DEFINING OUR PROFESSION,

DEFINING OURSELVES

CS Forum 2014

#csforum14

July 2, 2014

Margot Bloomstein

@mbloomstein

Wiesloch Stadtapotheke Erste Tankstelle, cc Rudolf Stricker

Wiesloch Stadtapotheke Erste Tankstelle, cc Rudolf Stricker

1888, Wiesloch

City pharmacy

City pharmacy = filling station

Wiesloch Stadtapotheke Erste Tankstelle, cc Rudolf Stricker

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 4

1909, Altoona

America’s oldest gas station

JohnnieandAngela.blogspot.com

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 5

1913

Road maps & tire service

JohnnieandAngela.blogspot.com

Road maps & tire service

Full service

Attended pumps

Self service

Air pumps

Squeegees

cc flicker.com/photos/baggis

Is this a gas station?

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 8

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 11

“A retail business providing the public

a convenient location to quickly purchase

a wide array of food, gasoline, and

services”

NACS, the National Association of Convenience & Fuel Retailing

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 12

“2400 square feet

of packaged consumer items.

Today, there are different types of stores:

mini stores under canopies, expanded

food service, in-store seating.”

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 13

Industries thrive through differentiation:

both buyers and sellers benefit.

What’s right for me?

What’s right for right now?

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 14

Prospect:

Financial services

messaging, workflow,

editorial training

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 15

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 16

Prospect:

Financial services

messaging, workflow,

editorial training

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 17

Prospect:

Financial services

messaging, workflow,

editorial training

for social media

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 18

Prospect:

Midmarket institutional investment

messaging, workflow,

editorial training

for social media

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 19

Prospect:

Midmarket institutional investment

messaging, workflow,

editorial training

for social media

© Barbara Kruger

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 20

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 21

I help brands clarify their communication

goals to develop, instill, and maintain

appropriate content and editorial voice.

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 22

Content strategy plans for the creation,

delivery, and governance of useful,

usable and brand-appropriate content.

This is how I define content strategy.

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 23

Content strategy plans for the creation,

delivery, and governance of useful,

usable and brand-appropriate content.

This is how I define content strategy.

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 24

Content strategy plans for the creation,

publication, and governance of useful,

usable content.

Kristina Halvorson, A List Apart 2009

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 25

Content strategy is to copywriting as

information architecture is to design.

Rachel Lovinger,

Content Strategy: The Philosophy of Data

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I work on how content is organized and

structured. […] I translate designs into

what needs to be built in the CMS to

make the content for the site work the

way it's supposed to.

Rachel Lovinger (@rlovinger), Razorfish

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 27

I'm a content strategist, which is a fancy

way of saying ‘a writer who also has

design and marketing skills.’

Tiffani Jones-Brown (@ticjones), Pinterest

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 28

I'm a content strategist. This means I help

clients and companies figure out how,

when, and why to talk to their audiences.

Keri Maijala (@clamhead)

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 29

We are management consultants for

external messaging and editorial

workflow challenges.

Ahava Liebtag (@ahaval), Aha Media Group

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 30

I am often a ‘fulcrum’ between disciplines.

I spend at least half my time focusing on

business and cultural change, before

thinking about content.

Elizabeth McGuane, @emcguane

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 31

A content strategist is like a business

analyst for your content. We look at how

content is currently helping (or hindering)

your business and develop a strategy to

make it work better.

Sally Bagshaw, @snappysentences

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 32

The analysis and planning to develop a

repeatable system that governs the

management of content throughout the

entire content lifecycle.

Rahel Anne Bailie, @rahelab,

The Language of Content Strategy

Industries thrive through differentiation:

both practitioners and clients benefit

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 33

Industries thrive through differentiation:

both practitioners and clients benefit

but only when we precisely, narrowly

define both what we do and need

and encourage diverse specificity

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 34

• Drive the development and organization of content that is useful, compelling and

meaningful on our site, all social media platforms, and distributed content

• Create user flows, information hierarchies, wireframes, and content strategy

• Maintain fluency in industry terminology and develop our “voice” within it

• Determine content requirements, inventory existing content, identify gaps,

evaluate possible sources for additional material, and manage the process of

getting that content into production

• Maintain current content audit

• Creatively look for opportunities to improve content, consumer experience, and

SEO performance

• Manage editorial calendar to proactively keep content useful and up to date

• Train internal and freelance copywriters; develop any necessary training programs

• Develop analytics, conduct consumer and usability testing to help improve the UX

• Lead projects with the PR and marcomm team to support campaigns and launches

• Work with brand architecture and terminology to guide product organization and

internal customer service content and training

• Drive the architecture of and improvements to the internal product CMS

• Occasionally write or edit content, particularly metadata, titles, alt text and edit

general content to optimize for natural search

• Drive the development and organization of content that is useful, compelling and

meaningful on our site, all social media platforms, and distributed content

• Create user flows, information hierarchies, wireframes, and content strategy

• Maintain fluency in industry terminology and develop our “voice” within it

• Determine content requirements, inventory existing content, identify gaps,

evaluate possible sources for additional material, and manage the process of

getting that content into production

• Maintain current content audit

• Creatively look for opportunities to improve content, consumer experience, and

SEO performance

• Manage editorial calendar to proactively keep content useful and up to date

• Train internal and freelance copywriters; develop any necessary training programs

• Develop analytics, conduct consumer and usability testing to help improve the UX

• Lead projects with the PR and marcomm team to support campaigns and launches

• Work with brand architecture and terminology to guide product organization and

internal customer service content and training

• Drive the architecture of and improvements to the internal product CMS

• Occasionally write or edit content, particularly metadata, titles, alt text and edit

general content to optimize for natural search

Without clear differentiation,

hiring (and selling) is frustrating,

training and rework is expensive, and

“content strategy” gets a bad name.

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 37

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 38

But will we dilute the meaning?

But will we dilute the meaning?

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 40

But will we dilute the meaning?

We’ll free the meaning

to communicate what we do or need

with greater precision.

“ ” I’m a designer

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 42

But what about the generalists?

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 43

But what about the generalists?

Follow your passion—

and work to better define the work.

Content strategists,

1. Be precise: own your definition.

2. Get specific: narrow what you want.

3. Be honest—and encouraging.

“No… and”

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 44

Clients,

1. Be precise: own your definition.

2. Get specific: narrow what you want.

3. Be honest—and encouraging.

“No… and”

@mbloomstein | #csforum14 45

This is an opportunity for growth and

specialization within our broad industry

because how we define our industry is

the sum of how we define ourselves.

Margot Bloomstein

@mbloomstein

margot@appropriateinc.com

slideshare.net/mbloomstein

amzn.to/CSatWork

© 2014 Appropriate, Inc.

http://appropriateinc.com/ideas/growing-t-shaped-content-strategist/

http://www.slideshare.net/jcolman/content-strategy-for-marketers-smx-advanced-2013

http://www.clevegibbon.com/2011/08/what-do-content-strategists-do/

© 2014 Appropriate, Inc.

Margot Bloomstein

@mbloomstein

margot@appropriateinc.com

slideshare.net/mbloomstein

amzn.to/CSatWork