There's a People Problem Lurking Behind Your Digital Strategy

© Razorfish™, LLC All rights reserved.!

There’s a people problem lurking behind your digital strategy. @erinscime #contentstrategy MIMA Summit, October 10 2012

About me!

•  About Me:

•  Associate Experience Director, Content Strategy at Razorfish NY

•  Founded content strategy group at HUGE in 2008

•  “The Content Strategist as Digital Curator” in A List Apart

•  NYC bike commuter

Real world scenario:

Global tourism operator

A little about this company:

•  Headquarters in Miami •  75+ international digital marketers •  Publish campaigns using 1 platform to all

markets •  Goal of increasing direct online sales

They planned for everything but content

Design ✔

Technology platform ✔

Monetization plan ✔

Content strategy

Operational plan

Most businesses’ trouble spot

Content is the biggest challenge to manage.

Content is the biggest challenge to manage.

We think it’s a content or business problem when really

people are the root of the problem.

No content owner

No content owner

No content strategy

No content owner

No content strategy

No translation plan No publishing plan

No content owner

No content strategy

No translation plan

No job descriptions

No publishing plan

No content owner

No content strategy

No translation plan

No job descriptions

No publishing plan

No expectations

Discarded translated copy

No content owner

No content strategy

No translation plan

No job descriptions

No publishing plan

Reactive, ad hoc publishing

1 super-human that ties the whole “system” together

No expectations

Discarded translated copy

No content owner

No content strategy

No translation plan

No job descriptions

No publishing plan

Reactive, ad hoc publishing

1 super-human that ties the whole “system” together

No expectations

Discarded translated copy

People problems:

Will my position be eliminated with this new structure, design?

I’m concerned I’m going to lose ownership over this area of the site.

I fear losing ownership over my ideas.

I am afraid of being micro-managed

My department has a process. I don’t want to change.

I like the way we organize the content in my area of the site. I don’t want to change

If I don’t own the content, I can’t justify my budget.

Hosted listening labs & share sessions to quell these fears:

Positioned neutral global “mothership” with local satellite properties

Drew up digital org chart for more efficient operations

Existing role repositioned New role

Why talk about content operations at a digital marketing conference?

As digital marketers you most likely touch content operations in some capacity.

New design or site expansion:

New titles/roles New areas of site to manage New patterns for distribution New way of integrating into larger advertising ecosystem

New design or site expansion:

New titles/roles New areas of site to manage New patterns for distribution New way of integrating into larger advertising ecosystem

politics &

process.

management (politics)

operations (structure)

You can anticipate resistance and solve for most definite “people problems”

http://www.bonkersworld.net/organizational-charts/

4 tactics for turning around people problems

1. Identify

your people

problems

Know how to identify a business strategy problem from a people problem

Business Problem: People Problem:

Creating a digital vision

Getting people aligned in that vision

Business Problem: People Problem:

Reorganizing content

Turf wars that ensue due to ownership territories

Business Problem: People Problem:

Resourcing to fit into budget

Defining and hiring (or reassigning) the right digital team

Business Problem: People Problem:

Achieving ROI Different functional units working in silos

2. Position a

content owner

Most often, there is 1 key player missing

Digital owner (CEO, CMO)

CMS owner Code owner Design owner

? Content owner

The digital content owner is your evangelist & content czar

Senior-level position (VP, Director) responsible for:

•  Digital content product overall •  Long-term strategy / vision •  Oversees publishing factions including

staffing, process & P&L •  Top-level communicator with business

owners, sister brands & partners •  Content lead on high-profile initiatives •  Relationships with key business owners

such as marketing & technology

Forrester agrees: the future marketer will have to spend more time on people

Who in your organization could this be?

Depending on the skill-set, experience and desire for being a change agent, this role could come from: •  Senior-level marketing executive

•  Editor-in-Chief (if they are of strategic mindset)

•  Strategist

•  Content Operations Manager

•  Hire out for it (Senior strategist with content background)

3. Build a nimble

team

Many companies will say they’re nimble, but few actually are. Being nimble is about the ability to adapt quickly to the new challenges and opportunities in today’s ecosystem… ..Being nimble is not just about organization. It’s about the industry’s business models. -Rachel Lovinger on nimble content, Razorfish Nimble Report, 2010

Like content, digital teams must be nimble

Problem! businesses are not focusing enough on their people

Tools 90%

People 10%

*compare to http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/the-10-90-rule-for-magnificient-web-analytics-success/

Typical business focus

Digital infrastructures demand nimble employees

Print Team Digital Team

Team structure: Fixed:

produce same product in same medium over time

Nimble:

able to adapt to ever-changing technologies & market needs

Skillsets: Narrow: expert skillsets

Flexible: skillsets & responsibilities to work on

cross-disciplinary solutions

Medium: Single Multi-format

Model: Assembly line / Waterfall Collaboration

Hire & cultivate nimble digital employees

ü  Flexible/embraces change

ü  Contributes in creative solutions

ü  Understanding of major platforms

ü  Can think on their feet

The Digital Employee: ~70% expert ~30% “talent”

Grow & stimulate: integrate roles into employee evaluations

ü  Incentivize based on new/updated KPIs or site goals

ü  Rewrite job descriptions to reflect new site operations every time you shift your process

ü  Set expectations that roles will be defined, but that the flexibility is where the self-motivated employee picks up

Nimble employees does not warrant the absence of process. Without process & infrastructure you lose scope, direction & control.

Digital

Owner

Publishing Lead

Creative Lead

UX Lead

Product Lead

CMS/Tech Lead

Nimble teams work well with 1 central owner at the helm with a ring of flexible experts

Experts who collaborate in flexible roles when necessary

A collaborative model has been implemented by Disney and Apple

Courtesy Delphine Hirasuna: .Atissuejournal.com/2009/08/07

With responsive design becoming dominant, nimble teams structure must be considered

•  Co-located workspace

•  Shared deliverables

•  Prototypes for sign-off •  Cross-over in job

descriptions

•  Knowledge of multiple technologies/platforms

Front end developer

Interaction Designer

Content Strategist

CMS developer

4. Have a

socialization plan

Most often, a disconnect between goals & tactics !

Process Tactics

Editors

CMS / Asset Manager

Writers Asset

Producers

VP level

Disconnect

Vision Plan / Strategy

Most often, a disconnect between goals & tactics !

Process Tactics

Editors

CMS / Asset Manager

Writers Asset

Producers

VP level

Disconnect à buy-in & training

Vision Plan / Strategy

There’s no better role to take on socialization than a digital marketer

I know how to market an idea to a defined audience. Socializing my plan is no different.

ü  How large or small business is

ü  How old/resistant to change

ü  Start grassroots or top-down ü  Who is must vs. nice-to-have for backing

ü  Who will be change agents

Gaining momentum is different for every business

Get the right-buy in, by the right person, at the right time

Entire digital stakeholder team

CMS

Marketing Editor-in-Chief

Product

Ad/Sales

Digital Content Owner Content Creator

Map your socialization plan to business levels

Stage 2: Operationalize Editors

CMS / Asset Manager

Writers Asset

Producers

VP level Stage 1: Gain Momentum

Stage 3: Execute

Map your socialization plan to business levels

Stage 2: Operationalize

Stage 1: Gain Momentum

Stage 3: Execute

•  Digital vision / site & content goals •  KPIs / success metrics •  Designs

•  Digital vision / site & content goals •  Biz unit ownership areas •  Prototypes / working pilots •  Research results

•  Digital vision / site & content goals •  Training docs •  Content templates •  Production workflows

So does this really work? (hint: yes!)

Proof it works:

Mass market auto maker

A little about this auto maker

•  Goal: increase engagement post-sales

through customer support content & features

•  Large, global and siloed organization

•  New local CMS

•  Future enterprise CMS plans in the works

No content owner (had a digital owner) Turf wars Micro-focused business units Outdated roles/responsibilities

Their people problems:

1.  Positioned content owner 2.  Content vision: socialized to business units 3.  Standardized content production

4.  Customized CMS for responsive content

5.  Redefined existing roles / set expectations

6.  Socialized (“state of the unions”) & trained some more

Plan of attack:

Attending to people problems = significant results.

Reversed the ratio of request types

Previous expenditure

60% emergency requests

40% standard requests

10% emergency requests

90% standard requests

Resulting expenditure

Results?

62 © 2012 Razorfish. All rights reserved.!

56% reduction In labor and IT development resources

Results?

63 © 2012 Razorfish. All rights reserved.!

3 weeks saved to launch 1 page

A pilot project for an iPad app to garner adoption with initial set of users

Test out major impacts: •  Content (inventory) •  Back-end systems •  Asset sourcing •  Training •  Sizzle reel & support videos

Outcome: •  Exceeded enrollment prior

to set deadline •  More business units want

their products in the app •  Momentum and

excitement for product

Make Model Year

Why does all of this matter?

2012 +: Nimble teams will need to be organized around customer lifecycle, not channel silos

Internal organization

External Touch Points

(apps, sites, mobile, social)

User/Customer

Attention to people problems = time to spend growing your business / content

+  Predictive marketing / personalization easier

+  Expandable/retractable team growth

+  Optimized/responsive content

+  Focus on your campaigns, not process & politics

+  Shared business goals

+  Saved $$

THANK YOU. @erinscime Read more:

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