confab 2011: ebay use case - implementing a content strategy within virtual, diverse teams

Implementing a content strategy:An eBay use case

Confab – the content strategy conference, Minneapolis

9 – 11 May 2011

Nikki Tiedtke . EU Senior Content Strategist

Lucie Hyde . Head of Content Mgmt & Strategy - eBay Europe

Contents

1. Our need for a content strategy

2. The context: Business seller communication

3. Key learnings: Implementing a content strategy

4. How we did it: From chaos to content strategy

5. Where are we now? Our content strategy framework

4. Examples of deliverables:: Process: workflows and roles diagrams

:: Quality management: Our framework:: Brand opportunity and communication strategy:: Messaging hierarchy and information architecture:: User research and logfile analysis:: Briefing and content templates:: EU editorial style guide

2Implementing a content strategy: An eBay use case

Our need for a content strategy

3Implementing a content strategy: An eBay use caseImages from: http://deutsch.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/14167360/2/istockphoto_14167360-people-icon-set.jpg

The project

Business seller news campaign for about 500.000 business sellers in EU. Sent 2-3 times a year.

The content

Content for 12 websites in 7 languages for different formats and channels (online & offline; Marketing, Website, Customer Support).

The team

25 people from 11 teams in 5 countries (UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and US).

The process

An international team. A complex, multi-lingual and multi-channel communication. A fast-pacing environment. But: No clear editorial process and planning, roles, methods or tools.

The topics

• New selling formats and tools

• New ways of managing inventory

• Policy or legal changes

The business objectives

• Create customer-friendly communication which matches user and business needs.

• Drive awareness and adoption of changes.

• Build a trusted relationship with sellers, help them to be successful.


The context: Business seller news

Key learnings: Implementing a content strategy

Content strategist as usability consultant:

• Identify internal and external user needs, beforedefining processes, strategy and tools.

• Address and help resolve conflicting interests.

Content strategist as change manager and networker:

• Constantly test & refine processes.

• Plan for small step changes to guide teams with differentmaturity levels into content strategy.

• Help build relationships and communication within teams.

Content strategist as content lead:

• Define and plan editorial roles & responsibilities, process and quality standards.

• Create and implement editorial guidelines.

• Define and implement quality standards for content.

• Manage the editorial process, the copywriters and the quality management process.

5

What do

you need?

Content

strategistUser /

Stakeholder

Implementing a content strategy: An eBay use case

Contents






4. Examples of deliverables:: Process: workflows and roles diagrams

:: Quality management: Our framework:: Brand opportunity and communication strategy:: Messaging hierarchy and information architecture:: User research and logfile analysis:: Briefing and content templates:: EU editorial style guide


7

Image from: http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/12/rubber-ducks.jpg

No editorial

guidelines

No editorial

process

Unclear roles and

responsibilities

Siloed teams with

weak relationships

No tools and

templates

No match between

business objectives

and user needs

No quality

management

standards and criteria

No process

documentation

or training


How we did it: From chaos…

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/12/rubber-ducks.jpg



8

Images from: http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/12/rubber-ducks.jpg and http://www.gettyimages.com

Tweet! We„re

following a content

strategy


Built strong relationships between teams and identified

stakeholder and user needs.1

2

3

4

5

67

… to content strategy

Defined editorial roles, responsibilities, process,

projectplan, methods and tools.

Tested the content strategy for one publishing

cycle. Refined it. Used it again. Refined it again.

Created editorial guidelines and quality standards based

on brand objectives, usability standards and user needs.

Implemented the editorial guidelines and quality

standards by training 60 EU stakeholders.

Defined and implemented a quality management process for

documenting, measuring and sustaining the quality of content

strategy and editorial copy.

Next: Implementing this approach in more EU teams!




http://www.gettyimages.com/

9

Timeline 2010

Jan Feb JulyJuneMayAprMar OctSepAug Nov Dec

2010

Built relationships with teams (11 teams, 5 countries).

Defined editorial process

& tested approach.

Refined process &

tested again.Finalised and

documented process.

Documented usability

standards for web content.

Analysed regular market & user research. Integrated findings into editorial guidelines.

Defined quality standards for content

Created EU editorial style guide based on

usability standards, user research and business

seller editorial guidelines.

Style guide trainings

for EU teams

Created editorial

guidelines for business

sellers.

Refined guidelines.


10

Timeline 2011

Jan Feb JulyJuneMayAprMar OctSepAug Nov Dec

2011

Refine content strategy based on 2010

learnings.

Define and implement a quality management process for content strategy and editorial copy.

Test & refine with one publishing cycle.

Update and localize EU editorial guidelines.

Provide „refresher“ trainings.

Continuously analyse market & user research. Integrate findings into editorial guidelines.


Create and offer content strategy trainings for EU Marketing & Communication

teams.

Create a global content strategy framework (global style guides, global content quality

management standards, etc).

Contents






4. Examples of deliverables:: Process: workflows and roles diagrams:: Quality management: Our framework:: Brand opportunity and communication strategy:: Messaging hierarchy and information architecture:: User research and logfile analysis:: Briefing and content templates


Deliverables build framework

for a repeatable process.

Can be applied to other

projects and teams.

Enables us to continuously

improve, react fast and

structured within virtual,

international teams.

12

Where are we now? Our content strategy framework

Deliverables

• Process, roles and responsibilities

documentation.

• Publishing and content project plan

• EU editorial style guides based on business

objectives, usability standards and user

needs.

• Style guide and content strategy trainings

for all EU stakeholders.

• SEO strategy

• Content and briefing templates

• Quality management plan incl. quality

standards and criteria.

Discover

Define

DesignDevelop

Deploy

Govern


13

Repeat and refine: Continuous improvement

Discover

Define

DesignDevelop

Deploy

Govern

Content Strategy

• Understand business

objectives and user needs.

• Content inventory and audit.

Identify gaps.

• Understand briefing from

stakeholders. Identify gaps.

• Define content

deliverables and

scope effort.

• Define project and

quality management

plan.

• Brief copywriters.

• Create messaging hierarchy &

Information Architecture.

• Translate business objectives into key

messages and call to actions.

• Create “content outline” (rough draft to

be approved by stakeholders).

• Create & review copy for all deliverables

and channels.

• Use quality standards to assess content

quality.

• Translate & localize copy.

• Quality assurance

of final content in all

channels and formats

before publishing.

• Deploy / launch

online pages and

communication.

• Define and manage content

lifecycle (update or end-of-life).

• Quality control: Analyze user

research, log file analysis and

success metrics.


Contents






4. Examples of deliverables:: Process: workflows and roles diagrams:: Quality management: Our framework:: Brand opportunity and communication strategy:: Messaging hierarchy and information architecture:: User research and logfile analysis:: Briefing and content templates:: EU editorial style guide


Highest Level Major Seller Release Responsibility Map TO BE (Proposed)

Cu

sto

me

r

Se

rvic

eP

rod

uct

Co

nte

nt

ma

na

ge

me

nt

Se

ller

Ma

rke

tin

g

Se

ller

En

ga

ge

me

nt

Se

ller

Pro

po

sitio

n A

Confirm

information

about the

proposition to

be included in

the release.

B 1

Kick off the

process. Set the

direction for the

communication.

C

Write copy for

EU specific

initiatives.

Localise copy

for global

initiatives.

E1

Get the Micro

Sites copy

translated via

L10n

D1

Information

Architecture.

Design the

Micro Site

F1

Put the

translated

content into the

Micro site

G2

Live to Site

Checkpoint Go/

No Go

H

Manage Post

Launch Fixes

G1

QA Content

F3

CS Preparation.

Templates,

scripts,

outbound call

schedule

I

End of life for

obsolete content

J

Post Launch

Review

D2

Information

Architecture.

Design the RM

channel

structure.

F2

Put the

translated

content into the

DM structure

E2

Trans creation of the DM

B 2

Confirm

marketing

response. Brief

contributing

teams.

15

Process: Workflows 1/2

We defined the

overall process

phases first. And then

the detailed steps

within each phase.


16

Process: Workflows 2/2

Example: Detailed

process steps in a

phase.


17

Process: Roles and responsibilities

In addition to the process

documentation we defined the

detailed roles and responsibilities for

each process step.


18

Quality management: Our framework 1/2


Template for our quality

management plan. Defines the

standard of how we measure quality

at eBay for content projects. Can be

used for every project.

19

Quality management: Our framework 2/2


Excerpts from our

quality management

definition which we

presented to teams: 1.

Definition and 2. What

documents we use to

assess and control

quality.

Business objectives & editorial strategy

Professional seller proposition:

Be a trusted, reliable business partner for sellers to enable great profits and

sales velocity.

We will present timely, relevant information, that is easy to understand, helpful, and easy to access…

… allowing sellers to take action to change their business and sell more efficiently.

Reasons to believe :

• Targeted & personalised

• Focussed on their key needs

• Clear and plain language

•Scannable page structure

• Visual aids and not just

text

• Easy to use

• Concise

• Reduce clutter

• Call to action

highlighted

• Correct

communication

channel and format

• Optimised for

search engines

• Easy to find on

eBay

Advanced

notice

Excerpt: How we defined

editorial guidelines based on

our business objectives. The

detailed editorial strategy was

much more detailed.

Implementing a content strategy: An eBay use case 20

Messaging hierarchy*

21

Secondary

message

Who?

How?

When?

How much?

Primary

message

What?

Why?

* From Karen McGrane, Bond art + science: http://www.slideshare.net/KMcGrane/why-ux-design-needs-content-strategy

Call to action What do I

need to do?


Information architecture 1/2

22

Messaging hierarchy

defined our information

architecture. From index

page…


Information architecture 2/2

23

… to single subpage.


* From an online survey to a sample of business sellers. Sent after communication launch.

Question: Which of the following words or phrases do you think describes all the communications you have received from eBay?

User research: 2009 to 2010 comparison*

Business sellers

Negative feedback

Positive feedback

2010 results

2009 results

2010 results

2009 results

Implementing a content strategy: An eBay use case 24

http://worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/europe/germany.htm

25

Logfile analysis

The content strategist

ensures that we measure

key online pages to

understand how

customers use them.


26

Content template: One example

Just one of many

templates we created.


27

Briefing templateJust 2 pages of our super-detailed

communication brief which captures user,

business, marketing, content and

customer support requirements.


EU editorial style guide


Our EU editorila style

guide was translated and

implemented with regular

training sessions.

From 2009…


To 2010: our business seller news



ADVERT: Come and speak. Listen. Learn.

Content Strategy Applied conference

UK, London, Richmond

1-2 March 2012

Thanks for listening. Questions?

32

Nikki Tiedtke | EU Senior Content Strategist | eBay GmbH

linkedin: http://de.linkedin.com/in/nikkiberlin

Mobile: +49.171.36 24 589

Skype: nikkitiedtkeebay

E-Mail: [email protected]


Lucie Hyde | Head of Content Management & Strategy - Localisation -

Web Development, eBay Europe

Mobile: + 44.7870.16 32 80

Skype: luciehyde

E-Mail: [email protected]

http://de.linkedin.com/in/nikkiberlin

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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