1. Content Strategy
A Framework for Marketing Success

2. Content Strategy
http://www.slideshare.net/lauracreekmore

3. Marketing Today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/barnerphotography/

4. Marketing Today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan_culleton/

5. Marketing Today
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan_culleton/

6. Marketing Today
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan_culleton/

7. Marketing Today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/barnerphotography/

8. Marketing Today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/barnerphotography/

9. Marketing Today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/barnerphotography/

10. Marketing Today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/barnerphotography/

11. Marketing Today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/
This.

12. Marketing Today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/

13. Marketing Today
Avoid
HiPPO[p]*
work
*Highest Paid Person’s Opinion prevails
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/

14. What Is Content Strategy?
Content strategy helps you
make decisions based on
your business needs.

15. What Is Content Strategy?
It’s a mindset.

16. Why Content Strategy?
How most businesses view content:
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/

17. Why Content Strategy?
Here’s what they’re worried it will get a hold of:
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/37815348@N00/

18. Why Content Strategy?
Instead...

19. Why Content Strategy?
What if we think of content like this?
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/37815348@N00/

20. Why Content Strategy?
Your content
is a
business asset.
(What if we treat it like one?)

21. What does that mean?
Content has to
come second.
(Business goals first.)

22. Why Content Strategy?
Otherwise, you’re back to this scenario.
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/

23. But I’m Not in the Content Business: Rebuttal
“Embrace that you are a publisher.”
— Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs
“The one with the most engaging content wins.”
— Joe Pulizzi, Junta 42 and Content Marketing Institute

24. Content Strategy, Step by Step
The Diagnosis
•Inventory
•Analyze
The Cure
•Identify sources
•Optimize tools
•Define process

25. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Inventory
•You’re going to need a spreadsheet.
•List everything you’ve got.
•No, everything.
•Yes, that too.

26. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Inventory

27. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Inventory
•For a comprehensive inventory, list content from all
channels.
•Capture process too.
•Site crawlers can be helpful.
•Check your CMS for useful functionality.
•Even on a small project, you’ll start to see issues at this
point.

28. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
What you’re looking for:
•ROT: Redundant, out-dated, trivial content
•Unclear/inaccurate messaging
•Signs of inefficient process: Creating similar content
repeatedly
•Gaps: What’s missing?

29. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
For instance:
•Identify types of content
•Note characteristics of content
•Group like items
•Look at the website and the backend UXs

30. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
•Identify types of content

31. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
•Note characteristics Headline [Character limit?]
Copy with links [Char limit?]
Image [Size?]

32. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
•Group like items

33. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
•Group like items

34. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
Review the website and the backend UXs
•See through your user’s eyes
•See through your editor’s eyes

35. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
•Is your site navigation the same as your org chart?

36. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
•Is your site navigation the same as your org chart?
ur doin it wrong

37. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
Does your back-end system work for you?

38. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
Does your back-end system work for you?
•Metadata: Information about your content
Title Keywords
Creation Date Section
Creator ID Categories
Character limit Image URL
Body

39. Step by Step, Diagnosis: Analyze
Does your back-end system work for you?
•Taxonomy: Hierarchy of content
Home
>Business
>>Nashville business
>>Relocating business
>Job Seekers
>Tourists

40. Step by Step, Cure: Identify Sources
Who can help?
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhysasplundh/

41. Step by Step, Cure: Identify Sources
Who can help?
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhysasplundh/

42. Step by Step, Cure: Identify Sources
Who can help?
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhysasplundh/

43. Step by Step, Cure: Identify Sources
Who can help?
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhysasplundh/

44. Step by Step, Cure: Identify Sources
Who can help?
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhysasplundh/

45. Step by Step, Cure: Optimize Tools
•Get the technology right
•Simple = Often better
•Metadata and taxonomy are your friends
•Create once, use repeatedly

46. Step by Step, Cure: Define Process
Don’t
over-process.

47. The Final Step
Plan for Day 2.
With credit to Jeffrey MacIntyre

48. Content Strategy: Changing Life for the Better
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan_culleton/

49. Content Strategy: Changing Life for the Better
?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan_culleton/

50. Content Strategy: Changing Life for the Better
•Mindset
? •Tools
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan_culleton/

51. Resources
Content Strategy
•Content Strategy for the Web | Kristina Halvorson
•The Elements of Content Strategy | Erin Kissane
Information Architecture and User Experience [UX] Design
•Don’t Make Me Think | Steve Krug
•The Elements of User Experience | Jesse James Garrett
•Search Patterns: Design for Discovery | Peter Morville and Jeffrey Callender
•Information Architecture for the World Wide Web | Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld
Writing
•Letting Go of the Words | Ginny Redish
•Content Rules | Ann Handley, C.C. Chapman and David Meerman Scott
•The Yahoo! Style Guide

52. Talk to Me
Laura Creekmore
Creek Content
http://creekcontent.com
@lauracreekmore
laura@creekcontent.com