content strategy for non-profits: taking a story first approach
DESCRIPTION
Everyone wants to tell engaging and compelling stories about their organization, but it isn’t easy. It must be well-orchestrated, budgeted and targeted for your audiences. The goal of our next session is to highlight which non-profits are doing storytelling and content strategy well, so that non-profits can better understand what constitutes a content strategy and structure content around the “story first” approach.TRANSCRIPT
Content Strategy: Taking a “Story First” Approach
October 2, 2014
#LEARNwithPOSSIBLE@POSSIBLE
Today’s Presenter:ANDREW GRINAKER@206ANDREW
My Non-Profit Experience
STORY FIRST APPROACH
THE GOOD STUFF
NON-PROFIT EXAMPLES
HOW DO YOU DO THIS?
STORY FIRST APPROACH
THE APPROACH IS QUITE SIMPLE. WE BELIEVE THAT THE STORY COMES FIRST.
BEFORE THE CHANNEL.
WE DON’T FOCUS ON A FACEBOOK CONTENT STRATEGY
OR A WEBSITE CONTENT STRATEGY. WE WANT TO FOCUS
FIRST ON THE STORIES WE WANT TO TELL.
THESE STORIES SHOULD BE NARRATIVES MEANT TO
ENTERTAIN, CAPTURE INTEREST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY EVOKE
AN ACTION.
EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT THESE STORIES ARE NOT
SINGLE MESSAGES OR ADVERTISEMENTS. THEY
ARE A SERIES OF MESSAGES CONNECTED TO SOMETHING
LARGER.
THESE STORIES REPRESENT WHAT THE BRAND OR
ORGANIZATION BELIEVES IN AND WANTS THEIR
AUDIENCE TO ENGAGE WITH AND FEEL A PART OF.
THESE BRAND STORIES SHOULD DRIVE THE
PRIORITIES FOR ALL CONTENT PRODUCED, PUBLISHED AND
PROMOTED.
WITH THIS ALIGNMENT, A BRAND OR ORGANIZATION IS
BETTER POSITIONED TO ENSURE CONSISTENT
MESSAGING AND APPROACH WITH EVERY CHANNEL AND EVERY TARGETED AUDIENCE
TYPE.
LET’S START WITH HOW WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY
THOUGHT ABOUT CONTENT THROUGH THE LENS OF THE
PUBLISHING CHANNEL.
• Theme #1 content• Theme #2 content• Theme #3 content
• Theme #2 content• Theme #3 content• Theme #4 content
• Theme #1 content• Theme #3 content• Theme #4 content
• Theme #1 content• Theme #2 content• Theme #4 content
Facebook Twitter
TumblrLinkedIn
CHANNEL FIRST
CHANNEL FIRST APPROACH
NOW ADJUSTING THAT THINKING TO CREATE A
CONTENT STRATEGY WITH A “STORY FIRST” APPROACH
AND MENTALITY.
• .COM blog articles• Social posts• Forum
content/response
• Banner ads• Long form
content type• Twitter posts
• YouTube videos• “How To” Content
on .COM• Social posts
• FB posts• .COM blog articles• Promoted Twitter
posts
Theme #1
Theme #2
Theme #4
Theme #3
STORY FIRST
STORY FIRST APPROACH
Non-Profit Examples
I am worried about the state of branded content
Cool examples, but what about me?
Why/What/How
1 2 3
Why Should I Create
Content
What Content Should I Create?
How Can I Create
This Content?
Why Should I Create Content?
1
Why Should I Create
Content
Align Goals to Specific Audiences
Once the goals have been defined, determine what audiences will be serviced with these goals and the content produced for them.
Evaluate All Goals
All marketing/sales goals should be reviewed as potential drivers for producing content.1
Why Should I Create
Content
Identify and Define Goals
Select the goals that are most realistic to achieve and further define what role you expect content to play.
What Content Should I Create?
2
What Content Should I Create?
Content Type
To tell your stories effectively, what content types do you need to create? Article, video, infographic, etc?
Topics (Stories)
Based on your audience and goals, what topics or stories should you be producing content for?
Audience
Determine who your audience is. Donors, volunteers, etc.
Goal Alignment
What are the goals you are trying to achieve with the content? The Why Section.
2
What Content Should I Create?
Content Type
• Blog/Article Format
• White Papers
• Video
• Social Content
Content Themes
• Donor Management• Success Stories• Facts/101/Q&A
Audience
• Members• Donors• Board• Volunteers
Communication Goals
• Acquire new donors• Increase volunteers• Increase awareness &
reach of organization • Engaging the
community
2
What Content Should I Create?
Content Type
• Video
Content Themes
• Success Stories
Audience
• Donors
Communication Goals
• Receive more donations
2
What Content Should I Create?
2
What Content Should I Create?
How Should I Create This Content?
3
How Can I Create This Content?
Evaluate Resources
What content can your organization create? What do you need to outsource? Be as realistic as possible.
3
How Can I Create This Content?
Channel & Goal Prioritization
Determine what channels (website, Facebook, etc.) and what goals are the most important to develop content for.
Measure + Optimize
Before publishing content, make sure you have a measurement and optimization plan in place to properly evaluate success.
Planning Ahead
Based off the “What to Create” Planning stage and the resources available, build out a working editorial calendar with target dates.
3
How Can I Create This Content?
The Good Stuff
1) Find ways to break bigger stories into a number of smaller assets to build out your editorial calendar.
2) Create a visual account of an event for your organization by using a service like Storify.
3) Don’t be afraid to share content more than once. Your audience consumes content at different times.
TOP 10 “STORY FIRST” TIPS
4) You can duplicate and share stories, themes and even the same photo or video on different channels, but don’t copy/paste the text.
5) Stay up-to-date on the latest technical enhancements for the publishing platforms. (Images, markup, etc.)
6) Explore different types of articles to build. How-To, Lists, Advice, FAQs, First-Person, etc.
TOP 10 “STORY FIRST” TIPS
7) Leverage internal employees or board members as the subject of your “Story.”
8) Always be looking to Steal Borrow ideas from other Non-Profits. Don’t limit yourself.
9) Implement an RSS feed like Feedly or Pulse to locate and curate content OR Monitor Industry Trends with a service like Topsy or Technorati.
10) Review through old marketing folders/files to locate pieces of content that could be updated and published.
TOP 10 “STORY FIRST” TIPS
Content Management Trello, EditFlow (wordpress plugin), Google Calendar
Content Distribution HootSuite, HubSpot, Buffer
Analytics + Measurement Google Analytics, Native Analytics (FB, TW, etc.), Simply
Measured (limited)
INDUSTRY TOOLS - FREE
Analytics Simply Measured, Moz
Content Management CoSchedule (WordPress), Opal Moments, Percolate
Content Production Skyword, SJR Group, Zooppa
Paid Distribution Sharethrough, Outbrain, Taboola
INDUSTRY TOOLS - $$
Content Audit Tutorials/Templateshttp://moz.com/blog/content-audit-tutorial http://uxmastery.com/how-to-conduct-a-content-audit/ https://www.distilled.net/blog/seo/how-to-perform-a-content-audit/
Editorial Calendar Templateshttps://econsultancy.com/blog/64587-eight-free-content-calendar-templates-to-help-plan-your-output#i.rfprerqyldnj11
Definitions and Termshttp://www.thelanguageofcontentstrategy.com/
Additional Production Examples http://www.socialbrite.org/2011/04/21/8-great-examples-of-nonprofit-storytelling/
Need something else? Check these two place. http://www.jonathoncolman.org/2013/02/04/content-strategy-resources/ http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com
RESOURCES
RESOURCES
1) Lead with the Story, not with the Channel.
2) Identify why you are creating content and agree on goals before you start producing.
3) Organize your content by Audience, Goal, Theme and Content Type. If this doesn’t work, choose something to structure your content!
4) Find free (or paid) tools and resources to help the gaps of your strategy and execution.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Thank You.