Content Strategy 2015: Marketing, Mobile, and the Enterprise

Kristina @Halvorson braintraffic.com confabevents.com

What is “content strategy”?

2009

Content strategy is the

practice of planning for

the creation, delivery,

and governance of

useful, usable content.

2012

Content strategy guides

planning for the

creation, delivery, and

governance of

content…

…plus a whoooole lot of

caveats.

the quad

© 2015 Brain Traffic

2013-2014

Who Brain Traffic worked with

Jazz hands no more.

What is “strategy”?

An integrated cascade of choices

What is our winning

aspiration?

Where will we play?

How will we win?

What capabilities must be in

place?

What management systems are

required?

The right playing field: Where we will compete: our geographies, product categories, consumer segments, channels, vertical stages of production

The purpose of the enterprise: our guiding aspirations

The unique right to win: Our value proposition Our competitive advantage

The support systems: Systems, structures, and measures required to support choices

The set of capabilities required to win: Our reinforcing activities Our specific configuration

Source: Roger Martin, hbr.org

Diagnosis

Guiding Policy

Set of Coherent Actions

The Kernel of Strategy

• Creating a ‘map of the territory’ and figuring out “What’s going on here?” • Insightful diagnosis can transform one’s view of the situation

• An overall approach for overcoming obstacles and/or harvesting opportunities highlighted by the diagnosis

• Channels actions in certain directions (and not others) without saying what exactly shall be done

• Does not need to spell out all actions, yet there must be enough clarity about action to make concepts concrete and actionable

• Actions should coordinate and build upon each other (fit/consistency) so as to generate punch

1

2

3Source: Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt

The Big Opportunity A window into a winning future that is realistic,

emotionally compelling, and memorable

Change Vision What you need to look like to be able to capitalize on

the Big Opportunity

Strategic Initiatives Activities that, if designed and executed fast enough and

well enough, will make your vision a reality

Source: Accelerate by John P. Kotter, hbr.org

The right content, to the right person, in the right place, at the right time.

Content Strategy for Marketing

Content marketing is the approach of

creating and distributing valuable and

consistent content to a targeted

audience, with the objective of driving

some profitable action…

– “The Evolution of Content Marketing

Will Include Intelligent Content”

Joe Pulizzi, 1/12/2015

“

Building loyalty and trust with an

audience over a long period opens up

amazing opportunities to sell more, save

costs, or create customers for a lifetime.

– “The Evolution of Content Marketing

Will Include Intelligent Content”

Joe Pulizzi, 1/12/2015

“

• 1 billion impressions

• 100 million annual website visits

• 98% product penetration in US

households

• Yields 4x better ROI than

traditional advertising

HOLY CRAP IT WORKS!!!!

2015 Content Marketer of the Year

• 86% of B2C marketers use content marketing

• 91% of B2B marketers use content marketing

• 95% of B2B enterprise marketers use content

marketing

• 78% of CMOs think custom content is the future

of marketing

http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/24_stats_about_the_importance_of_content_marketing_46163.aspx

Sexy might sell, but it rarely satisfies.

• Talk to your audiences to find out what really matters.

• If your Big Idea doesn’t work, kill it quickly.

• Don’t kid yourself about capacity.

• Stop using “engagement” as a metric.

2015

Content Strategy

for Mobile

The right content, to the right person, in the right place, at the right time.

It is your mission to get your content out, on

whichever platform, in whichever format your

audience wants to consume it.

Your users get to decide how, when, and where

they want to read your content. It is your challenge

and your responsibility to deliver a good experience

to them.

Content Strategy for Mobile by Karen McGrane

“

http://blog.braintraffic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/structured-content.png

http://www.hci-itil.com/ITIL_v3/images/service_improvement_ch7_fig_7_1.jpg

http://what-when-how.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/tmpe113102.png

We’ve been so excited to go

from nothing to something really

cool. I guess it doesn’t work that

way, huh.

– Actual Client

“

You can’t accelerate with a

broken engine.

• Pick a pilot content modeling project and see it through (including post-launch review).

• Do an honest assessment of where you are with your content lifecycle management.

• Don’t worry about fancy CMS features until your necessary tools are optimized.

• Don’t spend money on stuff you can’t use yet.

2015

Content Strategy for the Enterprise

We have too much content.

We don’t have enough content.

Our content is inconsistent.

We create content in silos.

We have no success metrics.

We have no customer research.

My boss doesn’t get it.

My team doesn’t get it.

We have 12 sucky CMSes.

Our content isn’t structured.

Responsive design broke it.

What if I get hit by a bus.

Audit the content!

Fix the IA!

Get an editorial guide!

Here’s a content map!

Your tools are wrong.

You don’t have the right skill sets.

No one’s accountable.

Leadership isn’t leading.

Diagnosis

Guiding Policy

Set of Coherent Actions

The Kernel of Strategy

• Creating a “map of the territory” and figuring out “What’s going on here?” • Insightful diagnosis can transform one’s view of the situation

• An overall approach for overcoming obstacles and/or harvesting opportunities highlighted by the diagnosis

• Channels actions in certain directions (and not others) without saying what exactly shall be done

• Does not need to spell out all actions, yet there must be enough clarity about action to make concepts concrete and actionable

• Actions should coordinate and build upon each other (fit/consistency) so as to generate punch

1

2

3Source: Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt

Goal: Integrate publishing processes

Strategy #1: Store all content in a central Drupal CMS

Strategy #2: Empower a CS team to facilitate collaborative content workflows

Strategy #3: Establish a content governance council for ongoing oversight

Vision: Right content blah blah blah

Strategy forces us to

prioritize

http://marketingland.com/wp-content/ml-loads/2013/04/image.jpeg

Reality

CONTENT STRATEGIST

CONTENT STRATEGIST

CONTENT STRATEGIST

CONTENT STRATEGIST

Content strategists facilitate conversations and collaboration across teams responsible for major content initiatives.

The Guiding Coalition establishes strategy, pillars, and the roadmap of priorities.

Governance requires

leadership.

• Take stock of your current strategies for content creation, management, and measurement.

• Question the metrics you’re using for success.

• Listen to the people on the front lines.

• Empower someone to lead the charge.

• Don’t do it all.

2015

Content Strategy for You

People think focus means saying yes to

the thing you've got to focus on. But

that's not what it means at all. It means

saying no to the hundred other good

ideas that there are. You have to pick

carefully.

– Steve Jobs

“

the quad

© 2015 Brain Traffic

How do we know

this is the right

content?

How will this

content appear

across channels?

Do we have the

skills, budget, tools,

and time?

Who’s in charge of

ongoing content

quality?

Good content strategy …

• Defines outcomes and measurements

• Helps prioritize investments • Shapes infrastructure • Keeps you from losing your mind

FOMO

We live in a moment of history

where change is so speeded up

that we begin to see the

present only when it is already

disappearing.

– R.D. Laing

“

Thank you.

Kristina @Halvorson http://braintraffic.com

ConfabEvents.com