The energy of content: harnessing its power using strategyKate Thomas

Information Energy, 8-9 June 2016, Utrecht

Content is the currency of digital

 

Literally – sites and apps need content to make money

 

Figuratively – without content, digital is a sad, grey place

More than currency, content is digital’s who, what, why and when

 

No one would disagree with this. Everyone knows content is important

But why is it so hard?

Because content is the energetic lifeforce of digital.

Taking this approach creates order, harmony, satisfaction, a positive atmosphere where people can prosper

Get it wrong, and progress and possibility is hamstrung. The world is chaotic, inefficient, frustrating and sad

Energy defined:

“Energy can be transformed into another sort of energy.

Energy has always existed in one form or another.

It cannot be created and it cannot be destroyed.”

Stored energy is called potential energy

Moving energy is called kinetic energy

So think about content in this way:

• Evergreen content is stored energy, energy that sits there fulfilling a quiet role of a potential <something>

• Or the more eye-catching, moving energy of well written headlines, pull quotes, compelling images, news items… that creates kinetic energy

Energy buzzes around content all the time.

• It can overwhelm people and organisations

• Cognitive frameworks (plus systems and processes) aren’t used to thinking beyond the present and immediate future

• The (almost) palpable frustrations where people can’t see a way out of their fog of confusion

But it’s also the positive energy that fizzes when a project finally gets its legs and things are coming together

Why content strategy?

What qualifies content strategists?

Lots of people do content these days:

• (content) marketing

• SEO

• copywriters

• project managers

• account managers

• designers

To answer that, let’s step back in time.

Content wasn’t always this energetic or complex

Prior to 2007 and the iPhone, digital existed – for most people – on a desktop or big laptop

• No apps

• No portability (as we know it now)

• No mobile (at scale)

There were big screens, limited interaction, no (well, not much) transactional content

WebArchive.org: www.johnlewis.com, 18 Jan 2006

WebArchive.org: www.direct.gov.uk/Homepage/fs/en 18 Jan 2006

In 2006…

• Publishing to a website = book/magazine publishing – one thing was published at one time

• No always-on publishing – people weren’t connected 24/7

• Content’s energy was contained in a ‘page’

• It was a singular object, controlled by the publisher

• It wasn’t designed for ease of re-use (exception here of tech publishing)

We controlled the message - the content.

But not the medium:

In 2006…

• Web content used to be done in good faith

• Web editors, content managers, editor - we were the experts

• We understood publishing, how people read, how the message needed to be structured for maximum effect

• IT / tech team owned this

(and often still does)

• then IA / UX took the spotlight

Then in Feb 2011, a certain search engine updated their algorithm.

Content strategy = business strategy

The digital energy genie is out of the bottle

• We need more than our good word to justify our actions

• Content is too expensive and important to not be managed properly

Content strategy: the framework that delivers energy for digital

Planning

• analysis

• requirements gathering

• editorial calendars

Systems

• governance

• content models

• content plans

• translation frameworks

Resources

• people

• content

• budgets

Technology

• paper

• spreadsheets

• software

• hardware

So why content strategy and not:

• (content) marketing

• SEO

• copywriters

• project managers

• account managers

• designers

Because strategy.Because:• planning• systems• resources• technology

Content strategyThe fulcrum. Informs all work that follows.

Create a gap analysis, post-team brainstorm to identify opportunities to leapfrog competitors, top-performing content (via site data) and requirements.

Then, we look at the competitive landscape to understand benchmarks and how we can set them.

We try to understand organizational pain points and readiness and users’ online behaviour, needs, frustrations etc.

What informs a holistic content strategy?Begin development phase

Stakeholder interviews User research

Competitive audit

Content auditNext, we evaluate current content for quality or begin to gather the raw material for scripts, articles, video, and/or copy creation.

Content strategyDevelop a content strategy that makes recommendations around formats, topics, sourcing, distribution, delivery mechanisms, tagging, etc.

Gap analysis

1

2

3

4

5

Video strategies/ development

Taxonomies/ SEO

Topic briefs

Content development plans/matrices

CMS documentation/workflows

Content models for CMS

How do we turn strategy into content?

Development outputs

Style guides Editorial schedules/ team models

Interview guides

Asset inventories

Discovery phase inputs

Content auditGap analysis

Content strategy

Stakeholder interviews User researchCompetitive audit

Content plan

Content plan

Customise as you see fit

Editorial calendarDetailed… or bird’s eye view

CMS Wire

Copy template

One of the pieces of the puzzle

Don’t create deliverables from scratch!

Use content strategy to channel content’s energy

• Content is here to stay

• Content strategies are diversifying

• Content should be discoverable and operate at scale

• Success requires long-term thinking

Harnessing content’s energy with strategy

Thank you