Kristina Halvorson - SXSW presentation - 3/13/10
Kristina Halvorson – @halvorson - Presentation notes from her SXSW presentation 4/13 Talking about history, get to do content 2 weeks before site is due, all plans are figured out, design is done, the site is developed, slap content in at the end - UGH. Mistake – people think content = copywriting This is content - Content is the process – seven stages of the content lifecycle (noted in her book CONTENT STRATEGY – p127) Quote – Richard Saul Wurman – about when he coined information architecture Edward Tufte – envisioning information – you can use design to communicate info in ways that’s more powerful than just text Jesse James Garrett – 2000 – elements of user experience (people still all about it in presentations) – in the graph, functional specs are on the same time frame/process level as content requirements – problem is that we think about content as we do features – problem is we roll the content out without engaging the people who have to use it – on site, social, etc ….CONTENT IS NOT A FEATURE! Content strategy is the plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content Have processes for graphics, video, audio, but not text Text is more than the marketing copy, case studies, etc – includes page copy, articles, links, labels, flash elements, social, and much more! STRATEGY – is a plan for obtaining a specific goal or result
- not just high-level thinking, it’s much more
- Not just the WHAT, it’s also the why, how, for and by whom, etc
- with what, when, where, how often what next Then we tear up the Quicken site’s content Then we love mint.com If you do one thing after this presentation, make sure content is meeting business objectives and user goals Then we love REI .com – replicate instore experience with experts on the site – REI Expert Advice is driven by REI employees, who are experts, based on a calendar. Manageable and usable amount of content – REI.com/expertadvice (?) Then we love Room&Board – show you on the site that they work with artisans and craftsmen, on an editorial calendar Content strategist bridges the gap between IA, copywriter, designer to make sure wireframes are going to work Workflow – official YouTube Swiffer channel – paid for by Swiffer – has a broken graphic, old 2008 content, Swiffer people were there 9 months ago, nothing since, consumers are frustrated – the Swiffer party is an empty house, invited to a party at an empty house Tips to get started
- Audit – all sites, outposts, etc. – need to map the entire terrain before you can say where you want to go o Content inventory – spreadsheet – page number (by section), page name, url, notes – § I think you should also add in link count, bounce rate, time on page, etc to show value o Ask – Ask why the content should be created – who, what, how, for whom, by whom, with what, when where, how often, what next o Analyze – for quality o Align – internally align resources and processes o Assume responsibility – because YOU ARE A PUBLISHER! You’ll get happiness if you do this from
- better user experience, greater brand consistency, new ops efficiencies, better risk management, better search integration, better results! Mike Corak’s review - Essentially, Kristina’s presentation is her book CONTENT STRATEGY. Even though I’ve read it, the presentation was great. From following some of this methodology and improving our own content at www.mightyinteractive.com / www.offmadisonave.com , I can say it’s worth the time, and the changes create websites that produce better results. Read the book and put it in practice, you’ll be better off for it. Q&A
* brand guidelines should be taken into consideration into content strategy – should blow out the detail about how brands talk, helps auditing/analyzing probably
* sell into organizations through fear and shame – show how great competitor content is, do a content audit and show them what’s out there
* traditional account planners still don’t understand that digital isn’t a campaign, it’s a commitment – change this by being loud about content strategy wins, talk to their pain points and help them solve issues
* UX and Content Strategy are nearly the same – need to work together as 1 team
* Evergreen content – don’t republish content just to republish – talk about why still important to do that
*
www.braintraffic.com
www.contentstrategy.com
@halvorson
info@braintraffic.com
- not just high-level thinking, it’s much more
- Not just the WHAT, it’s also the why, how, for and by whom, etc
- with what, when, where, how often what next Then we tear up the Quicken site’s content Then we love mint.com If you do one thing after this presentation, make sure content is meeting business objectives and user goals Then we love REI .com – replicate instore experience with experts on the site – REI Expert Advice is driven by REI employees, who are experts, based on a calendar. Manageable and usable amount of content – REI.com/expertadvice (?) Then we love Room&Board – show you on the site that they work with artisans and craftsmen, on an editorial calendar Content strategist bridges the gap between IA, copywriter, designer to make sure wireframes are going to work Workflow – official YouTube Swiffer channel – paid for by Swiffer – has a broken graphic, old 2008 content, Swiffer people were there 9 months ago, nothing since, consumers are frustrated – the Swiffer party is an empty house, invited to a party at an empty house Tips to get started
- Audit – all sites, outposts, etc. – need to map the entire terrain before you can say where you want to go o Content inventory – spreadsheet – page number (by section), page name, url, notes – § I think you should also add in link count, bounce rate, time on page, etc to show value o Ask – Ask why the content should be created – who, what, how, for whom, by whom, with what, when where, how often, what next o Analyze – for quality o Align – internally align resources and processes o Assume responsibility – because YOU ARE A PUBLISHER! You’ll get happiness if you do this from
- better user experience, greater brand consistency, new ops efficiencies, better risk management, better search integration, better results! Mike Corak’s review - Essentially, Kristina’s presentation is her book CONTENT STRATEGY. Even though I’ve read it, the presentation was great. From following some of this methodology and improving our own content at www.mightyinteractive.com / www.offmadisonave.com , I can say it’s worth the time, and the changes create websites that produce better results. Read the book and put it in practice, you’ll be better off for it. Q&A
* brand guidelines should be taken into consideration into content strategy – should blow out the detail about how brands talk, helps auditing/analyzing probably
* sell into organizations through fear and shame – show how great competitor content is, do a content audit and show them what’s out there
* traditional account planners still don’t understand that digital isn’t a campaign, it’s a commitment – change this by being loud about content strategy wins, talk to their pain points and help them solve issues
* UX and Content Strategy are nearly the same – need to work together as 1 team
* Evergreen content – don’t republish content just to republish – talk about why still important to do that
*
www.braintraffic.com
www.contentstrategy.com
@halvorson
info@braintraffic.com
