Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.
Kristina Halvorson, founder Brain TrafficThe Epic List of Content Strategy by Jonathon Colman
If we use the quote above as an accepted definition of content strategy, we discover that there can be essentially two phases in properly activating a genuine content strategy for any product or website: the creation and use of content.
A truly robust content strategy is based around:
- Driving the creation of content.
- Creating systems that govern creative processes.
- Enablement of users to engage with us to begin their relationship with our products.
As such, content strategy is inherently invested with the classification and organization of the content flowing throughout our product(s) as well as the design of the systems required to build and maintain same product(s). A successful content strategy works across the enterprise, involving teams such as social media, public relations, telesales, and web production. Therefore, content strategy should be a focus of senior leadership to ensure collaborative efforts across teams and create consistent messaging across all touch points.
Content strategy will define key messaging, content auditing, purpose, SEO and metadata. It will also detail recommendations on the creation, publication, and governance required to execute the content strategy. A successful content strategy will also ensure that the content being created is relevant to the customer, useful, efficiently produced, and comprehensiveContent Strategy, the Philosophy of Data by Rachel Lovinger.
Therefore, the successful content strategy cannot be limited to a single implementation, but rather used as the guide to drive holistic experiences that drive customer action. Content strategy is focused on utilizing content to enable those experiences for the viewer regardless of the context (e.g. out of home, digital, TV, etc.).
The main goal of content strategy is to …be experts in all aspects of communication in order to do this effectively.
Rachel Lovinger
These experiences are not inherently limited to one channel but allow the content’s use, and re-use, based upon an associated marketing strategy designed to attract, engage, and delight our customers and prospects. Coca Cola calls this liquid content that “moves freely amongst themselves but do not become separate stories”Coca-Cola Content Strategy 2020 by Jonathan Mendenhall.
Today, everything is content — so our content strategy has to consider not only the written word, but also the information architecture, visual design, photographic imagery, structure of the page, user journeys — down to the metadata used in the code. Everything is content and needs to be considered in an effective content strategy.
In order to deliver a successful content strategy, we must focus on the processes required to research, create, author, publish, and analyze our content, and not just focus on the end-goal: delivering engaging experiences. We have to ensure that these stories, as they are used and re-used, remain connected.
We should be able break that core content strategy into a two key parts: people and content. The people relates to the workflow and processes necessary for the creation, implementation, management, and governance of a successful content strategy. While the content portion relates to the actual assets, organization, taxonomy, and analytics of the content.
The processes required to facilitate the delivery of the content includes the infrastructure and governance to support creation, delivery, and analysis of the content. While the content side includes the topics, assets, structure, and metrics.
Content strategy is then focused on the what, when, and how we create while also governing who is allowed to create and the why around the analysis of content. At a high level then, the content strategy speaks to what we are creating while also whom is allowed to create and defines the procedures for approvals; in short, what you can and cannot do.
In support of the content strategy we should apply the 70|20|10 ruleHow to Create a Content Strategy by Ian Lurie to content creation in support of any marketing content strategies:
- 70% of our content should be the expected articles and information that customers would expect from the world leader in the timeshare industry. Articles like how-to, city guides, and testimonials on the value of being an owner with Club Wyndham
- 20% of the content should build from the 70% by innovating on what has worked well from that large pool of content. Building out new and innovative ways that engages on a deeper level with the customer.
- 10% of our content should be brand new perspectives or engagements based on our role within the industry, where we are pushing POVs to disrupt as the market leader.
Working within this type of framework will ensure a clarity to our thinking while also embracing risks and rewards. Addressing content in this manner would continue to support our current owners’ needs while also allowing experimentation and growth in the style or delivery mechanisms to reach more prospects and engage our owners more effectively.
Tactically, if we were to begin to plot this on a calendar it might look like 70% content is developed 7 times a month, 20% is developed twice per month, and 10% is a single article per month to support this guidance.
This approach would enable supporting the needs of our existing customers while allowing innovation in our the creation of new content could be more immersive and experiential content to enhance our brand’s equity. This high-level guidance should inform the content marketing strategy and how we approach the articles and campaigns that will be tactically delivered to support the overall content strategy.
In conclusion, content strategy is a discipline of disciplines. Framing together perspectives from design, technology, communications, sales, etc. within the enterprise will impact the business goals. It is the proper planning, production, and curation of content that enables meaningful, engaging experiences as well as the analysis of the objective key results.
Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.
Kristina Halvorson, founder Brain TrafficThe Epic List of Content Strategy by Jonathon Colman
If we use the quote above as an accepted definition of content strategy, we discover that there can be essentially two phases in properly activating a genuine content strategy for any product or website: the creation and use of content.
A truly robust content strategy is based around:
- Driving the creation of content.
- Creating systems that govern creative processes.
- Enablement of users to engage with us to begin their relationship with our products.
As such, content strategy is inherently invested with the classification and organization of the content flowing throughout our product(s) as well as the design of the systems required to build and maintain same product(s). A successful content strategy works across the enterprise, involving teams such as social media, public relations, telesales, and web production. Therefore, content strategy should be a focus of senior leadership to ensure collaborative efforts across teams and create consistent messaging across all touch points.
Content strategy will define key messaging, content auditing, purpose, SEO and metadata. It will also detail recommendations on the creation, publication, and governance required to execute the content strategy. A successful content strategy will also ensure that the content being created is relevant to the customer, useful, efficiently produced, and comprehensiveContent Strategy, the Philosophy of Data by Rachel Lovinger.
Therefore, the successful content strategy cannot be limited to a single implementation, but rather used as the guide to drive holistic experiences that drive customer action. Content strategy is focused on utilizing content to enable those experiences for the viewer regardless of the context (e.g. out of home, digital, TV, etc.).
The main goal of content strategy is to …be experts in all aspects of communication in order to do this effectively.
Rachel Lovinger
These experiences are not inherently limited to one channel but allow the content’s use, and re-use, based upon an associated marketing strategy designed to attract, engage, and delight our customers and prospects. Coca Cola calls this liquid content that “moves freely amongst themselves but do not become separate stories”Coca-Cola Content Strategy 2020 by Jonathan Mendenhall.
Today, everything is content — so our content strategy has to consider not only the written word, but also the information architecture, visual design, photographic imagery, structure of the page, user journeys — down to the metadata used in the code. Everything is content and needs to be considered in an effective content strategy.
In order to deliver a successful content strategy, we must focus on the processes required to research, create, author, publish, and analyze our content, and not just focus on the end-goal: delivering engaging experiences. We have to ensure that these stories, as they are used and re-used, remain connected.
We should be able break that core content strategy into a two key parts: people and content. The people relates to the workflow and processes necessary for the creation, implementation, management, and governance of a successful content strategy. While the content portion relates to the actual assets, organization, taxonomy, and analytics of the content.
The processes required to facilitate the delivery of the content includes the infrastructure and governance to support creation, delivery, and analysis of the content. While the content side includes the topics, assets, structure, and metrics.
Content strategy is then focused on the what, when, and how we create while also governing who is allowed to create and the why around the analysis of content. At a high level then, the content strategy speaks to what we are creating while also whom is allowed to create and defines the procedures for approvals; in short, what you can and cannot do.
In support of the content strategy we should apply the 70|20|10 ruleHow to Create a Content Strategy by Ian Lurie to content creation in support of any marketing content strategies:
- 70% of our content should be the expected articles and information that customers would expect from the world leader in the timeshare industry. Articles like how-to, city guides, and testimonials on the value of being an owner with Club Wyndham
- 20% of the content should build from the 70% by innovating on what has worked well from that large pool of content. Building out new and innovative ways that engages on a deeper level with the customer.
- 10% of our content should be brand new perspectives or engagements based on our role within the industry, where we are pushing POVs to disrupt as the market leader.
Working within this type of framework will ensure a clarity to our thinking while also embracing risks and rewards. Addressing content in this manner would continue to support our current owners’ needs while also allowing experimentation and growth in the style or delivery mechanisms to reach more prospects and engage our owners more effectively.
Tactically, if we were to begin to plot this on a calendar it might look like 70% content is developed 7 times a month, 20% is developed twice per month, and 10% is a single article per month to support this guidance.
This approach would enable supporting the needs of our existing customers while allowing innovation in our the creation of new content could be more immersive and experiential content to enhance our brand’s equity. This high-level guidance should inform the content marketing strategy and how we approach the articles and campaigns that will be tactically delivered to support the overall content strategy.
In conclusion, content strategy is a discipline of disciplines. Framing together perspectives from design, technology, communications, sales, etc. within the enterprise will impact the business goals. It is the proper planning, production, and curation of content that enables meaningful, engaging experiences as well as the analysis of the objective key results.