Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Help! Letters to the content problem page Or 7 digital content crises and how to fix them Are you stuck in a content hell hole? Feeling directionless, undermined and alone? Never fear – we’re here to help! In this problem-page-inspired presentation, Sticky Content’s Amy Nicholson turns digital content agony aunt to show you how to avoid some common content pitfalls. From idea generation to content planning tips, this presentation will give you practical suggestions for things you can start doing now to make your colleagues calmer, your content better and your customers fall in love.
Citation preview
Or 7 digital content crises and how to fix them
Help! Letters to the content problem page
Amy [email protected]@stickyamy #MWL14
© Sticky Content Limited
© Sticky Content Limited
© Sticky Content Limited
© Sticky Content Limited
aren’t actually floating in space
© Sticky Content Limited
have quite a lot of work to do
Who are we?
What do we do?
Who are we working with?
Dear Agony Aunt… 7 letters to the content problem page
© 2014 Sticky Content Ltd.
© 2014 Sticky Content Ltd.
© 2014 Sticky Content Ltd.
© 2014 Sticky Content Ltd.
© 2014 Sticky Content Ltd.
©2011 Brain Traffic
Credit: Public Domain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montparnasse_derailment#mediaviewer/File:Train_wreck_at_Montparnasse_1895.jpg
1. “It takes so long to get anything signed off, we’re out of date by the time we publish”
©PA.
Credit: Jeffrey Beall, Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/denverjeffrey/5316259154
© 2014 Sticky Content Ltd.
6 steps to manage your content stakeholders…
1. Limit them in number
2. Limit them in time and rounds of amends
3. Limit them to certain types of content only
4. Challenge their value to the project
5. Limit the scope of their feedback
6. Permit them to give no feedback at all (use your persuasive writing skills to increase your chances)
2. “Whenever I have a great idea for content, it always gets hijacked”
©PA.
“At the very least, have a statement of intent for every content item you produce...”
© 2014 Sticky Content Ltd.
What goes in a briefing form?
destination of content eg position in IA, channel
source material or stakeholders to provide input
audience (eg customer segments or user personas) deadline
parameters and constraints eg wordcounts, keywords
format eg case study, Q&A, video tutorial
additional guidance to consult eg social media policy, style guide, format guidelines, compliance guidance
list of named approvers
CTA: what you want the audience to think, feel or do as a result of this content
metrics: what will success look like and how will you measure it (eg downloads, sales enquiries, seo traffic, etc)?
When to use your brief…
When you’re planning content•To help you crystallise your goals and intentions.•To how a piece of content fits within your whole activity.
When you’re writing •To keep you focused on the desired outcomes and the task at hand.
When you’re commissioning content •To give writers a clear, agreed understanding of what their content needs to achieve and the form it should take.
When to use your brief…
When you’re checking content •Check you've got all the content elements you need in place.
When you’re submitting content •Get approvers to check copy against the briefing form – seeing the thinking will help them appreciate the execution.
• If you're managing a lot of stakeholders, do they all need to sign off on the final content? Can some approve the brief instead?
• Email subject line
• Homepage teaser
• Tweet
• Related products link
• Landing page snippet / A-Z entry
• Mobile site
• Tablet site
3. “No-one ever listens to me”
©PA.
Smartphones are the starting point
Source: Google/IPSOS study August 2012
Share your best practice
• Define what best-practice looks like for you, your team, your department
• Prove it – show it works
• Share it – get it down in guidelines and distribute them to everyone who’s using them
• Spot-check to make sure things are up to your standards, and fix them if they’re not
| Course Title
An extract from the foreword to Content Strategy for the Web (2nd Edition) by Kristina Halvorson & Melissa Rach by Sarah Cancilla, Facebook’s first content strategist.
Sarah Cancilla’s top tips
Extract from the foreword of Content Strategy for the Web (2nd Edition)
3 signs you’ve picked a good spot
1.You’re sure it’s the copy that’s working
2.There’s just enough risk
3.You have a clear point of conversion
4. “We’ve got so much stuff, I don’t even know where half of it is”
©PA.
©PA.
Page name URL Score To workload
Homepage www.stickyamy.co.uk/home
2 From July, will need to update top LH module to reflect campaign
Product landing page
www.stickyamy.co.uk/products
1 This is fine – review again 1.10.14
FAQs www.stickyamy.co.uk/faqs
3 Doesn’t reflect experience, rework in line with customer service
Contact us www.stickyamy.co.uk/contact
4 Over-complicated, unclear – make single number only
Product A www.stickyamy.co.uk/products/product-a
2 New features launched on August 1 – trail from July 1
Product B www.stickyamy.co.uk/products/product-b
2 To be discontinued on September 1 – suggest product A then redirect
Product C www.stickyamy.co.uk/products/product-c
4 This launches July 7 – must be approved by June 30
5. “We don’t know where we’re going”
©PA.
Content marketing maturity model
Find ways to measure your content
©PA.
6. “No-one takes any notice of our deadlines”
©PA.
©PA.
”A managing editor doesn’t necessarily have to be a full-time employee, but someone on your staff needs to be responsible for coordinating, scheduling, and tracking the progress on your content production.
Without someone fulfilling this role, you’ll miss deadlines; you’ll have inconsistent results and a stress level that isn’t good for anyone.
Have a ‘managing editor’ on your staff
Michelle Linn, b2b marketing consultant
Credit: xkcd.com
•
Plan like a publisher
Maintain an editorial calendar confirming agreed frequency, timelines, volumes, content owners, formats, channels etc
Create content departments and give them owners
Cultivate subject matter experts and other content sources
Brainstorm ideas regularly
Develop guidelines: style guide, tone of voice, format guidelines
Put in place an editorial board to review content effectiveness
7. “I have no idea what I’m doing here”
?
©PA.
Credit: wikipedia
Date| Course Title| 66
Date| Course Title| 67
