I presented this to a group of graduate students in DePaul University's Introduction to User-Centered Design class to introduce them to content strategy and what to expect when working alongside one. I've shared elements of it in other What Is Content Strategy-type presentations with colleagues. It's evolving, so feedback welcome.

1. What the Heck Is
Content Strategy?
Sara Zailskas Walsh
www.sarazailskas.com
zails@yahoo.com

2. What the Heck Is Content?
Anything you put in front of the user

3. Content Strategy
Content strategy is determining the best way to
present information to your audience so that
it’s valuable and makes them want to come
back for more.

4. Content Strategy
Content strategy defines how a business will
use content to achieve its business objectives
and meet user needs.*
* Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach say this in “Content Strategy for the Web,”
which I argue you should read if you plan to work with content

5. Content Strategy
By taking a content-first approach, content
strategy ensures groups are working toward the
same goals.

6. Content Strategy & Me
My editorial background is “content-first” by default;
content-first is still new to non-publishing industries.
(Today: I’m a UX Content Strategist with United.)

7. Content Strategy
Content strategy is particularly important on
projects that span multiple channels and
require multiple groups or departments – most
likely all following their own
processes, goals, and standards.
Also: Content is political and personal.

8. AHHHH!

9. Your Content Strategy Cape
We content strategists are
liaisons, negotiators, and mediators as much as
we are strategists, analysts, and user advocates.
The responsibilities vary by company.

10. A Few Typical Questions from a CS
• Tell me about the goal of this. What are you trying to
accomplish?
• What do you want people to do with this?
• Who are your trying to reach?
• Is this the best presentation (Q&A? List? Video
interview?) for this information?
• What related content is in the pipeline? What’s out
there?
• What does this content look like across channels?

11. Typical Questions from a CS
Discovery phase: Research, Analysis, & Strategy
Pre-Scope
• What problems need solving? (User AND business goals) What are the reasons why we're making this update/taking on his project/etc.?
• What does the business need as the end result of this update?
• What does the user need? How do we know?
• How does a user use this information? How do we know it's valuable to them?
• Who is the main audience we're trying to reach? Who is the secondary audience? Tertiary?
• What is top message we are communicating? The secondary and tertiary message?
• What are the user actions we need performed?
• What content do we HAVE to make sure to include -- based on user or business need? Where does it need to go (channel)?
• What groups are effected by this content changing?
• Who needs to know about this change right now?
• Are there any legal limitations we have?
• What are our technical limitations?
• What are our competitors doing on this topic? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
• Are there reasons to NOT take an omnichannel approach?
• Will we employ active or passive personalization? To what degree?
• Examples of deliverables to inform answers: Stakeholder needs interviews, user need interviews, business charter, scope document, competitive
content analysis, user personas, SWOT analysis, customer journey diagram, etc.

12. Typical Questions from a CS
Post-Scope
• What content do we have now?
• Where does it live? Which channels?
• How is it performing?
• What can we get rid of?
• What's missing?
• What content do we HAVE to make sure to include -- based on user or business need? Where does it need to go (channel)?
• How does our content map to the customer journey? What gaps do we have? Where can we expand?
• What is top message we are communicating? The secondary and tertiary messages?
• What user actions are our priorities?
• Who is the main audience? Who is the secondary audiences?
• What is our SEO strategy in regard to this topic?
• Do we intend this to be shared? How?
• What resources for content creation, design, and development will we need to meet user and biz needs? What resources exist? (Anything from
people to style guides)
• Who will own the content? How will it be maintained?
• Are the content owners willing to commit to maintaining it, or is that something we need to figure out?
• What is our strategy: how will we use content to meet our biz and users need? What's the approach?
• What is our personalization strategy? Are we prepared to support it as technology and our user needs change?
• How will we know our content is successful? How will we measure success?
• Examples of deliverables: content audit and analysis; gap analysis; ecosystem analysis; scenarios and use cases; content strategy statement; etc.

13. Typical Questions from a CS
Content Planning, Creation & Design
• How does the user want this information presented? (Text, chart, video, images, etc.) How does it differ according to channel?
• What does the business require us to include?
• What are the legal requirements?
• What are user requirements?
• Where will this content live? How will users find it? How will search engines find it?
• How does a user use this specific information? How do we know it's valuable to them?
• What is the intended action for the user on this page? (Aim for an answer not tied to an emotional response, i.e. They will love our company.)
• How will this user get this information on each channel? What information is most important in each channel/in that user moment?
• How will it be presented differently on each of the channels? What if they switch devices? What is that experience like?
• Where else do we as a company talk about this content? Is it consistent?
• Will the content we're planning change in the future? How easy will it be to update and remain consistent?
• Check: Is what we're planning matching up with our overall goals for the business? For the user experience? For the channel?
• Check: Is what we're planning matching our strategy?
• Does this updated content align with what the user will see in advertising, direct mail, email, etc.? (Messaging, voice/tone, facts, etc.)
• What's the best language to use to communicate what we need? (For fundability, user understanding, SEO, etc.)
• What meta data do we need to update? What's the current meta data performance?
• Who will maintain this content? How much maintenance will it require?
• Are the content owners willing to commit to what this will require to be fresh, accurate, etc.?
• Examples of deliverables: content requirements documents for user tasks; page tables; wireframes; prototype content; etc.
Implementation, Maintenance & Measurement
… the questions continue. Will update this presentation with more for this portion.

14. Typical Content Strategy Activities
• Content Audit (incl. SEO analysis)
• Competitive Analysis
• Gap Analysis
• Map content to Customer Journey
• Ecosystem Analysis

15. Typical Content Strategy Activities
Ecosystem Analysis
– Analyze Users, Travel Modes, and Content Lifecycle
– Analyze stakeholder needs
– Analyze internal factors impacting content
– Analyze external factors impacting content
– Analyze workflow
– Analyze channel interaction
– Analyze localization and globalization
– Document Tech, CMS, other systems

16. Typical Content Strategy Activities
• Define Governance & Maintenance
– Authoring, ownership
– Process, Procedures
– Plans, Priorities
– Content Policies
– Guidelines
• Define Reuse Strategy
• Define SEO Strategy
• Determine performance metrics
• Plan for content development (via content
requirements, page tables, etc.)

17. Skill Sets
Serve as Jack-of-all trades:
writer, editor, information
architect, researcher, analyst
But again, the responsibilities vary by company
and its needs.

18. What Does a Content Strategy
Look Like?
(My content strategy for my Facebook page. Because I’m a dork.)
Presentation Title 18
Post commentary, observations, and photos that communicate an
opinion, perspective, or life milestone that is truly important to me AND
relevant and valuable to my Facebook friends who want to stay connected
to me.

19. What Does a Content Strategy
Statement Look Like?
Presentation Title 19
Post commentary, observations, and photos that communicate an
opinion, perspective, or life milestone that is truly important to me AND
relevant and valuable to my Facebook friends who want to stay connected
to me.
This is what
I’m doing.
(Posting)

20. What Does a Content Strategy
Statement Look Like?
Presentation Title 20
Post commentary, observations, and photos that communicate an
opinion, perspective, or life milestone that is truly important to me AND
relevant and valuable to my Facebook friends who want to stay connected
to me.
This is the
content I’m
publishing.

21. What Does a Content Strategy
Statement Look Like?
Presentation Title 21
Post commentary, observations, and photos that communicate an
opinion, perspective, or life milestone that is truly important to me AND
relevant and valuable to my Facebook friends who want to stay connected
to me.
This is what
the content is
about.

22. What Does a Content Strategy
Statement Look Like?
Presentation Title 22
Post commentary, observations, and photos that communicate an
opinion, perspective, or life milestone that is truly important to me AND
relevant and valuable to my Facebook friends who want to stay connected
to me.
This is who
I’m publishing
for: my broad
Facebook
community.

23. What Does a Content Strategy
Statement Look Like?
Presentation Title 23
Post commentary, observations, and photos that communicate an
opinion, perspective, or life milestone update that is truly important to me AND
relevant and valuable to my Facebook friends who want to stay connected to
me.
The end game
– the reason
why we’re FB
friends.

24. What Does a Content Strategy
Statement Look Like?
Presentation Title 24
Post commentary, observations, and photos that communicate an
opinion, perspective, or life milestone that is truly important to me AND
relevant and valuable to my Facebook friends who want to stay connected to
me.
This sets criteria for
what I publish so my
audience will get
something out of it –
and hopefully won’t
unfriend me.

25. How do I apply it?
25
Oh my God! I love these eggs!
This is the best egg batch ever. I’m
having the best morning!
I’m going to take a picture and
post on Facebook!

26. How do I apply it?
26
Hmm… this photo isn’t very good.
My eggs look gross.
I’m not sure what to write in my
post.
… WAIT. Maybe I shouldn’t post it.

27. How do I apply it?
27
Will people care I’m eating eggs?
Will they get something out of
seeing these eggs?
I don’t have a recipe to post, and
these eggs are not that important
to me. I don’t have anything unique
to share.
I will spare my friends a bad photo
of eggs and not post until I have
something better to say.

28. Get-Started Resources
28
1. READ KRISTINA HALVORSON and MELISSA RACH’S “CONTENT STRATEGY
FOR THE WEB (v. 2.0)”
2. Check out the Content Strategy Google Group
3. Go to hear speakers like Kristina Halvorson, Karen McGrane, Jared
Spool, Kevin Nichols, etc. at Event Apart, Confab, and many other great user
experience or content strategy conferences.
And feel free to email me with questions: zails@yahoo.com