Endocrine Society's content strategy, guided by Content Company: How they knew they needed a content strategy, the steps they took to prioritize goals, better understand the audience, and improve the content and presentation, and what the outcomes were.

1. The content strategy journey
Rob Bartel, MSc, FACEHP, Chief Innovation Officer, Endocrine Society
Hilary Marsh, President and Chief Strategist, Content Company

2. Our plan for today
1. Why the Endocrine Society decided we needed content strategy
2. Evaluate your organization’s content strategy maturity
3. How we created our content strategy, with exercises for you
4. Where the Society goes from here

4. Need better decisions to help us
o Meet our members’ needs in practice, research, and
teaching
o Meet our Society’s needs in business strategy and
operations
o Meet our ultimate goal to create greater value for our
members, patients, and the public.

5. Why do we need to change
what we’re already doing?

7. • Publish what is credible
• Prioritize what is important
• Personalize offerings and learning (topic, format, frequency,
pace, level of difficulty )
• Offer relevant context
• Provide meaningful feedback for educational activities
• Make it easy to consume and learn “on the go”
Members need a trustworthy curator to:

8. Journal
Articles
MOC/Self-
assessment
Point of Work
Tools
Live
Streaming &
Webinars
Teaching
Tools
News and
Alerts
Endocrine
News
Patient
Education
Live Meetings
Research
Tools
Topic of interest
right now
Today’s Member Expectations
Member tech survey
• 80% are interested in
online learning in a
variety of formats
• 87% want content on
tablets
• 81% want content on
their smartphones

9. Programs
Government and Public
Affairs
Pubs
Society Content “Before”
Marketing &
Communications
Key scientific issue, rising technology, or practice topic

10. 1. Critically evaluate content development and delivery channels
(silos) to propose a new integrated model
2. Determine how to align external delivery platforms to support
content strategy
3. Identify opportunities to leverage and harmonize existing content
from across the organization
4. Propose how best to integrate thought leader expertise into the
content development process
5. Assess and prioritize stakeholder audiences and topical content
areas to position the Society for impact, growth, and revenue
Knowledge Integration Goals

11. 6. Develop a guiding “content strategy” to bridge content-creating
committees, departments, and staff
7. Institute a formal process for new product concept development
and approval
8. Promote a culture of entrepreneurism among staff and members
9. Assess and adopt new business models for provision of our
content to members and important non-member audiences
Knowledge Integration Goals

12. Strategic member involvement
• Convened a Knowledge Integration Task Force (KITF) composed of
members representing core constituencies with diverse planning
roles across the Society.
• Cross-committee team brought diverse perspectives and
knowledge together, and filter new perspectives and knowledge
back to multiple committees
• Held regular calls and in-person meetings to update them on
staff/consultant work and get validation, input, and ideas.

13. Knowledge Integration Task Force

14. http://wallpaperpulse.com/wallpaper/2971013

16. For all associations,
the number one challenge
to membership growth is
“difficulty in communicating
value or benefit.”
—2014 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report
http://www.marketinggeneral.com/resources/benchmark-report/

17. Content is why people join
associations
•Training/professional development opportunities
•Technical information
•Timely information about the field
•Networking with others in their field
•Access to standards of practice
—The Decision to Join, ASAE

18. Process
1. Discovery: Data review and stakeholder interviews
2. Empathy-based personas: Who are our top-priority audiences, what is going
on for them, and what do they want from us?
3. Content audit: What do we have, and how effective is it?
4. Taxonomy: What are we creating content about, how do we ensure that we
all describe our content in common ways?
6. Comparative content analysis: How are we doing compared to the other
content sources our audiences use?
7. Content best practices: What does successful content look like?
8. Content guidelines and governance: “Rules of the road”
9. Plan for transformation and migration: Keep, fix, or delete!

19. Your
turn.

20. How mature is your organization?
Fill out
handout,
discuss with
your
neighbor Download the electronic
version of this at
http://bit.ly/cs-assessment-tool

21. 1. Discovery
Uncovering what you
already know

22. We reviewed a lot of previous studies
• ENDO Attendance Surveys
• Member Needs Assessments
• Staff Interviews for Endo SPI
• ICWB on Basic Science Recommendations
• Influence Studies
Interviewed staff stakeholders to learn about challenges and goals
• Early Career Survey Report
• ACCME Self Study Report
• KWF Industry Trends
• ESAP Outcomes Report
• ENDO Scientific Abstract
Categories

23. Goals:
• Uncover content opportunities
• Understand what member concerns/needs to address with content
• Understand how content supports the Society’s success

24. 2. Empathy-Based Personas
Identifying our top-priority audiences, and what they
want from us
24

25. What attributes
describe them?
What characteristics
divide them into groups?
What purposes do they serve in our
world?
What’s inside
their individual heads?
What makes them tick?
How do they evaluate things,
make choices?
How do they form and nurture
relationships?
Most Personas Empathy-Based Personas
2. Empathy-Based Personas

26. So, instead of just
describing audiences and
creating a picture that
looks like this…

27. We can create rich,
detailed stories about
real, living
human beings,
people we can know
and identify with.

28. We asked ourselves: who were the most important?

29. •motivations |ˌmōtəˈvā sh ən | — noun: the reason or reasons one has for
acting or behaving in a particular way; the general desire or willingness of
someone to do something
•fears | fi(ə)r | — noun: a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of
something or the safety and well-being of someone
•frustrations | frəˈstrā sh ən | — noun: the feeling of being upset or
annoyed, esp. because of inability to change or achieve; the prevention of the
progress, success, or fulfillment of something
•aspirations |ˌaspəˈrā sh ən | — noun: ( usu. aspirations ) a hope or
ambition of achieving something; the object of such an ambition; a goal
Then we put ourselves in their shoes and brainstormed…

30. After a while, we’d gotten to know them pretty well…

31. Our connection became undeniable as we gave
them a face and a name…

32. Sofia Ç A 47-year-old practicing
endocrinologist, living in Mexico City
Ç Married, a mother, dedicated to family
Ç Her patients are very important to her,
and she feels very strongly about
helping her community
Ç At the same time, she’s involved in
clinical trials and has connections to a
teaching environment
Ç Excited by the process of developing
new knowledge and passing it on

33. Dan
Ç A 55-year-old endocrinologist working
in a Pittsburgh teaching hospital
Ç Divorced, active in his kids lives,
looking for more of a personal life for
himself
Ç Feels the grind of hospital bureaucracy
and teaching residents, the system
Ç Looking for more control over his life,
both in how he can help people and
how he navigates his professional
landscape
Ç Finds some peace and clarity in things
he can control, like health and fitness

34. Peter Ç A 57-year-old principal investigator in
Los Angeles, with ties to Germany
Ç Married with two adult kids, living a life
split between the US and Europe
Ç Heavily involved in the funding aspect
of research, especially with the NIH
Ç Sees himself as a bridge, connecting
and spurring collaboration between the
American and EU research
communities
Ç Has a passion for science, and wishes
he could spend more time on just that

35. Lydia Ç A 30-year-old postdoc living in Boston
Ç Single, focused on establishing a career
and knows the sacrifices that entails
Ç Focused on gaining visibility and
developing a name for herself; very much
about positioning for success
Ç Trying to learn the ropes about the admin
and funding aspects of research, again
as preparation for her future
Ç Still very much a millennial, looking for
affirmation, and a sense of her own place
in the world
Image: CreateHER Stock

36. What do they want?
Ç Sofia: Resources in Spanish for herself
and patients; how to run a practice; how
to teach and share knowledge
Ç Dan: Certification and time mgmt tools;
“cliff notes” on new science
Ç Peter: Public policy trends in the US vs.
Europe, curated research, awards,
global perspectives
Ç Lydia: Career options/jobs,
opportunities to shine, research
highlights
All
Ç Information that’s prioritized and
“translated” to highlight its clear
purpose and benefit to them
Ç Professional connections,
interactions with peers and experts
in the field, mentorship
Ç To make a difference
Ç To be recognized for their efforts
and work (presentation
opportunities)

37. What does this mean?
• Operating with a holistic, audience-first approach will enable the
Society to be more successful
• What content to give our top-priority audiences, and how best to
communicate about that content?
• It will require culture change in both staff and member
leadership, as well as adjustments in roles, processes, and
technology
You can serve member needs – and thereby meet
organizational goals -- better together than individually

38. Rob Katie Graham Kristen Bulent
Fowkes Guttenberg McMahon Vella Yildiz
Susan Henry Paul Marc Maria Mandel
Anhalt Copeland Cornier Fleseriu
Knowledge Integration Task Force

39. KITF Appreciative Inquiry Activity
If the Society finds that we need a new clinical practice guideline,
doesn’t that infer great need for education?
• Awareness for providers, patients, and caregivers
• What tools can we create to help get over barriers?
• What advocacy needs might be addressed?

41. 3. Content audit and
analysis
Assessing what’s there
41

42. • Focused on digital, because almost all content ends up online,
and because it is measurable
• Reviewed all of the Society’s websites, newsletters, and social
media channels
• Looked at both quantitative data and qualitative information
• Usage
• Content ROT (redundant, outdated, or trivial)
• Opportunities to improve content
• Opportunities to increase engagement

43. Websites reviewed
Primary sites
• Endocrine.org
• Hormone.org
• Press.endocrine.org (Books/Abstracts, Endo, EDRV, JCEM, MEND)
• Education.endocrine.org
Microsites
• Mypersonalpath.com
• Hormoneassays.org
• Endocrinefacts.org
• Accurateinsulin.org
• Endocrinetransitions.org
News and distribution sites
• Endocrinenews.org
• Endosessions.org
• Endo.confex.com

44. Newsletters reviewed
• Endocrine Society Update (Basic & Clinical)
• Clinical Essentials
• Early Career Program & Awards Update
• Endocrine Insider
• The Monthly
• Training Director & Mentor Newsletter
• Endocrine Daily Briefing (Outsourced)

45. Social media channels reviewed
LinkedIn
• Page
• Group
Facebook
• Society page
• HHN page
YouTube
• Society channel
• ENDO TV videos
Twitter
• Society
• HHN
• Endocrine News
• EndoMedia

46. Overall, your content is good
• Professional
• Smart
• Valuable
• Important
• Informative

47. Room for improvement in HOW
you’re creating digital content
• Clear, measurable goals
• Define criteria for each phase of the content lifecycle
• Apply metadata (taxonomy, title tags, etc.) consistently
• Convey consistent voice and tone
• Appropriateness for the medium
• Clearly identified as from the Society
• Plan for action, interaction, engagement
• Make your websites your information hub – e-newsletters, social
media the spokes

48. 4. Taxonomy
Classifying content
in common ways

49. Currently, 13 separate taxonomies
• Member Focus(es)
• Center for Learning Catalogue Topic Areas
• ESAP/Pediatric ESAP Question Categories
• ESAP Question Bank Tags
• CME Education Pages
• Scientific Abstract Categories
• Endocrine.org Categories
• Journal - Endocrine Reviews Categories
• Journal - Endocrinology Categories
• Journal - JCEM Categories
• Journal - Molecular Endocrinology Categories
• Hormone Health Network Diseases and
Conditions
• Endocrine News Health Topics
and Patient Populations

50. Taxonomy work
• Combined all terms, linked synonyms
• Identified seven “facets”
1. Topic area
2. Patient population
3. Investigation level
4. Professional interest
5. Association field
6. Audience
7. Content type

51. Topic areas
• Adipose Tissue, Appetite, and Obesity
• Adrenal
• Aging
• Bone and Mineral Metabolism
• Cardiovascular Endocrinology
• Development
• Diabetes Mellitus and Glucose Metabolism
• Endocrine Cancer and Neoplasia
• Endocrine Disruption
• Endocrine Genetics
• Female Reproductive Health and Biology
• General Endocrine Practice
• Growth
• Lipids
• Male Reproductive Health and Biology
• Neuroendocrinology
• Nutrition
• Pediatric Endocrine Practice
• Signaling (Non-steroid hormone signaling)
• Steroid Hormones and Receptors
• Thyroid
• Transgender Medicine and Research

52. 5. Comparative audit
Looking at the Society in context of other organizations

53. Compare the Society against other sites used
by our key audiences
Selected by the Knowledge Integration Task Force
• Other associations
• American College of Cardiology
• American Diabetes Association
• Society for Neuroscience
• For-profit publications
• New England Journal of Medicine
• Medscape

54. What we looked at
1. Content quality
• Is it professional, accurate, and current?
2. Findability of key information
• Events, articles, programs, topics, search filtering
3. Benefits of membership
• Member directory, online communities, discussion boards, mentoring program
4. Credibility
• Authoritative source, objective/non-commercial
5. Audience focus
• Serving the Society’s top-priority segments: early career professionals,
researchers/scientists, clinicians, industry, media, consumers/patients
6. Association information
• Career, Education, and Policy sections

55. 6. Content best
practices
Defining what successful
content looks like

56. Detailed guide for publishing effective
content
• Follow online content best practices
• Think “inverted pyramid” – put the most information first
• Use the Society’s voice and tone
• Keep the Society’s content strategy in mind

57. Content strategy statement
Created by senior staff leaders
The Endocrine Society offers world-class, credible
content that helps clinicians, researchers, and the public
advance research and improve patient care by making
them feel supported, inspired, and connected to the
Society and each other, and by convincing them to
participate and engage with the Society and lead in its
work.

58. Core voice attributes
Also created by senior staff leaders
The Endocrine Society’s content is written to convey that
the organization is….
• Rigorous, trustworthy, and professional
• Visionary and forward-looking
• Global and accessible
• Personal and responsive

59. 7. “Rules of the Road”
Creating new operating procedures
for content

60. Content must follow a lifecycle

61. Consistent workflow
61

62. Goals/success metrics
• Do visits mean success?
• Content exists to support a program or initiative, so its success
must be tied to that
• Increase satisfaction
• Increase engagement

63. “Return on Content”
Find this on pages 13 and 14
of your workbook handout, or
download at
http://bit.ly/return-on-
content-worksheet

64. Enabling with people & processes
• Strategy
• Creation
• Promotion

65. Overall Recommendations

66. Old Way Silos
Board
Advocacy
Advocacy
Content
Policy
Makers
Prof.
Education
Mtgs & Ed
Programs
Endos
Patient
Education
Factsheets
& HTML
Patients
Pubs
Journals &
Books
Readers
Trainee
Affairs
Career
Resources
Early Career

67. New Way New Teams
Topical Advisories
Set Society-wide Priorities
Project Task Forces
Plan & develop for all audiences
Board
Advocacy
Content
Policymakers, endocrinologists, early career, consumers
Mtgs & Ed
Programs
Patient
information
Journals &
Books
Career
Resources

68. KI Task Force Recommendations
1. Deliver content topically to be audience-centric
2. Invest in tools and strategies for personalization
3. Establish a framework for topical content strategy:
environmental scanning and priority setting
4. If it’s truly strategic, content should be planned and
delivered by a Society-wide team
5. Improve communication about goals, progress, and
outcomes
Organize
and deliver
Plan,
create,
publish

69. 1. Follow content strategy best practices
All content created by Society staff or members should:
• Have an audience in mind
• Have a specific, measurable goal
• Be unique – that is, does not duplicate information that already
exists on endocrine.org
• Be measured to determine whether it met its goal, and use that
data to adjust existing content or in creating similar content in the
future

70. 2. Use endocrine.org as the primary digital hub
All staff and member initiatives, programs, products, and services
should be accessed directly through endocrine.org
• Research initiatives
• Meetings and events
• Courses
• Advocacy
Few exceptions
• Endocrine News, which sells advertising
• Journal content, which is hosted by a third party and has a different
business model
• All patient-focused content, which should live on hormone.org

71. 3. Create all content according to the Society’s
guidelines
• Use the Society’s voice and tone
• Follow best practices
• Use the organization’s taxonomy

72. 4. Display content topically
• Focus on topic rather than content type or which group created it
• Prioritize topics, based on the Society’s strategic goals
• Revisit topic priorities when the strategic goals are updated

73. 5. Deliver personalized content
“The right content to the right users at the right time.”
Show users content
• on topics that interest them (wants)
• that we know is relevant to them (needs)
• that reflects their previous experiences and interactions
with the Society

74. 6. Make necessary investments
Delivering personalized, member-centric, mobile-ready content will
take more than new practices and processes. The Society needs to
invest in technology to support them:
• Digital integration plan
• Infrastructure investments and modernization

75. 7. Invest in people and tools to sustain the effort
Make sure all groups are aware of content plans, efforts, and
outcomes
• Society-wide content calendar
• Regular in-person meetings to exchange information and identify
opportunities for collaboration and efficiencies
• Tools and platforms to enable information-sharing
• Ongoing training in writing and planning

76. 8. Institute content governance
Ensuring that content is created holistically and effectively
• Content strategy team
• Content development team
• Content delivery team

77. 9. Make content responsibilities official
In order for content publishing not to be an afterthought, it can’t be
an implicit add-on
• Content responsibilities have to be incorporated into people’s job
descriptions
• Must be part of performance measures and reviews

78. https://www.flickr.com/photos/crschmidt/2955871565

79. Content team
Society-wide communication and coordination
Mission:
The content team brings together major content creators across the Society to
share content development plans, coordinate delivery, and improve the process
of content planning and delivery.
Goals/responsibilities:
• Build an organization-wide editorial calendar, ensure that used universally
• Share and discuss major content initiatives
• Ensure content is developed for maximum value
• Use content strategy to improve reach, discoverability, and engagement
• Communicate back to departmental team

80. Web writing workshops
Society-wide training
Tools to focus content, write and deliver in a user-centric manner
• Society-wide taxonomy deployed in the AMS, CMS, LMS, journals, etc.
• Personas: who are our members and what do they want?
• Core Content Worksheet: audience needs, business needs, content goals
• “Bite, Snack, Meal:” Headline, blurb, core content
Action items
• Group to stay connected as trainers
• Reviewing details of content audit with stakeholders (keep, fix, delete)
• Start using these tools on new pages to ensure better portable content

81. New
Topic Pages

82. New
Curated tabs
for different
types of
content

83. Digital Assessments:
oTechnology assessment
oUser experience modeling
oDefined goals for digital assets
§ Platforms
§ Channels
§ Content
oProposed architecture
oDelivery of a digital strategy
oImplemented taxonomy
oCreate a consistent digital environment
Knowledge Integration Digital Implementation Plan
Digital Transformation

84. 84
Connect platforms
Create a seamless environment
across all platforms and
systems.
Y1 Y2 Y3
Improve the members’ online experience
Make digital content mobile ready
Knowledge Integration Digital Implementation Plan
Digital Transformation
Define and create
our organizational
digital plan

85. Bon voyage!
Rob Bartel
@isaropate
rbartel@endocrine.org
Hilary Marsh
@hilarymarsh
hilary@contentcompany.biz