3. Introductions
I’m an independent content strategist in
NYC. My practice focuses on:
‣ Digital product strategy;
‣ Media and entertainment clientele; and
‣ Contributing to the CS
body of knowledge.
4. Today’s Objectives
‣ Relevance. What does a rising field of
practice in web design mean to the
content management community? (A lot.)
‣ Applicability. How can you get to work
on a content strategy for your own
organization or clients?
9. Credit: “Redesign Must Die” , louisrosenfeld.com
Louis Rosenfeld:
Kill Redesign
‣ “Every large website
is a complex
adaptive system.”
‣ “A platform that’s supple and flexible, lends
itself to tuning, and supports multiple
levels of engagement.”
15. Why? Part I
A generation into
the web, we still
don’t do content
right.
It’s our open secret.
And it shows. Credit: Blogger.com circa 1999
16. Why? Part II
Old problems. No ownership or expertise.
CMS. Archive. Postlaunch erosion. Lack of
standards.
New problems. Deeper and wider
inventories. Richer offerings. Revenue
models. SEO. Social. Multichannel. Partners.
UGC. Technologies galore.
17. Introducing Content Strategy
‣ What? Product
development for content.
‣ How? CSes, like product
developers, sit between
“product” and “plumbing”.
19. “[Y]ou need a product manager.”
‣ “I am interested in the forest and the trees
of large Web sites, not solely strategic and
not solely in the weeds.”
David Hobbs, hobbsontech.com
20. Content Management
Methodologies
‣ Various models--from Boiko to Byrne,
Rockley to AIIM--strive for exhaustiveness.
‣ CMS Review’s 7 Stage Lifecycle calls them
to account.
25. Getting Oriented:
CS is Multidisciplinary
Credit: Richard Ingram
At minimum, it’s adjacent
to interaction design,
development,
copywriting, information
architecture, business
analysis and content
management.
26. Getting Oriented:
CS is a Lifecycle
“Content Strategy plans for the
creation, publication, and
governance of useful, usable content.”
--Kristina Halvorson
“If information architecture is the spatial design of
information, I see content strategy as the temporal side
of that same coin.” --Louis Rosenfeld
27. Old Testament
‣ The web is a publishing medium.
‣ Content is integral (to experience).
‣ Content producers = de facto publishers.
‣ To users, the web is awash in content.
Site owners feel the floodwaters, too.
So, sink or swim. Filter or be flooded.
28. New Testament
‣ Why? Because
publishing is hard. Credit: Jessica Hagy
Consider the masthead.
‣ Curation is king. The filter on the firehose
as an editorial function.
29. “The Day 2 Problem”
Postlaunch is a
project phase.
Nothing shines a light on the good
faith agreement between client and
consultant than thoughtful aftercare.
Editorial strategy is about caring for
content after launch day. Credit: Flickr Commons
30. Our Methodology
1. Audit 2. Plan 3. Build 4. Grow
product content editorial
content audit
strategy specification calendar
content
migration plan copy deck style guide
inventory
content
gap analysis
development
43. What’s in it for CM?
Content strategy is meaningful when...
‣ The potential of your deliverables is marred
by poor execution, inconsistency & inaction
‣ New tools require process & org. change
‣ Measurement matters
‣ You need the big picture
‣ Governance & standards are incomplete
‣ It’s time to tune, not redesign
44. DIY Content Strategy
Ask the tough questions.
When you care about a
client’s content, you are doing
content strategy.
Credit: Flickr Commons
“[A] CMS without a content strategy
leads to shovelware or worse.”
Jonathan Kahn, lucidplot.com
45. Where It Will Take You
Instilling a new postlaunch pride:
‣ bolder measures of success
‣ enduring results for your clientele;
lasting influence for your vision
‣ vanguard case studies
46. Content Strategy FYI
‣ CS, the Knol
‣ CS, the Google Group
‣ #contentstrategy on Twitter
‣ I’m @jeffmacintyre and @PredicateLLC
‣ Content Strategy for the Web,
Kristina Halvorson (New Riders, 2009)