The

Content Strategy Paradox

Rahel Anne Bailie © 2011 Intentional Design Inc.

www.intentionaldesign.ca @rahelab

Content Strategy

Business communications

Technical communication

IA/Usability Content/info management

Who am I?

STRATEGY

Def

init

ion

Alternatives chosen

to make happen a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem.

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/strategy.html

Typ

es o

f st

rate

gies

Internet strategy

Publishing strategy

Communication strategy

Digital strategy

Engagement strategy

CONTENT

Def

init

ion

Something contained,

in a receptacle

The stuff between the tags

Potential information

Human-usable, contextualized data

http://profile.typepad.com/jgollner

http://goo.gl/bmIhg

www.thefreedictionary.com/content

Rahel Anne Bailie at Lavacon 2010

Typ

es o

f st

rate

gies

Corporate

Marketing

User Assistance (docs, help, training, knowledge base)

Sales

User-generated

Co

mm

on

th

eme

CONTENT

STRATEGY

A sampling of recent workshops

A sampling of recent workshops

You’d think content strategy is …

• Lots of web, social, mobile

• Mostly marketing content

• Big part is editorial

• Focused on position and message

A sampling of recent workshops

A sampling of recent workshops

You’d think content strategy is …

• Multi-channel publishing

• Mostly user assistance

• Big part is technical

• Focus on asset amplification

Will the real content strategy please stand up?

Paradox: apparently contradictory statement

Social Web

Localization

Technical Engagement

Mobile Apps

Transactional

Will the real content strategy please stand up?

One Discipline, Many Specialties

Pediatrician Podiatrist

Psychiatrist

Gynecologist Plastic surgeon

Social Web

Localization

Technical Engagement

Mobile Apps

Transactional

It’s all content strategy

Wh

at is

co

nte

nt

stra

tegy

? Repeatable system

that governs the management of content throughout the entire lifecycle

Wh

at it

’s n

ot

Copywriting Editing Web design

Structured content Content management Project management

Social media Information architecture

Tweetable

Content strategy = Management consulting,

specializing in content

Satellite view: Content supply chain

That assumes:

• Content is a commodity

• It’s a single-use product

• Focus should be on optimization

• Content has clear start and end production points

• Production is linear, not iterative

• All content gets a single treatment

Strategy/ Analyze

Author/ Edit

Content Management

UX/Deploy

Localize

Measure

Strategy/ Analyze

Author/ Edit

Content Management

UX/Deploy

Localize

Measure

Street view: It’s more like this

• Modeling/typing

• Configure/components

• Structure /standards

• Repository

• Aggregate/Transform

• Publish/Syndicate

• Evaluate

• Iterate or sunset

• Author/Edit

• Acquire

• Version/Localize

• Metadata

• Requirement analysis

• User research

• Governance planning

• Budget

Analyze Collect

Manage Publish

The content lifecycle

Sample deliverables

User research

Flow diagrams

Personas, scenarios

Wire-frames

Delivery design

Standards guidelines

Writing Templates

Training aids

Content inventory

Message architec-

ture Editorial calendar

Content matrix

Content audit

Content plan

Business require-ments

summary Gap analysis

Process models

Govern-ance

model

Metadata strategy

Sunset/ iterate

Custom, personal

views Localiz-ation

strategy

Content migration

Content model

Link strategy

Versioning

Deliverables mapped to methodology

Get solid grasp of

current state

Understand goals for

future state

Do a gap analysis

Create a plan to fill the gap

Content inventory

Content audit

User research

Personas,

scenarios

Content matrix

Style guide

Accessibility

guidelines

Writing templates

Editorial calendar

Process models

Delivery design

Standards guidelines

Content migration

plan

Content review

Technology

review

Localization

review

Metadata review

Content brief

Competitive analysis

Requirements matrix

Governance

assessment

Wireframes

Personalization

requirements

Responds to customer lifecycle

Identify problem or need

Present and differentiate solutions

Demonstrate expertise / validate reputation

Post-purchase familiarization

Long-term support

Relationship renewal / upgrade

Tweetable

Consumers use all types of content to make buying decisions.

Controlling access to content is an illusion

• Users don’t respect arbitrary silos

• All content can be used to make buying decisions

• Marketing, social, user-generated, documentation, training, and user assistance content are multiple sides of the same dice

We all want the same thing

Brand

Credibility Efficiency

TRUST PROFIT

Tweetable

Content is a valuable business asset.

EXA

MP

LE

MARKETING CONTENT

To q

uo

te D

avid

Far

bey

Deliver the effective minimum dose of information

It’s all about me, me, me

May 25, 2011

2 days after

volcanic eruption

EXA

MP

LE

ENGINEERING CONTENT

To q

uo

te N

oz

Urb

ina

Less work, more flow

Stealth strategy for competitive advantage

EXA

MP

LE

PRODUCT CONTENT 1

Let Me … Confuse You

( = international roaming)

( = SIM card)

Let Me … Confuse You

EXA

MP

LE

PRODUCT CONTENT 2

Fo

rmer

ho

me

pag

e

© Intentional Design Inc.

Strategic question

But how do people buy an inverter?

An

swer

: Sea

rch

th

e sp

ecs

May 2005 © Intentional Design Inc.

The

pro

du

ct s

pec

s

© Intentional Design Inc.

New

ho

me

pag

e

Novice Intermediate Experienced

Co

mp

are

EXA

MP

LE

MAINTENANCE CONTENT

Ro

om

ba

Text option

Graphic option

User

feedback

Related

content

Print

option http://www.irobot.com/uk/support/

EXA

MP

LE

INTEGRATED CONTENT

To q

uo

te S

cott

Ab

el

Getting users to click does not constitute strategy

Trik

ke

Mai

nte

nan

ce c

on

ten

t

Use

r-ge

ner

ated

co

nte

nt

Tweetable

Under-the-hood aspects of content raise its value as an asset.

The Cynefin framework (cognitive-edge.com)

•Pattern management

•Complex adaptive systems

•Crisis management

•Stability-focused intervention

•Analytical/ reductionst

•Systems-based thinking

•Legitimate best practice

•Standard operating procedures

Cynefin framework from Kurtz, C.F. and Snowden, D.J. “The new dynamics of strategy”, IBM Systems Journal, September 2003.

Tweetable

Content strategy is a emergent practice (in a complex adaptive system)

Common aspects of content strategy

• Move the content “stuff” upstream in the process

• Produce good quality content

• Plan for all aspects of delivery

• Structure the content semantically

• Add meaningful attributes and metadata

Recognizing multiple channels

Under the hood

Source content

User experience

Content variation

Formatting variation

Interaction variation

Business requirements

Content planning

Publishing pipeline

Takeaways

• Content strategy is a many faceted discipline. Recognize it.

• Good quality content is only the beginning. Leverage it to its fullest potential.

• Delivering content is complex. Understand it well.

• All content is marketing content. Treat it well.

• Content strategy is evolving. Evolve with it.

Connecting @rahelab

http://www.google.com/profiles/rahel.bailie

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