A somewhat non-profit focused version of my Introduction to Content Strategy presentation/workshop.

1. Introduction to Content Strategy

2. David Dylan Thomas
Senior Content Strategist,
EPAM
@movie_pundit

3. Ask Early. Ask Often.

4. What We’ll Learn
• What content strategy is
• The kinds of problems it solves
• How it solves them

5. What Is Content Strategy?

6. significant objects dot

7. Instead of a product description…
…they told a story

8. Original Price: $0.33
Final Price: $71.00

9. Original Price: $2.99
Final Price: $101.00

10. Original Price: $3.00
Final Price: $193.50

11. Content Strategy is the planned
use of content to achieve a
goal.

12. • With Significant Objects, the goal was
to increase the value of ordinary
items.
• The strategy was to replace bland
descriptions with colorful stories (by
good writers).
• The creators used content (stories) to
achieve a goal (added value).

13. Casey Kasem
Turned Financial Reports into
Entertainment

14. “In this hour at #32 in the countdown, a song that’s
been a hit 4 different times in 19 years! And we’re
just one tune away from the singer with the
$10,000 gold hubcaps on his car! Now, on with the
countdown!”

15. What Is Content Strategy?
• Example: Weird Al
– Business Goal: Weird Al wanted his new album to
be successful
– Challenge: He’s been out of the public eye for
decades
– Content: Music
– Content Strategy: #8days8videos

16. Result: #1 on iTunes

17. Nonprofit Goals

19. This Is Content

20. This Is Content Strategy

21. Content strategy is gaining
ground on traditional marketing
and SEO

22. Traditional marketing says, “You
know what’s awesome? Our
shoes!”
Content strategy says, “You know
what’s awesome? Running!”

23. The oldest content strategy in the
world
• Use content to make it clear you know a
lot about something.
• When people need that something, they’ll
think of you.

24. Content strategy’s job is to help an
organization think like a newspaper.
Content strategy’s job is to help you
make decisions about content.

25. All content strategies require two
things:
• Goal
• Audience
The more you know about
both, the better the strategy
will be

26. Most content strategies try to answer three
questions:
• What are our goals?
• What are our audience’s goals?
• How can content help the two intersect?

27. The Content Strategy Process
1. Investigate
• Learn about your organization
• Learn about your audience
• Learn about your content

28. The Content Strategy Process
2. Come up with ideas
• Collaborate/Workshop
• Think for yourself

29. The Content Strategy Process
3. Create a Plan
• What are we going to do?
• How are we going to do it?
• Who is going to do what? (Governance)
• Assign Goals to Content

30. The Content Strategy Process
4. Execute the Plan
5. Measure the Results
6. Learn from the Results
7. Wash, Rinse, Repeat

31. Build, Measure, Learn

32. What is the most important skill
a content strategist should have?
The ability to listen.

33. Content Workshop

34. Governance
• Assignment: Read “Responsive Design
Won’t Fix Your Content Problem” by Karen
McGrane
• http://alistapart.com/column/responsive-
design-wont-fix-your-content-problem

35. Case Study #1
• Legal Software Producer

36. Case Study #2
• A big sports retailer

37. Exercise: Establishing Your
Organization’s Goals
• One person will represent their organization.
• Good if one other person in group knows this org.
• One person will interview.
• One will take notes
• Answer:
– Is your organization creating content?
– If so, why?
– Fill in the blank:
• My org creates content in order to __________.
• My org’s audience should arrive feeling ________ and leave
feeling __________ .
• 10 minutes

38. Audience Interview Techniques
• What are you looking for?
– Consumption habits
• Devices
• Media (video, blogs)
• How are they finding content?
– Social component
– Search component
• Triggers for content
– What do they value?
– What do they want?

39. Exercise: Learn About the Audience
• One person will represent audience.
• One person will interview.
• One will take notes
• Answer:
– Why do they come to your org?
– What do they hope to get out of it?
– What role did content play in them finding out about it?
– What types of content do they consume?
– How?
– On what devices?
– When?
• 10 minutes

40. Exercise: Build a Strategy
• Given what you now know about the
organization, their content, and their
audience, come up with a plan that uses
content to align organization and user goals.
• 10 min

41. Presentation of Strategies

42. Questions?

43. Thank you!
David Dylan Thomas
@movie_pundit
travelindave2001@gmail.com