So You Wanna Be a Content Strategist: SXSW 2016

So You Wanna Be a Content Strategist?

David Dylan Thomas

Senior Content Strategist,EPAM

@movie_pundit

#csworkshop

Ask Early. Ask Often.

What We’ll Learn

• What Content Strategy Is• Why It’s Important• The kinds of problems a content strategist

solves• How a content strategist solves those

problems• How you might become a content strategist

Why should you learn about content strategy?

Because LinkedIn

Right now Facebook has over 50 content strategists

And they’re hiring more

Freelance > Full Time

Because Meetup

Demand Is High,Supply Is Low

Content strategy is gaining ground on traditional marketing and SEO

Traditional marketing says, “You know what’s awesome?

Our shoes!”Content strategy says, “You

know what’s awesome? Running!”

Good content strategy = Good SEO

Also, it’s fun!

Most content strategists don’t know they’re content strategists

(Many are ex-journalists)

A content strategist’s job is to help a company think like a newspaper.

A content strategist’s job is to help you make decisions about content.

What Is Content Strategy?

significant objects dot com

Instead of a product description…

…they told a story

Original Price: $0.33

Final Price: $71.00

Original Price: $2.99

Final Price: $101.00

Original Price: $3.00

Final Price: $193.50

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

• 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).

Casey Kasem

Turned Financial Reports into Entertainment

“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!”

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

Result: #1 on iTunes

Nonprofit Goals

This Is Content

This Is Content Strategy

All content strategies require two things:

• Goal• AudienceThe more you know about both, the better the strategy will be

Most content strategies try to answer three questions:

• What are the client’s goals?• What are the user’s goals?• How can content help the two

intersect?

What is the most important skill a content strategist should have?

The ability to listen.

The Content Strategy Process

1. Investigate• Learn about the organization• Learn about the audience• Learn about the content

The Content Strategy Process

2. Come up with ideas• Collaborate/Workshop • Think for yourself

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

The Content Strategy Process4. Execute the Plan5. Measure the Results6. Learn from the Results7. Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Build, Measure, Learn

The Two Most Common Content Strategy Problems

• Help, I’ve got too much content!• Help, Amazon is killing me!

Case Study #1

Legal Software Producer

The Challenge

• Lots of content• No strategy

Contextual Inquiry

LAWYERS HAVE NO TIME!What we learned:

Why are you showing them all of this?

Content Workshop

The Solution

• Deliver the right content at the right time

• Simplify and make content more findable

Old vs New

• More sales from fewer visitors

• 200% increase in orders for this product

• 100% increase in related product

• 160% increase in sales across the entire site

Case Study #2

A big sports retailer

“We have a great experience in-store but that’s not translating to online.”

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.

You’re there to help your customer achieve a goal. Selling them shoes is just one part of that.

Governance• Assignment: Read “Responsive

Design Won’t Fix Your Content Problem” by Karen McGrane

Result: Sales up 70%

(In the best-cast scenario) you are part of a team.

Content Deep Dive

• What content is your client creating?• How are they creating it?• Why are they creating it?• What is their capacity to produce more?• What is their content culture?– Distributed vs. hierarchical– Open vs. closed (regulated)

Exercise: Establishing Business Goals

• One person will represent SXSW.• One person will interview.• One will take notes• Answer:

– Is SXSW creating content? What kind? How?– Why does SXSW create content?

• SXSW creates content in order to __________.• If SXSW content doesn’t achieve ___________, it’s not worth creating.• SXSW members should arrive feeling ________ and leave feeling

__________ .– Describe the culture of SXSW.

• 10 minutes

Discussion

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?

Exercise: Learn About the Audience• One person will represent audience.• One person will interview.• One will take notes• Answer:

– Why do they come to SXSW? – 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

Discussion

Content Strategy Format

• Describe the current state• Describe your idea• Describe your tactics• Describe what the client needs to do to get

there• Bonus: Describe how the client will know if

the strategy is working

Exercise: Build a Strategy

• Given what you now know about the client, their content, and their audience, come up with a plan that uses content to align business and user goals.

• Come up with one user story that describes an example of this plan in action.

• 15 min

Presentation of Strategies

How to Get a Job

Questions?

Thank you!

David Dylan Thomas@movie_pundit

dave@daviddylanthomas.com