faster, easier, better, gimme! use content strategy to your advantage

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Appropriate, Inc. © 2010 #W2E @mbloomstein

Faster! Easier! Better!

GIMME!Use content strategyto your advantage

Margot Bloomstein@mbloomstein #W2ESeptember 29, 2010

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Use content strategy to get what you want.

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DesignersInformation architectsInteraction designersProject managersSEO/SEM specialistsSocial media consultants

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©Skillset.org

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Deliver on time

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Deliver on time

Stay in budget

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Deliver on time

Stay in budget

Give users what they need

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Deliver on time

Stay in budget


Please our clients (and ourselves)

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Deliver on time

Stay in budget


Please our clients (and ourselves)

Minimize revisions

Rally everyone around a vision

Build a cohesive experience

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This is where content strategy can help!

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What is content strategy?Planning for the creation, aggregation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable, and appropriate content in an experience.

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Designers…How do you visualize abstract concepts without concrete terms?

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Make us look hip!

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We’re traditional, but not conservative.

Make us look hip!

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Make us look hip!

More

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Make us look hip!

More like

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Make us look hip!

More like Apple

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More like Apple?

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More like Apple?

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More like Apple?

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Confident but approachable; an accessible market leader

SimpleMinimal detail with clean, streamlined, unfussy ID

Inviting, friendly, supportive but not fawning

More like Apple’s “message architecture”

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Content strategy can help you communicate.

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Content strategy can help you communicate—in less time, money, and stress.

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Question:How do you visualize abstract concepts without concrete terms?

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Answer:Use a message architecture: prioritized brand attributes that stem from a shared vocabulary.

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Prioritize key messages

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Design, write, label, and organize around those messages

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Get it all right in fewer rounds of revision

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Result?Invest in content strategy now to preserve time and budget for design later.

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Okay. How are we going to pay for this?

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Fewer rounds of creative revision easily pay for content strategy-driven concepting… especially if your client uses words to communicate.

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Words are cheaper than comps.

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Content strategyhelps you sell your clients on predictability.

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Predictability helps them• Plan for photo shoots

• Anticipate content types

• Gather testimonials

• Write to exact specs for keywords & character counts

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Predictability helps you• Design for specific content

types and character counts

• Anticipate UGC structure

• Create more interesting templates

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Design supports content types and lengths!Layout offers context!Templates accommodate—not fight—user-generated content!

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Content and design that share a message architecture drive a more cohesive and consistent user experience.

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Glossary!

Social sharing!

Live help!

Video!

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Laid back

Minimalist

Clean

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IAs & PMs…How do you plan for the future if you don’t know what you currently have—or what you need?

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Vision

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/constructiondeal_marketing/4101803690/

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Strategy? Tactics?

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/constructiondeal_marketing/4101803690/

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What do we have?

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Is it still good?

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Do we even need it?

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How will we get more?

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Do folks even like it?

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And how do you budget by page count if you don’t know how many pages you need toexpress the main points, capture a user’s profile, or complete interactions?

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Content strategy!

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Develop a quantitative and qualitative content audit

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• Conduct a head count

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• Check parity of length and consistency in structure

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• Check parity of length and consistency in structure

• Evaluate quality against the message architecture

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Is contentbrand-appropriate,current, andrelevant?

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Result?Content strategy drives more comprehensive sitemaps, wireframes, and gap analysis.

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Because you deserve to know that too.

In advance.

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Result?Content strategy informs brand-appropriate calls to action & site-wide nomenclature.

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Result part 2: opportunity• ID new content types

• prep the client for them

• upsell case studies

• gather testimonials

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Budget?Sell your client on not wasting their money.

They invested in a new look because they needed to saysomething new, right?

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But wait!

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But wait!They already have writers in the marketing department!

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OH NOES!

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OH NOES!

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Content strategy is metaphorical bacon.

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Writing is only one tactical part of content strategy.

It doesn’t ask strategic questions.

Internal resources lack an outside perspective.

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Search engine marketers…How do you write meta and ad copy when the copy for fulfillment pages keeps changing?

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And where should the user experience begin?

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Content strategycan help search engine marketing “hook” users more quickly to deliver higher conversions.

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• Map ad copy to the message architecture

• Translate meta content for tone, not just keywords

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Social media consultants…How do you get your client to stop talking about themselves and genuinely engage?

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Good conversation demands good content strategy.

(Hi, inbound marketing?)

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message architecture

editorial style guidelines

editorial calendar

a consistent multichannel presence

+

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From: Little MOO | Print Robot <[email protected]>Subject: MOO | Order 0629312615 | Confirmed

Hello

I'm Little MOO - the bit of software that will be managing your order with moo.com. It will shortly be sent to Big MOO, our print machine who will print it for you in the next few days. I'll let you know when it's done and on its way to you.

Remember, I'm just a bit of software. So, if you have any questions regarding your order please first read our Frequently Asked Questions or contact customer services (who are real people!)

Thanks,Little MOO, Print Robot

http://moo.com/�

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Result?• Prepare for seasonal

themes

• Instill a workflow in organizational culture

• Maintain fresh, search engine-friendly content

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Content strategy drives demand—and results.

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• More air-tight solutions

• Save time, budget, and energy on iteration

• Cohesive, consistent UX

• Higher conversions

What do you get out of this?

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No peanut butter, just happiness.

(For you, users, & clients)

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Thank you!

Margot Bloomstein@[email protected]/mbloomsteinTwitter: #contentstrategyAll logos and pictures are property of their respective owners.

faster, easier, better, gimme! use content strategy to your advantage

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