Strategy: Content Strategy's Other Half

Strategy: Content strategy’s other half

What is strategy?

Strategy is …a plan designed to achieve a particular long-term aim.

Strategy is …what to do + what not to do.

Strategy is …the art of creating advantage.

Strategy is …amplifying what you’re good at.

Strategy is …putting your pants on before your shoes.

Strategy is …selecting which stakeholders to disappoint.

Bud Caddell: whatconsumesme.com

Strategy is …[Insert your personal theory here.]

What I used to think

What I used to think

1. Bigwigs +

strategists

2. Research + analysis

3. Objectives about mo

4. Grand master plan

5. Send plan to minions

6. Minions rejoice!

7. Success + $$$$$$$$

What I used to think

1. Bigwigs + strategists

2. Research +

analysis

3. Objectives about

4. Grand master plan

5. Send plan to minions

6. Minions rejoice!

7. Success + $$$$$$$$

What I used to think

1. Bigwigs + strategists

2. Research + analysis

3. Objectives about

money

4. Grand master plan

5. Send plan to minions

6. Minions rejoice!

7. Success + $$$$$$$$

What I used to think

1. Bigwigs + strategists

2. Research + analysis

3. Objectives about money

4. Grand master plan

5. Send plan to minions

6. Minions rejoice!

7. Success + $$$$$$$$

What I used to think

1. Bigwigs + strategists

2. Research + analysis

3. Objectives about money

4. Grand master plan

5. Send plan to minions

6. Minions rejoice!

7. Success + $$$$$$$$

What I used to think

1. Bigwigs + strategists

2. Research + analysis

3. Objectives about

money

4. Grand master plan

5. Send plan to minions

6. Minions rejoice!

7. Success + $$$$$$$$

What I used to think

1. Bigwigs + strategists

2. Research + analysis

3. Objectives about

money

4. Grand master plan

5. Send plan to minions

6. Minions rejoice!

7. Success + $$$$$$$$

I invented strategy.

It didn’t always work

My theory wasn’t fact.

Classical American Method!

1950s. No kidding!

The age of the Alfreds

Scientific management means a constant search for the facts, the true actualities, and their intelligent, unprejudiced analysis. Thus, and in no other way, policies and their administration are determined… Only by increased knowledge can we progress, perhaps I had better say survive.” (Sloan 1941)

“Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.”

-John Maynard Keynes (1936)

Also, very quietly, around 1955the “information age” began.

Did it work? 1960s: Everybody did it1970s: Competitive advantage 1980s: Market positioning 1990s: Focus inside

Results: Silos

Results: Layers

60 years later “Strategy” is necessary to survive Profit is the #1 outcome of strategy Classically-educated finance guys make the

best “generals”Constant research and measurement is

required – and must map to money (report progress quarterly)

Work is done in functional silos

Guess what, it’s not 1950 anymore.

"Well, in our country," said Alice, still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else — if you run very fast for a long time, as we've been doing.“

"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!“

- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass

Adaptability is the key Today’s sustainable strategies need to have: Flexible frameworksOngoing learning/educationQuick responses and reactions Strategic routines vs. long-term

strategies

Knowledge is the advantageKnowledge: Gives you the ability to change quickly Is valuable precisely because it’s not easily

captured Is dispersed throughout the organizationRelies on innovation, which is not obviously

profitable Requires constant learning and education

Enter content strategy

You have excellent timing.

Organizations need content to survive.

They need us.

And, some of them even know it.

Content strategyhelps organizations use content to achieve their business goals.

We don’t play by the rules.

Rebel yell! Mo, mo,

mo!

No designated silo

Not always at c-level

No obvious super powers

Can’t define value conventionally

They need us anyway.

Start thinking about strategyin a new way.

Never forget journalism is a service industry.

– David Brinkley

Think of strategy as a VERB

Everything you do, needs to do one of these things: Create clarity Align stakeholders Make smart decisions Operationalize change

(Chris LaVictoire Mahai, Aveus)

Deliverables are tools, not outcomes

Education moments Conversation starters Records of past conversations Memory aids

Create clarity

We are not competition, we are a complement

Make smart decisions Give people the tools, knowledge, and expert advice they need to:To move confidently Act independently To move quicklyMake content decisions in their area

of expertise

Make smart decisions

Operationalize change

We can be strategists AND engineers Strategy sets the stage/direction Engineering creates a solution

based on expertise As content professionals we often

do bothAnd, both are extremely important

Operationalize change

In summary…

Brier’s first law At some time in the life-cycle of virtually every organization, its ability to succeed in spite of itself runs out.

You can be a

CONTENT PERSON

and a

BUSINESS PERSON

You can be an

EXPERT

and a

PARTNER

You can focus less on

DELIVERABLES

and more on

DELIVERING

You can think of strategy as a

VERB

Not a

NOUN

Create clarity Align stakeholders

Make smart decisions Operationalize change

Help your team be

KNOWLEDGABLE

and

KNOWLEDGE-ABLE

Ready. Set. Go.

I’m

waiting!

THANKS!@melissarach