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What is Content Strategy?
Once we are clear on goals, audiences, and messages, we're going to start to think about strategy. What is the best way to do this?
Defining Content Strategy
First, let's define content strategy. This definition is from Kristina Halvorson, who authored Content Strategy for the Web (see below.)
Content strategy is the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.
You might think, "That isn't that different from some other things I've done." And it's totally possible because it's just communication planning. What's interesting and different about content strategy is that it relates to tech.
The iPhone comes out in 2007, and as the 2000's went on and on, we were all spending a lot more time with websites. Content strategy becomes a whole field itself. Content is different now. It was no longer like a pamphlet that you handed off. It went out into the world, and you didn't have to actually govern it.
We know with websites, apps, and other types of digital tools that we need to maintain them. That word maintain though sounds passive so "govern" is a better word to use.
We need to make sure the digital items are useful. We have the chance to iterate on them and make changes. We can make things better and better.
So there's a governance part of content strategy. This is different than past communication planning.
The Classic Content Strategy Book
If you like reading books like me, this is the classic book on content strategy. I would recommend it. It's the first book I read on the subject. High five to Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach for writing such a useful book.
Here’s a 12-page sample chapter you can check out to try the book before buying it.
Another Definition of Content Strategy
Here's another way to think about content strategy. This is usually the quick way I explain it to people.
Content strategy is getting the right content to the right people in the right way and through the right channel at the right time.
We can talk about the definition very quickly, but it actually takes a lot of time and thought to do that well.
"The right content" is what users want. Not what we think the users want or what the business organization wants. The right people are the users, for in this case, we're talking about websites, but it could be for an app or anything else.
"In the right way." It's in the format users prefer. You might find out from research that your user groups have a preference for video or text or infographics or some other format.
"In the right channel" is where the users actually are, right? We like to try to meet people where they are. That might mean reaching them via an email. Or it might be reaching them on the mobile website, because that's often where they are, and it's at the right time.
“At the right time” is making sure that the content comes in right at the time that the user is looking for it. When might a person need that information? It’s like when we visit a new location and we're keeping an eye out for a sign. Let's say it's the sign of a restaurant. It's really helpful if there's signage along the way. If the restaurant is in a little tricky location, if there's a sign that has an arrow, it helps us. When I turn the corner, I think, “Oh, great! I was just about to look around, and there was an arrow that was there to help me.” That an improved user experience than me wandering around lost.
A Content Strategy Basic Concept
I also want to remind people of this basic thing that often gets lost and forgotten in terms of content:
First, we figure out our messaging (or “story” is) and then we figure out the format. So it's story first, THEN format. So if we all follow this, we would never have to watch a really bad corporate video again. But what happens is people come to you, they certainly come to me and say, oh, we need videos, we need this or we need that. And I think, "Do you? Is that really what you need?”
A better way to approach things is to think about the story, the message you're trying to get out there. THEN think about, "What is the best way to tell this?" Is it through something visual like a video that will have a lot of movement and will be very interesting?
Is it something like a moment in time where a snapshot would be perfect, just a still photo? Is this something that's pretty in-depth? Then a long-form written story would be great. Or maybe an infographic is the best way to communicate. For example, you might have a research paper that nobody in the general public would read. But they might be interested in the research if they got the information in an infographic.
Always keep this in mind - story first, then format.
One WaY To Develop YOUR Content Strategy
One way to start thinking about strategies is to do a communication SWOT analysis. So we know SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Business people apply this model to many different situations. You can apply it to communication, and my co-author and I shared how in our content strategy for businesses book.
You can view and/or download the Communication SWOT PDF here.
On the top left, you will see there are "strengths." Another area is for "weaknesses," and both areas have here are some good questions to ask.
There are always "opportunities." This is because things change often in the landscape of websites and communication. Maybe something new like Clubhouse is the right thing for your target audience, but who knows? It'll depend on all kinds of factors - audience needs, desires, location, and more. Of course, you need to remember what your organization is trying to do too. Clubhouse might not make any sense whatsoever. But it's good for you to be aware of opportunities so that you can jump on one if it seems relevant.
And then there are "threats." This is where we pay attention to what competitors are doing. We do a competitive or comparative analysis. (That's we do if there isn't "competition," but we need to see what's going on in the industry landscape.)
We need to keep an eye on what's going on with audiences. See if their attention span has changed or desires have changed. Maybe what they're seeking has changed. These are things that we need to think about.
Use these groups of questions to help you develop a strategy. Your strategy will then inform tactics and any writing you would do.
Want to learn more? I teach classes on UX topics - you can get a free lesson to learn and try before buying anything at all.
Editing and Proofreading Online Articles
We know from research that typos affect credibility.
We want to build trust with the people coming to our websites. Don't erode trust with typos.
Watch the video above for tips or you can read the same content in written form below.
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Let's talk a little bit about editing and proofreading. So I know you're most likely a writer, and you've worked a lot with tech, so you probably have your own process. But sometimes it's valuable to hear how others edit and proofread their work. You might pick up something you want to try.
Write First, Then Edit
The first thing I always do when I need to edit a page online, a newsletter, or whatever happens to be, is write it. Then I wait.
I give myself the luxury of some time. Don't try to edit as you go along, just write first.
Of course, this wouldn't work if you're doing some crisis communication. But for most things, you can wait a day and then come back to the writing. I will definitely find things I want to change and typos the next day, after my eyes have had a little bit of rest.
Your Time of Day for Details
I also encourage you to find that time of the day where you are best at detailed work. For me, that is first thing in the morning from eight to 10 a.m. If you give me something to look at it at four p.m., I will be terrible. I can't do it, don't give me math at that time! You know you. And if you don't, you need to figure out, when can I do really detailed work? That is the time to check for typos and that sort of thing.
Print It Out
Another thing I want you to do (and I feel bad for saying this for the trees) is print it out. Printing it out makes a big difference. There are times we can't see typos online, but once we print it out, we can see "Oh, there's a typo right there." We also may think, "I would definitely reword that phrase."
So don't print it out 10 times, but do print and look it over carefully. That will help you catch things you wouldn't catch otherwise.
Read Aloud
Another thing I do is I read it out loud. I print it out, and I will read whatever I wrote out loud. I'll see if there are any sentences I tend to stumble on. That is a sign to me that maybe I need to think about shortening that sentence. Maybe it's a little bit too complex or worded awkwardly.
Find a Colleague or Pal
Another thing I like to do is pass the writing off to a colleague. If you are solo in an organization that can be hard. You can sometimes find somebody outside of your organization who may trade with you. If you look at their articles and they look at yours, that sort of thing could be a win-win. It definitely helps to get somebody's eyes on it who didn't write it. That will help you catch typos. I always say this to any reviewers, "Please check me for typos and any kind of weirdness. Tell me anything that is not clear."
More Checking After Launch
Finally, after the writing/website/whatever launches, check for typos again. I promise you, there still might be a few typos in there.
When I worked at UNC Chapel Hill on this project with 15 people. We launched a new website with all kinds of content. As soon as it launched, we spent the next hour just all combing the different areas of the website. We looked for little things that were funny — typos, weirdness, or something that didn't work well with the content management system. Proofreading was part of the process of launch. So we celebrated, but first we checked for typos!
So those are a few things that I do to make sure that my writing is polished. I don't want to have typos because I know that credibility is really important online. And while we all know that typos are part of life and certainly part of emails, we want to try to reduce them as much as possible. We want to give people total confidence and trust in what we're doing and what we're writing on our websites.
If you see a typo on here (likely), I beg you to tell me so I can fix it! Help out others by telling them about typos. It's appreciated.
Want to keep learning? Check out my online classes. More topics coming soon!
