CONTENT MYTHS DEBUNKED

Ten Ways of Thinking That Are Holding Back Your Strategy

Brittney Dunkins, Director of Content

Strategy

#CONVERGECONFAB

The Premise As Content Strategists

WE ARE ALLPUBLISHERS.

PLAN

PUBLISH

PRODUCE

PROMOTE

PRIORITIZE

PUBLISHING:The business or profession of the

commercial production and issuance of literature, information,

musical scores or sometimes recordings, or art.

- Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

Every time an“end of journalism” think piece is published, a content strategist gets her wings.

2012:

The BEGINNING.

What I Thought My Job Was.

What My Job Actually Was.

CO

NTE

NT

STRA

TEG

Y

Big Data is not a strategy. It is just a lot of data. Automation is not a strategy. It is a process done by machine. Hyper-personalization is not a strategy. It can be creepy.

Content is not a strategy. It is everything. Social media is not a strategy. It is all media. Innovation is not a strategy. It is a fancy word for new ideas. Bots is not a

strategy. It is a software that runs automated tasks.

Alberto Brea, Executive Director, Engagement Planning OgilvyOne Worldwide

A strategy is not about big words. It is all about choices.

CONTENT STRATEGYis the management of story.

CONTENTis the shape of story.

THE “WOW FACTOR” WILL GET YOU BUY IN.

Myth No. 1

Combat the MYTH.

Try the Pink Bow.

Get Influencer Buy-In First.

Define ROI Before Pitching Decision-makers.

WE ALL AGREE ON WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

Myth No. 2

Use a Narrative to Explain the Conflict.

Establish Discontent with the Status Quo.

Combat the MYTH.

I DON’T NEED TO ENGAGE ALL STAKEHOLDERS.

Myth No. 3

Give Stakeholders Specific Roles and Boundaries.

Engage Difficult Stakeholders Early and Often.

Combat the MYTH.

INNOVATE OR DIE.

Myth No. 4

Figure Out if Your Audience is There. Test it on a Small Scale

Find and Sustain the Best-Fit Content for Your Organization.

Combat the MYTH.

I HAVE TO SACRIFICE TIMELINESS OR STRATEGY TO SUSTAIN MY

CONTENT.

Myth No. 5

Consider a Follow Up “Strategic Piece” if You Miss Something.

Make a Plan For How You Will Execute In-the-Moment Content.

Combat the MYTH.

WE KNOW OUR AUDIENCE BEST.

Myth No. 6

Let Them Tell the Story.

Take Their Pulse Regularly.

Combat the MYTH.

INCREASING OUR OUTPUT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN QUALITY AND

SUSTAINABILITY.

Myth No. 7

Hire Quality Content Creators.

Launch New Content Properties At Appropriate Times.

Combat the MYTH.

WE NEED TO DO WHAT OUR COMPETITORS ARE DOING.

Myth No. 8

Follow Your Audience Not Your Competitors.

Choose What Messages You Can Own.

Combat the MYTH.

MY IDEA IS BETTER THAN OUR IDEA.

Myth No. 9

The Jelly Bean Test.

Try the “Parking Lot”.

Combat the MYTH.

CONTENT AND BRAND ARE SEPARATE.

Myth No. 10

Recognize That Messaging and Thematic Content Are Intertwined.

Translate Branding Across Your Content.

Combat the MYTH.

WHERE DO THESE MYTHS START?

My Ideas Don’t Hold Up

Our Competitors Will Outpace Us

My Audience Will Stop Listening

We Aren’t Creative

I Won’t Be Supported

My Ideas Will Be Taken From Me

I AM AFRAID

1. Data Check Your Audience

My Top Three STRATEGIES.

Create a user journey profile.

Try diverse ways of gathering information on your audience.

Just Curious Jared Greater Philadelphia Area18-26

BANNER ADS - 1SOCIAL MEDIA ADS -1

BLOG POST A + 3BLOG POST B + 3

WEBSITE VISIT + 8WEBINAR + 10

TWITTER FOLLOW +4FACEBOOK PAGE LIKE + 4SOCIAL SHARE POST A + 6

RFI Form + 12

NO AWARENESS

FIND CONTENT FROM SEARCH + 8

NO ENGAGEMENT

CONVERSION

2. Story Mining

My Top Three STRATEGIES.

Experiment with classic story models.

TRANSFORMATION

A ZERO-WASTE CAMPUS

MILESTONE

ATHLETICS

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

CORE NARRATIVE

STR

ATE

GIC

IN

ITA

TIV

ES

SUPP

OR

TIN

G

STO

RIE

S

SUSTAINABILITYA COMMUNITY GARDEN

PROJECT THAT IS SUPPLYING FOOD TO LOCAL FOOD BANKS

A RESEARCH STUDY

THAT COMBATS HOW WE THINK

ABOUT RAW FOOD

TRANSFORMATION

A TEAM OVERCOMING A LOSING STREAK

THANKS TO DEEPER COLLABORATION

ATHLETICS

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

CORE NARRATIVEST

RA

TEG

ICIN

ITA

TIV

ES

SUSTAINABILITY

A UNIVERSITY’S PATH

TO TITLE IX AND THE ATHLETES THAT BROKE BARRIERS

THE CHANGES TO A STADIUM FROM THE

PERSPECTIVE OF DIFFERENT ATHLETES

WHO USED THE FACILITY

3. State Of The Union

Keep clean data.

Poll stakeholders.

Revisit and revise.

My Top Three STRATEGIES.

The Key Is To Be Honest. Be Honest & Don’t Play Yourself.

-DJ Khaled

THANK YOU.

@convergeorgconvergeconsulting.org

#convergeconfab

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