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Content Strategy: WordCamp Buffalo 2012

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Adrian Roselli
Adrian Roselli

Prepared for Buffalo WordCamp 2012, these slides outline a strategy and process for developing content for your blog or site in non-technical terms.

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Content Strategy Presented by Adrian Roselli #wcbuf
About Adrian Roselli • Co-written four books. • Technical editor for two books. • Written over fifty articles, most recently for .net Magazine. • Member of W3C HTML Working Group, W3C Accessibility Task Force, five W3C Community Groups. • Over a decade building and supporting CMSes. • Founder, owner at Algonquin Studios. • Learn more at AdrianRoselli.com. • Follow on Twitter @aardrian.
Content Strategy • People go to web sites for content.
Content Strategy • People go to web sites for content. • Sure, sometimes it’s for a neat trick or to see how broken it is, but generally they go to see content. Text, video, reviews, downloads, tutorials, pr oducts, photos, recipes, tweets, streams, flig hts, etc.
Content Strategy • People go to web sites for content. • Sure, sometimes it’s for a neat trick or to see how broken it is, but generally they go to see content. Text, video, reviews, downloads, tutorials, pr oducts, photos, recipes, tweets, streams, flig hts, etc. • The reason you build a web site is to house and present content.
What is the goal for your site?
What is the goal for your site? • Is it a blog? Marketing site? Resource site? • Who do want to see it? • What do you want them to do? • What is your “call to action?”
What sources do you have now?
What sources do you have now? • Dedicated copywriter? • Contractor? • Interested members/staff/community? • Just you?
What can you repurpose?
What can you repurpose? • Is the web site the sole venue for all your content? • Will this content be used elsewhere? • Does this content come from elsewhere? • How can you save time/effort now or later as a result?
With what frequency do you create content now?
With what frequency do you create content now? • Daily • Weekly • Monthly • Randomly
Uses
Uses • Consider how your content will be used. • Will it be printed? Emailed? Bookmarked? RSS feeds? • Will people read on the go? Will they sit down to really process it? • Will it be read on small screens, TVs, Instapaper, blimps? • Pushing to social media outlets?
Now consider if your goals match what you have historically done and what resources you have available.
Once you have your goal(s) you can make a plan to get there.
Do Not:
Do Not: • Commit to a daily/weekly/monthly/annual press release if you have never done it before. • Commit to a daily/weekly/monthly/annual blog post if you have never done it before. • Commit to a daily/weekly/monthly/annual article if you have never done it before.
Timing
Timing • Develop a schedule for content publication (daily, weekly, monthly). • Build in necessary lead time to author and edit the content. • Identify your resources and if their schedules can accommodate. • Identify any recurring items (launches, renewals, etc) that can help set timelines. • Be flexible.
Topics / Categories
Topics / Categories • Identify the main topics or topic areas (even for press releases). • Identify your resources for each topic. • Pre-construct general themes or ideas to help bypass writers’ block.
Style Guide
Style Guide • Create or adopt a style guide (AP, Chicago, etc.). • Your style guide should help ensure a consistent voice and language. • It should also standardize how to refer to your site/product/service. • Define document outlines, flow, word count, etc.
Assets
Assets • Develop a library of assets (typically images or video). • These can be standard images, client logos, product shots, etc. • Use these for content where appropriate. • A lead image, for example, can be used as an “icon” for RSS feed viewers, aggregators, FB, etc. • Define naming conventions.
Design
Design • If you are re/designing your site, let the content lead the design. • If you have content already, use it as placeholder for your design, not “lorem ipsum.” • Use good typography to make the content easier to read (themes may decide that).
Findability
Findability • SEO. • On-site, such as site search, navigation, cross-linking. • Human-readable page addresses (permalinks). • Social media. • Link shorteners.
SEO
SEO • Don’t fall for SEO scams. • Use consistent terms. • Spell out acronyms/abbreviations. • Human-readable page addresses (permalinks). • Create page abstracts. • Don’t forget about Bing (25.3% of organic searches in July 2012).
Internationalization
Internationalization • Will your content ever need to be translated? • Into what languages? • Make sure platform, templates, process, etc. are truly multi-lingual. • Don’t rely on machine translation.
Accessibility
Accessibility • Specifically for users with disabilities. • Cognitive disabilities. • Visual disabilities. • You may be fit now, but in 20 years you’ll be lower vision, lower mobility. • No “click here.” • Alt text on images is not an SEO tactic.
Adapt
Adapt • Use analytics software to watch activity. • Identify popular subjects. • Identify sources of inbound traffic. • React to negative change, capitalize on positive change.

More Related Content

Content Strategy: WordCamp Buffalo 2012

  • 1. Content Strategy Presented by Adrian Roselli #wcbuf
  • 2. About Adrian Roselli • Co-written four books. • Technical editor for two books. • Written over fifty articles, most recently for .net Magazine. • Member of W3C HTML Working Group, W3C Accessibility Task Force, five W3C Community Groups. • Over a decade building and supporting CMSes. • Founder, owner at Algonquin Studios. • Learn more at AdrianRoselli.com. • Follow on Twitter @aardrian.
  • 3. Content Strategy • People go to web sites for content.
  • 4. Content Strategy • People go to web sites for content. • Sure, sometimes it’s for a neat trick or to see how broken it is, but generally they go to see content. Text, video, reviews, downloads, tutorials, pr oducts, photos, recipes, tweets, streams, flig hts, etc.
  • 5. Content Strategy • People go to web sites for content. • Sure, sometimes it’s for a neat trick or to see how broken it is, but generally they go to see content. Text, video, reviews, downloads, tutorials, pr oducts, photos, recipes, tweets, streams, flig hts, etc. • The reason you build a web site is to house and present content.
  • 6. What is the goal for your site?
  • 7. What is the goal for your site? • Is it a blog? Marketing site? Resource site? • Who do want to see it? • What do you want them to do? • What is your “call to action?”
  • 8. What sources do you have now?
  • 9. What sources do you have now? • Dedicated copywriter? • Contractor? • Interested members/staff/community? • Just you?
  • 10. What can you repurpose?
  • 11. What can you repurpose? • Is the web site the sole venue for all your content? • Will this content be used elsewhere? • Does this content come from elsewhere? • How can you save time/effort now or later as a result?
  • 12. With what frequency do you create content now?
  • 13. With what frequency do you create content now? • Daily • Weekly • Monthly • Randomly
  • 14. Uses
  • 15. Uses • Consider how your content will be used. • Will it be printed? Emailed? Bookmarked? RSS feeds? • Will people read on the go? Will they sit down to really process it? • Will it be read on small screens, TVs, Instapaper, blimps? • Pushing to social media outlets?
  • 16. Now consider if your goals match what you have historically done and what resources you have available.
  • 17. Once you have your goal(s) you can make a plan to get there.
  • 19. Do Not: • Commit to a daily/weekly/monthly/annual press release if you have never done it before. • Commit to a daily/weekly/monthly/annual blog post if you have never done it before. • Commit to a daily/weekly/monthly/annual article if you have never done it before.
  • 21. Timing • Develop a schedule for content publication (daily, weekly, monthly). • Build in necessary lead time to author and edit the content. • Identify your resources and if their schedules can accommodate. • Identify any recurring items (launches, renewals, etc) that can help set timelines. • Be flexible.
  • 23. Topics / Categories • Identify the main topics or topic areas (even for press releases). • Identify your resources for each topic. • Pre-construct general themes or ideas to help bypass writers’ block.
  • 25. Style Guide • Create or adopt a style guide (AP, Chicago, etc.). • Your style guide should help ensure a consistent voice and language. • It should also standardize how to refer to your site/product/service. • Define document outlines, flow, word count, etc.
  • 27. Assets • Develop a library of assets (typically images or video). • These can be standard images, client logos, product shots, etc. • Use these for content where appropriate. • A lead image, for example, can be used as an “icon” for RSS feed viewers, aggregators, FB, etc. • Define naming conventions.
  • 29. Design • If you are re/designing your site, let the content lead the design. • If you have content already, use it as placeholder for your design, not “lorem ipsum.” • Use good typography to make the content easier to read (themes may decide that).
  • 31. Findability • SEO. • On-site, such as site search, navigation, cross-linking. • Human-readable page addresses (permalinks). • Social media. • Link shorteners.
  • 32. SEO
  • 33. SEO • Don’t fall for SEO scams. • Use consistent terms. • Spell out acronyms/abbreviations. • Human-readable page addresses (permalinks). • Create page abstracts. • Don’t forget about Bing (25.3% of organic searches in July 2012).
  • 35. Internationalization • Will your content ever need to be translated? • Into what languages? • Make sure platform, templates, process, etc. are truly multi-lingual. • Don’t rely on machine translation.
  • 37. Accessibility • Specifically for users with disabilities. • Cognitive disabilities. • Visual disabilities. • You may be fit now, but in 20 years you’ll be lower vision, lower mobility. • No “click here.” • Alt text on images is not an SEO tactic.
  • 38. Adapt
  • 39. Adapt • Use analytics software to watch activity. • Identify popular subjects. • Identify sources of inbound traffic. • React to negative change, capitalize on positive change.