This document discusses scalable models for content strategy and marketing. It addresses the need for collaboration between different teams like PR, social media, and editorial to align on a shared content plan and strategy. It also emphasizes determining the right content for the right audiences at the right time to provide value. Finally, it suggests developing a content ratio and coverage plan to educate audiences and keep content findable over time.
7. Provide the right content,
for the right people,
in the right place,
at the right time.
Meghan Casey
http://uxmag.com/articles/get-your-content-strategy-out-of-the-
drawer-with-governance
My background
Higher Ed, Nonprofit, Small business/start up, Marketing for anybody
Accelerated learning: Experience the same amount of people, workload, and opportunities in 2 years that I had in the previous 12.
I also teach and plan my work by the principles of my school: Teaching, Service, and Research.
My real job knowing audiences and their needs, wrangling content producers and technology. Herding cats. I help get the right content done on time, where it belongs.
These things have to work together. And that means people have to work together.
In many organizations these are siloed activities or individuals or their seen as separate “tricks” instead of practices that support each other.
But each of these practices can be a way to help find alignment in your organization
Integral to providing good user experience, enhancing customer experiences
Visualize that.
I found that content isn’t something that comes in the end, it’s something that threads throughout and touches all of the parts of a process, whether we’re working on products or services.
Today, turn model into a tool that helps us find alignment across people and teams.
We have tools like analytics to collect data
user journeys, personas to help us understand customers/user behavior
Messaging architectures, core and content modeling, page description diagrams
I can go on, but it’s hard to find ways to talk about content across disciplines and backgrounds.
Content Strategy belongs to everybody. Without it most of these areas become silo’ed and they don’t know how to work together with one message, one voice, correct content. Content isn’t just words, it’s meaning and it’s how very different teams are going to work together to convey that meaning.
Understanding the complexity and overlaps. In reality, people work together to make good, quality, relevant content.
From message to structure to code to delivery methods and systems.
In order to build strategies and plans, we need consider the BEFORE
Before we consider tactics, content types, formats, and platforms
We’ll consider the WHY. Why are we creating and maintaining content?
We have a lot of jobs to do. C-suite, M-suite, Design, Dev, SEO, Marketing, Editorial.
This tool is for helping agree on and articulate our goals. Turn business goals into customer-centered language.
Ultimately, we want to move from strategy and planning to execution as soon as possible. We want to assign tasks. Give everyone their hat and get to work.
Content Pilates leads to a strong core. Start where I intend to end. A system for visualizing how to balance Content Strategy through SEO and content marketing.
A tool for alignment and conversation with collaborators.
Align business needs and goals (from sales to what numbers individuals are accountable for) with what customers need.
High-level, big picture sense of the tool and show you how I’ve used it in deliverables.
We need a plan for
Breaking down content by purpose.
Transforming from AIDA to what we need to do with content in order to reach people through digital media.
I like AIDA because it’s familiar, a lot of us know it. Even if from Glengarry Glen Ross, we’ve heard of it. Simple models help us focus. They don’t say everything we need to do, but they help us talk together and align.
This is a model for making a sale. Action is also referred to do as Acquisition.
Content is a way for us to have a conversation and build a relationship.
We don’t want them to stop at one action (buy/donate)
As this model shows, we’re looking for relationships with customers. We want their support and advocacy.
We want not just a one-time transaction but for them to come back and tell others about us.
People are skeptical about advertising, they rely on people they trust for recommendations. WOM, referrals have real value.
When we take our business goals beyond “closing a sale” into facilitating decision AND conversation, we’re going to need our content to help them every step of the way from organizing our information into something useful
Can a person make a decision and complete a task based on content provided?
Would they want to tell someone else about how helpful, useful, or meaningful you were?
Blank slate version
First, I talk about this new funnel.
Change the language to align with the organization and its culture
Scalability
Inform. I’m here. I’m useful.Visibility
Answer. I’m relevant! I have the actual thing you’re looking for!
You need a content strategy to do this
Cover the field with it. Doesn’t mean make more, make it available. Make it connected and connectable. Make it for them.
Product descriptions, Blog posts, social media, F2F, print, promotion anywhere.
What do your customers need to know? All the details matter as well as their priority.
Start here because maybe this is all you can do. It’s a good foundation.
Customer words – in site search, user research, survey, interview
Users words – in site search, user research, surveys
Audience Words – SEO tools, competitors, online research
Plan for how their words, syntax can be translated into your site.
Use what informs and answers to educate.
Good content is not enough. You will structure. You will promote it by providing connected informative content. You will provide answers and accurate timely information in a priority order (Inverted Pyramid, Nut graph). You will meet highest editorial standards in accuracy and creation. You will be useful and findable.
People come from anywhere and everywhere and take their own paths, you just have to make sure you have enough coverage and connection.
User research that answers these questions for your ideation, production, and promotion
Eye chart
What, where, when, how
How much, how hard
Ratio
Flip the model to consider how you would use it in production. Start with your themes.
Content Pilates leads to a strong core. Start where I intend to end. A system for visualizing how to balance Content Strategy through SEO and content marketing.
A tool for alignment and conversation with collaborators.
Align business needs and goals (from sales to what numbers individuals are accountable for) with what customers need.
High-level, big picture sense of the tool and show you how I’ve used it in deliverables.
We need a plan for
Think like a robot for a second.
Content Pilates leads to a strong core. Start where I intend to end. A system for visualizing how to balance Content Strategy through SEO and content marketing.
A tool for alignment and conversation with collaborators.
Align business needs and goals (from sales to what numbers individuals are accountable for) with what customers need.
High-level, big picture sense of the tool and show you how I’ve used it in deliverables.
We need a plan for