This document discusses various topics related to content strategy including principles, strategy, process, roles, and perceptions. It emphasizes that principles internally motivate good work, strategy keeps teams accountable, process should not be the primary focus, roles give teams structure, and perceptions should give way to broader perspectives. Anonymous client stories are presented throughout as examples. The overall message is that content strategy requires considering many interrelated human factors.

1. CONTENT / COMMUNICATION
@HALVORSON • NOW WHAT? CONFERENCE

11. AUDIT THE CONTENT.
!
REWORK THE IA.
!
MAKE SOME
METADATA.
!
REWRITE THE COPY.

12. YOUR COMPANY IS
BROKEN.
!
YOUR TOOLS SUCK.
!
YOU’RE WAY BEHIND.
!
YOU ARE DUMB.

13. My content is terrible!
It’s not your
content. It’s you.
*sobs*

15. THERE’S SOME
FOUNDATIONAL STUFF
WE NEED TO (REMEMBER
TO) TALK ABOUT.
PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS
PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

16. A RULE externally compels
us to do things someone else
has deemed good and right.
A PRINCIPLE internally
motivates us to do things we
believe are good and right.
!
!
!
!
!

21. ANONYMOUS
CLIENT STORY
#1

23. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mononoke/225965762/

25. !
1. This content is not for us.
2. “Responsive” does not equal “reactive.”
3. The story informs the format.
4. Numbers aren’t everything.
!
!
OUR CONTENT PRINCIPLES

26. PRINCIPLES UNITE US
IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY
WORK.

27. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS
PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

28. OBJECTIVE
STRATEGY
TACTIC

30. ANONYMOUS
CLIENT STORY
#2

31. “We will become the industry leader in the
financial services arena by providing our
clients with superior service, world-class
products, and a commitment to excellence
at every touchpoint along the customer
lifecycle.”
!
!
“We will become the industry leader in the
[INDUSTRY] services arena by providing
our clients with superior service, world-
class products, and a commitment to
excellence at every touchpoint along the
customer lifecycle.”

32. We will share user-facing, task-based content that
makes our customers feel smart and safe, both
personally and professionally.
STRATEGY

33. • Rewrite “About Us” copy
• Improve “Help” section
• Create interactive company history
timeline
• Restructure home page around top
tasks
• Start some content marketing
• Get some user personas
!

35. STRATEGERY

37. STRATEGY KEEPS US
ACCOUNTABLE.

38. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS
PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

39. ANONYMOUS
CLIENT STORY
#3

47. Content?

48. DO NOT MAKE PROCESS YOUR GOD.

49. “Different methods work or fail because of
people, not because they are universally
good or bad.
!
– Pawel Brodzinski, Agile Bullshit
!

50. http://www.matthiasshapiro.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IngebretsenDeliverablesWithPictures1.png

51. ARTIFACTS ARE TOOLS, NOT OUTCOMES.

52. GOOD PROCESS
HELPS US MOVE
TOGETHER.

53. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS
PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

54. ANONYMOUS
CLIENT STORY
#4

56. !
1. Take away everyone’s job titles.
2. Have a series of four-hour working sessions to break
out “big tasks” and “little tasks.”
3. Managers go away and come back with “team
missions.”
4. Employees pick a team and write their own job
descriptions.
5. Select goals, review quarterly.
6. Go!
!
!
THE BIG PLAN

60. !
R – Who is responsible for completing a task?
A – Who is accountable for the work’s success?
C – Who must be consulted before work can be
signed-off on?
I – Who must be kept informed along the way?
!
!
THE RACI MODEL

62. !
1. At some point, invite All the People
2. Make sure everyone’s aligned on terminology (e.g. audit vs.
inventory, wireframe vs. prototype)
3. Identify timing issues, agendas, overlapping responsibilities
EVERY PROJECT, EVERY TIME

63. ROLES GIVE US A
PLACE.

64. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS
PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

65. http://projectcartoon.com

66. “In content strategy, our master skills must
include translating and negotiating, so we
can facilitate communication between
disparate disciplines and help them to
communicate.
!
– Rachel Lovinger,
“Tinker, Tailor, Content Strategist”

68. PERCEPTIONS GIVE
WAY TO
PERSPECTIVE.

69. PRINCIPLES
STRATEGY
PROCESS
ROLES
PERCEPTIONS

70. WE ARE PERPETUALLY CATCHING UP.

71. “This multi-device web design increases
stress exponentially.
!
– Trent Walton, .net Magazine

72. ALL THE FEELINGS

73. “A study of over 350
people in 6 business units
at a financial services
company found that the
greatest predictor of a
team’s achievement was
how the members felt
about one another.”
!

74. OUR WORK IS PERSONAL.
TOGETHER.

76. WHO’S AWESOME?
You’re awesome.

77. !
THANK YOU • kristina@braintraffic.com