The document summarizes key points from several presentations at a content strategy conference. 1) Speakers discussed how content strategy is about understanding users and their needs, not just creating content. They emphasized the importance of user research, testing assumptions, and focusing on the user experience. 2) Effective content requires considering the entire customer journey across channels and providing the right content at the right time. Content must be structured to increase understanding and interest for users. 3) Startups were cited as examples of focusing content based on users before other priorities and using data and analytics to continually improve content. Plain language and manageable expectations were also recommended.

1. THE RECAP

2. #confabfeelings
*content strategy is really people strategy

3. Making the Case for
Content Strategy
Ahava Liebtag
@ahaval

4. Bring it, Ahava!

5. Content is…
Intimate
Politically sensitive
Requires definition and decision making
Reveals to the world who we are
F*ing scary!

6. 6 approaches to take
Demystify the beast
Be honest
Ask artful questions
Be the guide, not the map
Get buy-in with small wins
Manage the good idea fairy
Photo credit: Getty Images

7. "Don’t ever walk in and tell them
their baby is ugly"
- Ahava Liebtag

8. Instead, say things like:
Tell me why...
I’m wondering about...
Help me understand...

9. Experiencing Delightful
Content
Jared Spool
@jmspool

10. ‘Sup, JSpool!

11. "Search is only for the site's content. e
refund policy is not content."
- A Client

12. Everything is content.
Content is what the user needs
or wants right now.

13. Relying on in-site search should always be
your "Plan B."
When you have good content,
you have delighted the user.
Looking for a good example? Chek out
Montreal Gazette’s Fantasy Hockey.

14. Delightful content design takes...
User research
Information architecture
Interaction design
Information design
Editing and curation
Design practice management
Visual design
Copywriting

15. Content is at the center of all great
user experiences.
BUT delightful content is not free.
ere has to be a business model to
support it.

16. Well, This IS Interesting:
Content and the science
of interest
Melissa Rach
@melissarach

17. Tell ‘em, Melissa.

18. Be curious.
Because YOU have to be interested in
something before you can make it
interesting to others.

19. Interest has several different purposes,
most of all, it’s a human need
Interest is about filling knowledge gaps and
making connections
Ongoing interest requires increasing
complexity
Sharing and storytelling take interest to
the next level

20. “Comprehension is the hinge
between interest and confusion."
- Paul J. Silvia
Exploring the Psychology of Interest

21. 5 things you can do
Get yourself interested: know your stuff
Focus on helping people: be a “content concierge”
Find the information gaps and decide which to fill (goal
oriented, action oriented, entertainment oriented)
Make it easy: comprehension is the hinge between interest
and confusion
Talk, teach, listen, and learn: asking for feedback helps you
tell more interesting stories

22. Getting the
User-Generated Content
You Want
Vanessa Gennarelli
@mozzadrella

23. Vanessa, stop being so smart already.

24. Getting quality user generated content
is hard.
When websites rely on user generated content, it can be a
real challenge to get users to submit the caliber of content
you need (think about ideal Yelp reviews, they're helpful,
witty, well-written, provide supporting details, etc.).

25. We can help!
As information designers, we can shape the content
submission process to encourage higher quality user
generated content by providing smart examples and
establishing constraints.

26. How we can help...
Shine a light on great examples and users
Give users sample copy
Provide illustrative or instructional inline help copy
Create helpful resources, like tips and how-tos
Develop safeguards (i.e. community dos & don'ts)
Pre-determined choices to choose from like dropdown menu
items, radio buttons, required fields, etc.

27. Bonus: Hiring Evaluation Test
For those of you looking to hire content strategists in the near
future, Rebekah has turned Vanessa’s awesome in-session
exercise from Confab into a sweet little test for potential hires
that measures a candidate’s:
Creativity and flexibility
Strategic thinking and empathy for users
Ability to communicate their ideas with developers & designers
Writing skills (including microcopy!)
Basic user flow and UX sensibilities
If you want all the details, shoot a message to:
rebekah.cancino@gmail.com

28. Content Strategy for
the Customer Journey
Kevin Nichols
@kpnichols

29. Kevin’s about to get serious.

30. To the customer, all content is
company content.
ey don’t care who it’s coming from within
the company; they care about how it
speaks to them.

31. Omnichannel provides content at every
customer channel and considers time,
manner, and place.
It includes physical, digital, in-store, and
person to person interactions.
Customers do not experience a brand in
just one channel.

32. Customer journeys are the engine behind
personalization and the key to designing
an omnichannel experience.
ey provide opportunities to personalize and
clarify which types of content are most
effective for each segment of your audience.

33. What the hell is customer journey?
Harvard Business Review’s got you covered:
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/11/
using_customer_journey_maps_to.html

34. What startups can
teach us about
content strategy
Stephanie Hay
@steph_hay

35. HAY! You know, as in Steph Hay.

36. Writing before wireframing?
Yes.
Content drives everything we do. It is the
structure. So starting with it just
makes sense.

37. STOP
USING MARKETING
WORDS
&
SETTING UNREALISTIC
EXPECTATIONS

38. e “You” Orientation
Who the users are, and what they actually care about.
TRUMPS
e “We/Me” Orientation
Who we are, and what we care about.

39. Pay attention to them first
Google Keyword Tool
Google AdWords
Google Analytics
Prioritize your people
Own what’s real

40. Attention comes from trust
Use plain language and meet the
expectations you set

41. All in all, it was a Confabulous time.

42. more smart people
to follow
@halvorson
@webmeadow
@jcolman
@sara_ann_marie
@MrVilhauer
@lucidplot
@karenmcgrane
@mbloomstein
@ticjones
@eaton