Presented at HighEdWeb 2017 Memphis.

1. Nested Content Strategy
adding layers to rally content teams
Amy Grace Wells, Content Strategist @amygracewells
#heweb16
#mcs6

3. What was our goal?
Build a consistent and cohesive brand
voice across all channels.
Owned • Earned • Paid
@amygracewells #heweb16

4. Lots of lofty talk
Lots of large docs
@amygracewells

6. Where were we starting?
Better alignment with university priorities
Shift to message and audience first rather
than distribution channel
Working across teams to build quality
content and amplify it
By changing the content mindset
@amygracewells #heweb16

7. Where were we starting?
Content strategy is a process.
Content strategy is about the people.
Content is a tool that isn’t valuable in of itself.
Content is valuable when it further goals.
How to rally the team?
@amygracewells #heweb16

8. @amygracewells #heweb16

9. Nesting creates memorable
layers that provide flexibility
@amygracewells #heweb16

10. Key characteristics
• Nesting dolls are similar, but not exact copies
– They fit into and compliment one another but can
have unique distinctions.
• Nesting dolls get smaller and more narrow
– Just like a content strategy, the further you go
narrower and more intricate they become.
Source: http://review.content-science.com/2015/10/stuck-on-creating-a-single-content-strategy-take-a-cue-from-nesting-dolls/
@amygracewells #heweb16

11. @amygracewells #heweb16

12. Outer Ring:
What we are
Moving Inward:
How we tell our stories
Inner Ring:
How we
reinforce our messages
@amygracewells #heweb16

13. Outer Ring:
Pillars/Core Values
Moving Inward:
Content Tiers
Inner Ring:
Editorial Themes
@amygracewells #heweb16

14. The Outer Doll
Pillars represent the key university
values.
Broken into national vs. state
messaging.
The most important category for
which all content should fit.
@amygracewells #heweb16

15. Opening the Doll
How we tell our stories
Content tiers identify categories of
valuable content and prioritize it.
Collaborative Impacts
Exceptional Carolina Family
National Prominence
@amygracewells #heweb16

16. Moving Inward
Quarterly editorial themes provide a focus for
content and reinforce topics with our
audiences.
Learning
Service
Research
Global
How we reinforce our messages
@amygracewells #heweb16

17. @amygracewells #heweb16

18. @amygracewells
X
XXXX
X
#heweb16

19. Nesting dolls help keep the
audience (person) in mind.
@amygracewells #heweb16

20. @amygracewells #heweb16

21. Audience First
Focusing on audience instead of
distribution channel allows for better
Reuse
Repurposing
Repackaging
Makes for a bigger impact
@amygracewells #heweb16

22. Key Results
Reintroduced long-form content into
the news team
4 of 6 stories landed in the top
performing stories of the year
Quality over Quantity
@amygracewells #heweb16

23. Key Results
Showed the value of additional
distribution channels such as social media
Top performing stories gained more
viewership from other sources than the
email newsletter
Audience over Distribution
@amygracewells #heweb16

24. Your Turn
Volunteer needed…
Let’s Nest
@amygracewells #heweb16

25. Two Minutes
What are your university’s
biggest priorities?
(pillars, cornerstones, etc.)
Let’s Nest
@amygracewells #heweb16

26. Two Minutes
What are the ways you want to tell
your stories?
Let’s Nest
@amygracewells #heweb16

27. Three Minutes
How do you want to reinforce your
messages?
Let’s Nest
@amygracewells #heweb16

28. Adaptations
Outer Doll: Core Strategy
Inner Dolls:
Social Strategy
Ad Strategy
Audience-Based Strategy
Initiative-Based Strategy
@amygracewells #heweb16

29. Getting Buy-In &
Building Excitement
No overnight changes
LISTEN extensively
Allow for feedback (candid & constructive)
Let them impact the plan
Get teams together regularly
Provide analytic/performance reports
@amygracewells #heweb16

30. @amygracewells #heweb16

31. Questions?
Amy Grace Wells
@amygracewells
amygrace@gracefulcontent.com