Join Kristina Halvorson -- owner of Brain Traffic and author of Content Strategy for the Web -- as she unpacks the tools and framework for executing a cohesive content strategy for your website and organization. You'll learn how to conduct audience research, take inventory of your content, create a messaging framework and create a core statement to guide priorities for your team! This course is ideal for people who are new to content strategy, including writers, designers, marketers, and technical communicators who are advocating for better content within their organizations.
This course and others like it are available as part of our Frontend Masters video subscription.
Published: April 6, 2018
Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
Starting the Content Strategy workshop, Kristina Halvorson introduces herself and her background with content strategy. After suggesting that crucial part of Content Strategy is actively listening to other people, she asks the students to interview each other about their primary pain points with content. - https://www.amazon.com/Content-Strategy-Web-Kristina-Halvorson/dp/0321808304Interviewing Results
After the students interviewed themselves, Kristina inquires about what they discovered and how they asked their questions.
What is Content Strategy?
Defining Content Strategy
After defining Content Strategy as a process that guides the creation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable content, Kristina reviews the content lifecycle. The content lifecycle covers the strategy, designing, creating, maintaining, and assessment of content. Kristina takes questions from students.Content & Systems Design
Kristina reviews editorial and experience of content strategy in content design. Then Kristina examines content strategy in structure and process of systems design.Content System Artifacts
Kristina lists the artifacts and deliverables associated with content and system designs. Kristina takes questions from students. - https://www.contentstrategy.com/Business Operating Frameworks
Kristina reviews important terms about operating frameworks within organizations: Vision, Mission, Goal, Strategy, Objective, Tactic, and Target.Goals & Exercise
Kristina goals must be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-framed. In this exercise, students list out the Vision, Mission, and (Current) Goals in their workplace.Goals Exercise Debrief
After the exercise, Kristina listens to students' answers to the Goals Exercise.Strategy vs. Goals
After defining strategy as a distinct path chosen to move towards achieving a goal, Kristina reviews examples of strategies. - http://www.investorwords.com/article/goals-vs-objectives.htmlObjectives & Tactics
After reviewing differences between goals and objectives, Kristina defines tactics. Tactics are activities or tools used to achieve an objective.Review and Q&A
Kristina discusses Content Strategy's place within Goals, Objectives, and Tactics. Kristina takes questions from students.
Content Considerations
Steps to Creating Great Content
After introducing four steps to creating great content, Kristina discusses tasks for a Pre-Kickoff Meeting when launching a project: revisit project scope, begin documentation dump, and review stakeholder participants. Kristina takes questions from students.Kickoff
Kristina reviews the steps involved in a Kickoff Meeting, which is a meeting with as many project team and stakeholders as possible at the start of a project.Situation Analysis
Kristina discusses situation analysis, which is a core competence for creating any strategy. Situation analysis is the gathering, synthesis, and reporting of information that impacts content choices.Design Research
Kristina discusses Design Research. Performing research by talking to customers and conducting surveys allows for an understanding of customers and taking their true perspectives into account.Design Research Exercise
In this exercise, students answer questions about their users and the assumptions they make about them.Design Research Debrief
Kristina reviews students' answers — and even those students lacking answers — to the Design Research Exercise. - https://abookapart.com/products/just-enough-researchContent Ecosystem Map
Kristina discusses a Content Ecosystem Map, which is a diagram that exposes how content is being published through an organization.Content Inventory
After discussing Content Inventory, which takes a look at current state of content, Kristina reviews the reasons for performing a Content Inventory. - https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/Content SWOT Analysis
Upcoming completion of the research phase, create a Findings Report and Situation Analysis. A findings report is a record of all the information you learned during discovery. A situation analysis summarizes your thinking about your findings, highlighting what’s important, and why. Kristina reviews SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis.Situation Analysis Review
With research steps completed, Kristina reveals the format for Content Strategy analysis outline, which includes recommended next steps.Setting Strategy
Kristina discusses setting content strategy, which includes creating a strategy statement and strategic objectives. Kristina takes questions from students.
Content Strategy Tools
Implementation and Evaluation
Kristina introduces how to evaluate and prioritize the projects on which to work.Messaging Framework & Exercise
Kristina discusses first impressions audiences to have when interacting with content, writing value statement about the value provided to the audience, and the proof that will allow an audience to believe in organization's values. Students are asked to create a messaging architecture.Messaging Framework Debrief
Kristina reviews students messaging architecture examples.Voice & Tone
Kristina discusses how a company communicates through voice and tone. A company's voice should not change much from section to section of site or platform, however the tone changes all the time depending on the context of the message. - http://voiceandtone.com/Documenting Content Requirements
Kristina states the essential tool for a content strategist is documenting content requirements, which lets stakeholders let go of the words and focus on completeness, accuracy, and overarching messages.Annotated Wireframe
Kristina reviews an annotated wireframe, which is a tool that should be used for key landing pages that flesh out main content areas.Content Reviews Tools
Kristina introduces review sheets that aid in determining content's effectiveness.Measuring Success with Targets & Exercise
Kristina examines example metrics for targets, which are qualitative and quantitative data that measure whether or not an objective is achieved. Then Kristina gives an exercise where students review their jobs and roles in an organization and content or code objectives.Wrap Up Q&A
Kristina reviews students answers to their success metrics. Kristina takes questions from students and wraps up Content Strategy.