The document discusses content strategy at Red Gate Software. It explains that content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful content to ensure a website does not suck and continues not to suck. It provides examples of the large amount of content in Red Gate's SQL Tools division and for its main SQL Compare product. Recommendations are made to delete 60-70% of existing content after analyzing the content inventory and feedback from various sources. The challenges of content strategy are discussed as well as next steps for content design around a new flagship product.
Right after the keynoteNo pressureDavid Black we’re all fucked. Time to go sort out Marketing.
Working with marketingWhat is content strategyWho are red gateWhat happened when they met
Just one thing before we get started...
Is it just tech commsJust marketing?Different bits of the business Before I can talk about CS
VideosCase studiesHelpEmailThe worksIncludes some awesome stuff...Conference – eLearning, video, Zoe, Chris
Quick overview before we startShow of handsParis forum?Breakout year
Article in a list apartRachellovinger, boxes & arrows. CS philosophy of data. March 2007It’s actually much older. It’s sort of what we doPublication and governance – business credible, but a bit scary
This is the hard part.Analogy to explain
Shovelwareis not overcase studies, that Ikea cats videoContent that is awesome but may not serve a purpose
Don’t worry – it’s a silly joke. The rest of the talk isn’t about creationism.
Bad seoThings with great titles and bad contentFAQHelp that just describes the UI
Clear business purpose, but it fails
So, the very bets content takes the S P averageBut how do we measure?That’s content strategy 101Who are red gate?
28 productsAround 1m users10 years old. MS space.Making the MS experience suck a bit less for B2B
Find something that sucks hard enough for people to give you money to make it go awayUser contactUser researchImplications for UAMore on this later
User assistance highly visibleWe work on the UIIdeal of no help? Fallacy, but close.Links to web helpEdinburghPath in, path out – we must minimise cognitive load / imposition on users
Working in dev teamsEdit things in source codeHeavily involved in project planningEmbedded marketing?What about products with no current dev?
Every 3 monthsOr when designing helpMinimal docs for releaseSkill set is a tech comms / CS skill set
It’s a new thingWork in progressSeries of happy coincidences (web project, down tools)Lots of content, but not fit for strategy.
Everyone can try itGetting startedContent – does this solve my business problemStrategy: get downloads, support evaluators, convert.Direct salesDay 1 email, day 7, end trialBusiness need our content must support
But our content doesn’t serve our business purposeIT DOESN’T WORK
Way back machineUseful, usable content?Who owns this stuffWhy are we making itUX trials show users can’t find thingsWatch the swearing
Eating marshmallow fluff with a sporkWhat is quality content?
What is quality content?1) Messaging2) Help –error msg3) 3rd cat – how does your product solve my business problem.Must be true & realGreat natural SEOTech commsWhat do we have on our website?
5 weeksConsultations with tech commsContent migrationThat old “Wireframe & loremipsum” problemCSS on it’s own forth sweet FA
It shouldIt’s what we do
Owners?Security use casestudy Why? What for?Client sycn case study using SC 3.1 (no 30) SPORK brand damage? Misleading?This stuff is not ok.
Analytics for finding outliersAstronomical bounce rate for category – good seo, bad content.Good SEO attached to bad content is... Say it with me...Clear case for curation & we’re the guys to do it
I really want to update or delete thisBut sales & support say nobody gets stuckWhat else...Building deletion list...
Also asked for feedbackGreat way to sell the ideaScale of problemShape criteria
Describe criteria
Action plan.Bottom half page views, on hit list, ROTUnless ToP or feedback
That’s optimistic, but half that would be greatOf course, you can’t delete everything
That’s old contentWhat about the future?
I’ll let you draw your own conclusionsWe need to work togetherWe have these skills they need.
Most valuable content. Only that
Overwhelmingly tech comms contentSome compromiseUsed in “Tips & tricks” sales emails
Early daysWe’re seeing good salesGood user response to contentFew support callsEmail marketing response
Our toolkit of cools stuff is the content strategist’s toolkit of cool stuff.
They’ll ask about buy-in / time / project pressures.Sorry – it’s Red Gate