§ Member committees

12. Association audiences: layers of the onion
§ Knowledge/
communication
§ Accountability
§ Drivers/goals
§ Politics – budget,
recognition, results,
incentives

13. Questions you’ll be answering
§ What does your audience want from you?
§ What do you have?
§ What are you missing?
§ How are you deciding what to publish, where,
and when?
§ How are you ensuring that you’re publishing
content in the most effective way?
§ How are you getting buy-in?

14. Tools you’ll use
§ Content inventory/audit
§ Stakeholder interviews
§ Analytics – website metrics, customer service
calls, etc.
§ Content matrix
§ Editorial calendar

15. Exercise
What’s in the bag?

16. Putting a Content Strategy to Work
…in 10 minutes and 7 steps (or less)
0. Realize there is a problem
1. Build a team
2. Brainstorm
3. Streamline
4. Prioritize
5. Apply (use tools)
6. Socialize
7. Repeat

17. 0. Realize there is a problem
§
No one can find anything on our website, and they’re starting to complain to the
CEO
§
Practically everyone in our organization can – and does – publish content to the
site.
§
No one is in charge of the home page.
§
Everyone is in charge of the home page.
§
Our best material is presented as PDFs, with titles like “4002.pdf”

18. 0. Realize there is a problem
§
Our website is organized based on our org structure rather than on how our
audience thinks about us or our content
§
Our audience can’t get the information they want from their mobile devices
§
Our content isn’t appearing on Google like we think it should
§
“We should be on YouTube”

19. 1. Build a team
Select ambassadors from key departments
(marketing, publications, IT, membership)
You can’t implement a content strategy in a vacuum…

20. 2. Brainstorm
(a.k.a. Think the content strategy through silos)
-How does the CS affect workflow, business goals?
-How could processes change to maximize the CS?
This is the fun part…

22. 3. Streamline
(a.k.a. Eliminate redundant workflows and extraneous content)
-Where are silos getting in each other's way?
-How do we efficiently create good content?
-What can we just stop doing?

25. 4. Prioritize projects!
-Low-hanging fruit, highest potential ROI
-Test case
-Pet project for management
-Shiny tool for members
@ APA, we chose to start with taxonomy

27. Too many lists….
AICP Advanced Specialty Certifications List
Files List
APA Library Classification System and Vertical
AICP Jobs Analysis Survey List
APAPlanningBooks.com List
CM Activities Topic Lists (one for staff, one for users)
CM List
Conference Session Topics List
PAB Accreditation List
PAS Topic and Subject Index
…result in complete chaos online……
ResourcesZine Youth & Planning Subjects List
Website Short Lists for Region, Audience, Topic

28. 5. Apply
Select tools to operationalize the CS in each silo or project.
-Taxonomy
-New CMS or LMS
-Editorial calendar
-Content creation guidelines
-Content audit

29. 6. Socialize (& train)
Move beyond your project team to generate whole-office buy-in.
-Staff meetings
-Brown bags
-Management retreats
-In the hallway, at lunch, etc…
Create a culture of learning and experimentation
Note: Governance is different

30. 7. Repeat
Apply lessons from your pilot project to the next thing.
-Take advantage of snowball effect
-Use successful projects to gain legitimacy
-Establish metrics and evaluate
Branch out from a one-off to a whole system revamp.

31. Exercise:
Where
does
it
hurt?

32. Thank
you!
Hilary
Marsh,
Content
Company
hilary@hilarymarsh.com
Rana
Salzmann,
American
Planning
AssociaFon
rsalzmann@planning.org