content strategy for business: what you need to know
TRANSCRIPT
Content Strategy for Business:What You Need to Know
David Dylan Thomas
Senior Content Strategist,EPAM
@movie_pundit
Ask Early. Ask Often.
What We’ll Learn
• What content strategy is• The kinds of problems it solves• How it solves them
What Is Content Strategy?
significant objects dot com
Instead of a product description…
…they told a story
Original Price: $0.33
Final Price: $71.00
Original Price: $2.99
Final Price: $101.00
Original Price: $3.00
Final Price: $193.50
Content Strategy is the planned use of content to achieve a goal.
• With Significant Objects, the goal was to increase the value of ordinary items.
• The strategy was to replace bland descriptions with colorful stories (by good writers).
• The creators used content (stories) to achieve a goal (added value).
Casey Kasem
Turned Financial Reports into Entertainment
“In this hour at #32 in the countdown, a song that’s been a hit 4 different times in 19 years! And we’re just one tune away from the singer with the $10,000 gold
hubcaps on his car! Now, on with the countdown!”
What Is Content Strategy?
• Example: Weird Al – Business Goal: Weird Al wanted his new album to
be successful– Challenge: He’s been out of the public eye for
decades– Content: Music– Content Strategy: #8days8videos
Result: #1 on iTunes
This Is Content
This Is Content Strategy
Exercise: Examples of Content Strategy
• In your group, based on the definition, come up with three examples of content strategy.
• Two should show content strategy done well.• One should show content strategy done
poorly.• 5 minutes
Content strategy is gaining ground on traditional marketing and SEO
Traditional marketing says, “You know what’s awesome?
Our shoes!”Content strategy says, “You
know what’s awesome? Running!”
Good content strategy = Good SEO
Content strategy’s job is to help an organization think like a newspaper.
Content strategy’s job is to help you make decisions about content.
All content strategies require two things:
• Goal• AudienceThe more you know about both, the better the strategy will be
Most content strategies try to answer three questions:
• What are my business goals?• What are my audience’s goals?• How can content help the two
intersect?
The Content Strategy Process
1. Investigate• Learn about your organization• Learn about your audience• Learn about your content
The Content Strategy Process
2. Come up with ideas• Collaborate/Workshop • Think for yourself
The Content Strategy Process
3. Create a Plan• What are we going to do?• How are we going to do it?• Who is going to do what? (Governance)• Assign Goals to Content
The Content Strategy Process4. Execute the Plan5. Measure the Results6. Learn from the Results7. Wash, Rinse, Repeat
Build, Measure, Learn
What is the most important skill a content strategist should have?
The ability to listen.
The Two Most Common Content Strategy Problems
• Help, I’ve got too much content!• Help, Amazon is killing me!
Case Study #1
Legal Software Producer
The Challenge
• Lots of content• No strategy
Contextual Inquiry
LAWYERS HAVE NO TIME!What we learned:
Why are you showing them all of this?
Content Workshop
The Solution
• Deliver the right content at the right time
• Simplify and make content more findable
Old vs New
• More sales from fewer visitors
• 200% increase in orders for this product
• 100% increase in related product
• 160% increase in sales across the entire site
Case Study #2
A big sports retailer
“We have a great experience in-store but that’s not translating to online.”
The oldest content strategy in the world
• Use content to make it clear you know a lot about something.
• When people need that something, they’ll think of you.
You’re there to help your customer achieve a goal. Selling them shoes is just one part of that.
Governance• Assignment: Read “Responsive
Design Won’t Fix Your Content Problem” by Karen McGrane
• http://alistapart.com/column/responsive-design-wont-fix-your-content-problem
Result: Sales up 70%
Exercise: Content Deep Dive• One person will represent their business.• One person will interview.• One will take notes• Answer:
– Is your business creating content?– If so, why?– Fill in the blank:
• My biz creates content in order to __________.• My audience should arrive feeling ________ and leave feeling __________ .• If our content doesn’t achieve __________, it isn’t worth creating.
• 5 minutes
Audience Interview Techniques
• What are you looking for?– Consumption habits• Devices• Media (video, blogs)• How are they finding content?
– Social component– Search component
• Triggers for content– What do they value? – What do they want?
Exercise: Learn About the Audience• One person will represent audience.• One person will interview.• One will take notes• Answer:
– Why do they come to your business? – What do they hope to get out of it? – What role did content play in them finding out about it? – What types of content do they consume? – How? – On what devices? – When?
• 5 minutes
Exercise: Build a Strategy
• Given what you now know about the business, their content, and their audience, come up with a plan that uses content to align business and user goals.
• 10 min
Presentation of Strategies
Questions?
