What is Content Strategy?
Lots of people ask me “So what exactly is content strategy?”
I find the best way to answer that question is to understand a little about the person who is asking, and I try to tailor my answer accordingly.
Their experience and interest in digital communication helps me figure out what examples to use and where to focus my answer.
So lets have a little fun with that - some exaggerated examples include:
My mum
“I organise content on the internet”
UX designers
“Through a lense of business objectives and user goals, I make recommendations for an optimal digital content ecosystem and then execute those recommendations”
Business analysts
“I collaborate with teams to plan and implement the content side of digital projects, starting with identifying the business problem and user needs.”
Engineers
“I plan and make decisions about what digital content should go where and why”
PROJECT MANAGERS
“I provide project plans, schedules, resourcing plans, budgets, position descriptions and timelines to ensure digital content projects rock”
Content marketers
“I deliver process and content that meets the needs of users - content that has a strong narrative, is compelling and true.”
Tech writers
“I build and implement content maps, content models, content audits, workflow, governance, information architecture, microcopy, and work to improve author experience”
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
“I meet the needs of users through digital content with excellent information and visual flow”
Job seekers
“I assist my company make great digital content experiences for our customers and staff”
Illustration credit: A List Apart
If you would like to learn more, the following resources are a great start.
Blogs and websites
The Sydney content strategy meetup - I run this so I am totally biased :)
Jonathan Colman's epic content strategy list - This list can feel a bit overwhelming but is pure gold
Conferences and training
Photo credit: Elle Geraghty - a small part of my book case
Books
Kristina Halvorson - Content strategy for the web
Meghan Casey - The content strategy toolkit
Erin Kissane - The elements of content strategy
Donna Spencer - Card sorting: Designing usable categories
Torrey Podmajersky - Strategic writing for UX
Scott Kubie - Writing for Designers
Carrie Hane and Mike Atherton - Designing connected content
Erika Hall - Conversational design
Sarah Richards - Content design
Sara Wachter-Boettcher - Content everywhere
Karen McCrane - Content Strategy for mobile
Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld - Information architecture for the world wide web
David Weinberger - Everything is miscellaneous
George Lakoff - Women, fire and dangerous things
Janice (Ginny) Redish - Letting go of the words
Colleen Jones - Clout: The art and science of influential web content
Anne Handley and CC Chapman - Content rules
Patrick Lynch and Sarah Horton - Web style guide
Ann Rockley - Managing enterprise content
Podcasts
Kristina Halvorson - Content strategy podcast
While not strictly content strategy, Download this show, on Radio National has so much fantastic digital content that is essential listening for all of us.
