Content strategy for library websites

THE FUTURE IS CONTENT

CONTENT STRATEGY FOR LIBRARY WEBSITES  

Hilary  Marsh,  Content  Company     LACONI  workshop,  September  20,  2013    

INTRODUCTIONS NAME LIBRARY

DEPARTMENT  

CONTENT STRATEGY CHALLENGES

•  No  one  can  find  anything  on  our  website,  and  they’re  complaining  to  the  CEO  

•  PracHcally  everyone  in  our  organizaHon  publishes  content  online,  and  you’d  almost  never  know  it  was  from  the  same  organizaHon  

•  No  one  is  in  charge  of  the  home  page    –  or  everyone  is  in  charge  of  it  

• We  can’t  add  comments  because  we  don’t  know  how  to  handle  them  

•  Our  site  isn’t  accessible  from  mobile  devices  

•  Some  of  our  best  material  is  presented  as  PDFs,  with  Htles  like  “4002.pdf”  

•  Our  website  is  organized  based  on  our  org  structure  rather  than  on  how  our  audience  thinks  about  us  or  our  content  

•  “We  should  be  on  Instagram”  

They’re  about    •  process  •  ownership  •  collaboraHon  •  mutual  understanding  (or  lack  thereof)  

BUSINESS CHALLENGES

•  Audience  confusion  

•  Lack  of  customer  engagement  

•  Higher  customer  service  costs  

•  Missed  cross-­‐selling  opportuni:es  

•  No  awareness  of  the  breadth  and  depth  of  what  you  offer  –  and  that  they  need!  

BUSINESS CONSEQUENCES

WHAT IS CONTENT STRATEGY?

WHAT IS CONTENT STRATEGY?

HOW I DEFINE CONTENT STRATEGY

WHO WHAT WHEN OF PUBLISHING WHERE CONTENT WHY HOW

HOW I DEFINE CONTENT STRATEGY

A STRATEGIC STATEMENT TYING CONTENT (AND COMMUNICATION) TO BUSINESS

HOW I DEFINE CONTENT STRATEGY

AND THE PEOPLE, PROCESSES, AND POWER TO EXECUTE THAT STATEMENT

LITERALLY, A STATEMENT

We  will  publish  content  that  is    •  Useful  •  Aware  of  our  audience  and  context  •  Supports  our  mission,  objecHves  and  brand  •  Helps  us  deliver  effecHve  service  to  our  

users  

–Jefferson  County  Public  Library  

http://www.richardingram.co.uk

CONTENT

STRATEGIST AS

ORCHESTRA

CONDUCTOR

WHAT IS “CONTENT”? •  BOOK REVIEWS •  EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS •  PROGRAM INFORMATION •  BIOS •  INSTRUCTIONS •  MAP

EXERCISE

Source: http://xkcd.com/773

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

•  JARGON Has  anyone  ever  said,  “I  want  to  search  your  resource  database”?  

•  AWARENESS

Does  everyone  in  the  community  know  what  your  library  offers?  What  YOU  offer?

•  PRIORITIZATION Are  you  highlighHng  and  promoHng  the  things  your  current  and  prospecHve  visitors  want?

CREATING AUDIENCE-FOCUSED CONTENT

PROCESS

USAGE AWARENESS VISITS

1. KNOW THE BUSINESS GOALS

FINDABLE USABLE USEFUL

2. KNOW THE CONTENT GOALS

PRIORITIZE CREATE

PERSONAS LIST

3. UNDERSTAND THE AUDIENCE

PRIORITIZE THESE:

CONSUMERS COMMUNITY OTHER

Adults   Media   Job-­‐seekers  

Teens   OrganizaHons   Library  staff  

Kids   Volunteers   Vendors  

Parents   Teachers      

Senior  ciHzens   Small  businesses      

Underserved   Book  clubs      

Students      

PERSONAS

PERSONAS

USAGE ALIGNMENT

WITH VISION

4. ASSESS YOUR CONTENT BASED ON….  

AGE

DELETE

ARCHIVE REWRITE

KEEP

CONTENT DECISIONS

Content  audit    

IA  number   Page  Title   URL  

Keep,  update,  rewrite,  archive,  or  delete?   Content  type   Topic  

Content  owner  

Date  created  

Last  updated   Audience  

Access  level?  

#  of  visits  in  the  last  year  Notes  

Template available at http://www.hilarymarsh.com/content-audit-spreadsheet/

For help with an automated content inventory, visit http://www.content-insight.com/

CONTENT AUDIT

CONTENT AUDIT

WHO CAN PUBLISH

DIRECTLY?

WHO CAN SAY “NO”?

WHO WRITES WHAT?

WHO CAN POST ON

SOCIAL MEDIA? WORKFLOWS

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

5. GOVERNANCE

WORKFLOWS

http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1996/anniversary/how.things.work/index2.html

WORKFLOWS

VOICE AND TONE

TRAINING

EXAMPLES ONGOING

EDUCATION

EDITORIAL STYLE

6. ESTABLISH STANDARDS

WRITING

WRITING

•  Online,  people  skim  and  don’t  read  

•  Shorter  is  beder  

•  Write  for  the  ear  –  conversaHonal  

•  AcHve  voice  

•  Avoid  jargon  

•  State  the  main  points  first  (“inverted  pyramid”  style)  

•  Break  up  long  text  with  subheads  and  bullets  

•  Readers’  quesHons  are  your  subheads  

•  Content  goals  are  calls  to  acHon  on  the  page  

WRITING

KEY PAGES

NEWSLETTERS

FACEBOOK TWITTER

HOME PAGE

7. EDITORIAL CALENDAR

ETC.  

LIFECYCLE

Review  every  page  at  least  once  a  year  (set  by  type  or  secHon)  

Create  

Review  

Publish  

Promote  

Revisit  

8. MEASURE & REVISE

ETC.  

SOME METRICS ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, JULY 14 – AUGUST 13, 2013  

Visits  by  device  

Desktop  

Tablet  

Mobile  

SOME METRICS PALATINE, JULY 27 – AUGUST 26, 2013  

Most  popular  pages  (unique  visits)  

Home  page  

Employment  

Kids  

Books,  movies,  music  

Research  

Events  

LocaHons  and  hours  

Summer  reading  

About  us  Digital  media  

TODAY

WHO’S DOING IT WELL?

http://www.nypl.org

http://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/

http://www.ahml.info/

http://www.bensenville.lib.il.us/

WHO’S NOT?

http://www.dixie.lib.ms.us/

http://sheppardlibrary.org/home

http://www.co.davidson.nc.us/library/

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

“NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR ORG CHART” —LOU ROSENFELD  

FIND A BOOK, EBOOK,

MUSIC OR VIDEO

CHECK OUT

UPCOMING EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES

DO SOME RESEARCH

OR HOMEWORK

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE

LIBRARY, OR CONTACT

LIBRARY STAFF

MANAGE MY ACCOUNT

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

SOURCE: http://1000libraries.net/

TOMORROW

PEOPLE STORIES

http://www.skokiestories.org

PEOPLE STORIES

http://libraryyou.escondido.org/

VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya7qVSWz01c

THANK YOU. Link to this presentation and lots of related resources: http://www.hilarymarsh.com/content-strategy-libraries/ hilary@hilarymarsh.com http://www.hilarymarsh.com @hilarymarsh 312-806-7854