1. Content Strategy

2. Planning a Content Strategy
A content strategy should define the themes and goals of a site’s content, and then define the processes in place to help realise those goals
Content Strategy
Work Flow Strategy
Identify all content types
Categorise content
Create categories, tags, and metadata types to identify content
Define how content types relate to each other
Focus on the path of the content as it moves through the CMS
Create a tracking document that lists all the steps the content takes
Editing, versioning, archiving & re-use
Identify team member requirements

3. What are the sites goals?
Inform
Educate
Sell a product
Generate interest

4. Developing a Framework
Creating guidelines around your content’s message, themes, and voice
Use this focus to create a content strategy framework
Frameworks can include:
Writing style guides
Publishing policies
Metadata structure and terms
Defining article relations
Defining SEO terms, phrases, and policies
Guidelines on the types of authors needed

5. Style Guidelines Brand Values Voice & Tone guidelines
Correct word usage (SEO, Controlled vocabularies)
Product trademark usage
Web writing considerations (links, labelling, metadata)
Global style guidelines
Web writing best practices

6. Story Structure Primary Message Secondary Messages Details
The single most important thing you want the user to learn
This message supports all your business objectives
Secondary Messages
A group of key messages that extrapolate the primary message
Details
All the facts, data, anecdotes & philosophies that prove your messages
Call(s) to action
What you want the users to do after they “get” your messages

7. Story Structure Hierachy
Primary Message
Secondary message 1
Secondary message 2
Secondary message 3
Supporting fact
Call to Action

8. Using Content Strategy to Guide Process
Content strategy should also be used to guide the content’s lifecycle
Content lifecycle guides content collection, placement, lifespan and archiving
Other processes, like distribution channels, marketing campaigns, and repurposing content should be driven by content strategy as well

9. Content Lifecycle Analyse What are my content’s needs?
Content Creation
What steps do I take when creating content?
Editing
What is the best editing workflow for my content?
Publishing
What distribution channels do I use?
Archiving
What end of life policies do I need for my content?
Analysis
Content Creation
Editing
Publishing
Archiving

10. Content Governance Content policies that guide the content lifecycle
These policies should clearly define things like:
Content Ownership
When content is transferred
Workflow processes
Policy reviews
End-of-life terms for content

11. Content Analysis Stage
Take a content inventory to identify all the different types of content you have
Which content will need to be archived? Which can be removed?
Will you need to track multiple versions of the content over it’s life?
Do you need to track each user that interacts with the content?
Analysis
Content Creation
Editing
Publishing
Archiving

12. Content Sources Content Sources Description Example Owned Content
Content produced by the company
Customer Magazine,
Whitepapers, Technical Papers, Check lists
Aggregated Content
Automatically aggregate content from other websites
RSS Feed Aggregation
Curate Content
Aggregate content by appointing someone/a team to curate it.
Research of content relating to a specific subject
Media Partnership
Co-creating content with notable media partners & other entities who are already in the business of creating content
Round-tables, Webinars, Video, Guest bloggers, Reports
Syndicating Content
Licence content from reputable brands relevant to your audience
Publishing content pre-released or archived content (articles, features etc)
User Generated Content
Invite users to create content for you
Polls, Comments, Forums, Q&A

13. Content Creation Stage
Meta tagging, categorising, and applying rules will help guide content
Content will likely be created through uploads or through a content editor
Use the tools within the CMS to apply attributes when the content is created.
Analysis
Content Creation
Editing
Publishing
Archiving

14. Content Classification
Category
Subject
Topic
Key Word
Type
Target Audience
Job Function
Industry
Source
Format

15. Editing Stage Content lifecycle rules will influence editing workflow
Audit trails allow you to track users and tasks through the content lifecycle
These trails can be used to enforce reviews and content removal
Versioning allows you to store multiple versions of content and compare later versions to earlier ones
Analysis
Content Creation
Editing
Publishing
Archiving

16. Publishing Stage
Make sure distribution channels have been clearly defined
Can other departments reuse published content for marketing or others purposes?
How will content be represented to mobile devices?
Make sure policies are in place to analyse the effectiveness of published content
Analysis
Content Creation
Editing
Publishing
Archiving

17. Archiving Stage
Archiving policies control how long content stays live or within the system
What types of things should trigger the removal of content?
These policies will also control how content is archived and categorised
Will older content be used to create knowledge bases or FAQs?
Analysis
Content Creation
Editing
Publishing
Archiving

18. Roles & Responsibilities
Requestors submit requests for web content to be created, updated, or removed.
Providers are subject matter experts who own and manage source content – or who have that information in their head.
Creators are responsible for actually developing the content (text, graphics, audio & video)
Reviewer/Approver must be consulted about some or all of the content prior to its publication online
Publisher get the content online via CMS

19. Defining Users and their Roles
Identify user types and roles early in the process
This will allow you to understand what roles and permissions your Content Management System should support
Take time to consider how these individuals will need to interact with the CMS
Before selecting a CMS, you should have clearly defined roles and permissions

20. Content Creators Often referred to as Authors
Anyone who writes articles, posts blog posts, adds content, or updates content is an author
The permission necessary for authors will vary based on:
Whether the authors are internal or external to the organisation
Whether they are in a single department, or spread out
Should the author be able to access only their content?

21. Editors
Anyone who reviews, edits, approves, or marks-up content for revision
Depending upon the workflow, editors may need to be able to publish content
Look for permissions that you can give editors to reduce bottlenecks
Communication capability between editors and content creators is important

22. Publishers
Anyone who has the ability to publish content to the lives site
In smaller workflows, this role is often shared by other users
Permissions for publishers will depend on:
Whether or not the publishers will act as project managers
Whether or not they will act as traffic managers
Will they need the ability to assemble content?

23. Other User Types Asset Manager Legal Advisor Brand Manager
Responsible for collecting and managing digital assets and documents that support your content.
Legal Advisor
Brand Manager
Continuity Manager
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