To provide the best internal search results, metadata information needs to be considered upfront in the context of an overall content strategy. Since metadata describes key pieces of information -- namely page titles, search descriptors and key content -- it's also useful for SEO. While there are ongoing debates about whether all keywords have an impact on search engines, metadata is still part of best practices and an important piece of your content strategy.

Speaking of keywords, a content management system (CMS) adds another level of complexity. Here’s why. Users are easily frustrated if they don't immediately find what they need when searching a website. Having a scheme for the way content is cataloged in a CMS determines what appears in your search results, which is why every content asset (doc, jpeg, avi file) must be accounted for, as well as ranked. Thus, taxonomy becomes an important player.

A well-structured taxonomy enables a user to browse from a general category to a specific topic, which becomes visible within content groups as specific sub-categories. It's a parent-child-sibling relationship of terms that, in the long run, increases searchability and provides improved search results.

So, creating a hierarchical structure of content topics is a good place to start. And one way to get there is to assign natural language terms and synonyms (controlled vocabulary) to your content topics so that related documents get served up in results. Depending on your audience, this is not always the easiest or most exciting topic to address, so initiating the discussion about the value of a controlled vocabulary gives the project team food for thought as they dive into content management. But you don’t have to go it alone. If your Content Strategist is a part of the process, they can take the lead to collaborate with UX, IA, SEO or a BA stakeholder to:

• Audit, analyze and report on current content;

• Utilize best practices to define a taxonomy formulation that will enhance indexing, browsing, internal site search, retrieval and SEO;

• Establish taxonomy guidelines; and

• Assist in the development of content classification systems.

Keeping both metadata and taxonomy in mind for content strategy discussions ensures that you've addressed searchability and the best strategy for a seamless search experience that will serve up your work in an intuitive and relevant manner.

Content marketing, also known as “custom content” or “inbound marketing”, was a natural development in an online landscape undergoing change from two massive forces: intense focus on organic search engine ranking, and the emergence of social media channels with high traffic volumes and low barriers to entry.

In response, digital marketers began to push existing website content, rather than traditional sales messaging, out to targeted audiences. The idea, to communicate with customers without selling, delivering information that makes buyers more knowledgeable and engaged. This allows companies to simultaneously:

- Amplify their brand awareness;
- Showcase expertise and thought leadership;
- Nurture trust and develop relationships with clients and customers;
- Create keyword rich digital assets and text content for organic SEO.

This tactic and its associated benefits aren’t new. In a way, it follows the path the American Automobile Association pioneered over a century ago when it began publishing Westways magazine. But today’s digital environment and new expanded “universal” organic search engine results afford multiple channels of communication, including articles, blogs, digital magazines, eBooks, email newsletters, micro sites, podcasts, social media channels, videos, webinars, white papers, and wikis. Specific examples you might be familiar with are Barnes & Noble’s dedicated YouTube channel Nook Study Channel, or the Whole Foods’ Blog.

Home Made Simple, a micro site created by P&G, is often cited in articles about content marketing. Full of recipes, decorating ideas and organizing tips with a homespun, retro feel, it embodies one of the first and foremost industry best practices -- “Share, don’t shill.” Share a resource with customers or solve a problem for them, don’t just sell a product. It sounds obvious, but the temptation for marketers is often too great to ignore!

Secondly, “Reimagine instead of recycle.” View each piece of content as part of a larger whole to be chopped up and reconfigured in different ways. For example, interviewing the author of a white paper for a podcast, producing a webinar based on key findings, then taking three key points and writing a series of three blog posts. Reimagining content allows the creation of a content circle of life that feeds itself more efficiently.

Both best practices deal with issues Content Strategists struggle with daily. The need to understand audiences, craft language and target messaging, efficiently leverage assets, and carefully plan for ongoing updates are the primary roles of Content Strategy.

Content Marketing isn’t a replacement for Content Strategy, but rather the natural growth and evolution of it, taking Content Strategy’s framework, processes and concepts off the website and into all areas of the digital world. A Content Marketer might be described as a cross between an SEO Specialist and a Social Media Guru. In that case, their wise and web-savvy grandparent must have been a Content Strategist. But seriously, we’re all partners, coming together to tell create one seriously compelling experience, regardless of how you slice and dice that content.

Learn more about Content Marketing:
• Custom Content Council
• Content Marketing Today
• Content Marketing Professionals Association (CMPA) LinkedIn Group
• Content Marketing Institute

A new tablet app takes that to new heights. ShowYou won the App Store Rewind 2011 award for best Social Networking on the iPad, and, once you try it, you’ll see why. The site aggregates videos your friends have posted to Facebook and other social sites, making ShowYou the smartest aggregator in the room.

On YouTube, typically users spend 7-8 minutes per session, dropping off quickly (which is why YouTube is now embarking on a channel strategy, hoping to up viewing). Users on ShowYou spend 35-40 minutes with content on average.

What this means for Content Strategists: How can a site become more like ShowYou, where content is aggregated by the people you think are the smartest people in the room? If your buyer has to engage in a research-fueled, content feeding frenzy in their buyer’s journey, perhaps you could help them by giving them an environment (and content) as addictive as ShowYou.

The Point: Content Strategy - More Than Matrix Making

At this point, from this series of posts, it should be easy to see just how Content Strategy - foundational in olden times – is absolutely imperative today as site owners embark in the choppy waves of the emergent, multiplatform sea.

Aside from renovating broken down sites or leaping into the adaptive-design-driven modular content paradigms, there’s also content targeting, new technology and more to consider. We live in interesting times.

In-house editorial teams are often not empowered to keep up with the pace of content innovation nor are they as empowered organizationally to recommend change.

They’re often not tech savvy enough to purchase taxonomy management tools or understand metrics-boosting content plays. They often don’t do A/B testing of content or modules. They don’t know that social data can quadruple sales (see former Amazon Chief Scientist Andreas Weigend’s presentation here [slides12-13]) or how much you can gain by carefully curating the most trafficked page on a site: Site Search.

Content Strategists – with our strategies checklists - can help clients notice, analyze and act on all of these things.

Who else can marry the flood of content and data inputs and devices into cohesive, persuasive and compelling user experiences? A good Content Strategist knows these waters and can guide a client through the fog. In addition, Content Strategy brings fresh ideas and technologies into the mix, too. Because, Toto, you’re not in Kansas any more.

So now you know…when a content strategist tells you about Content Audits, he or she is really saying, show me what you’ve got that’s sexy, dazzling, persuasive and/or essential to the buyer’s journey – and that they can see on their phone, tablet or desktop. And if you don’t have The Right Stuff, let’s call that a Content Gap. That’s the mystery behind this Matrix. Let’s see what you’ve got and where you’re going – and then let’s make it all it could be.

Along with adaptive web design, the improved use of video is a trend you can expect to see continue emerging in 2013. Who’s doing it well? Zappos, a personal favorite, has mastered the art of product description videos, using an in-house crew to model and mass-produce more than 100,000 videos (400 a day). They’ve found that video descriptions boost sales 10%. Don’t miss their video team’s FB page (yes, they’re that granular on FB – nice Content Strategy there) or their invite for UGC videos. The latest? They’ve launched ZapposTV. And customers can even launch their own Zappos channels.

Who’s making it possible? Sunday Sky is pioneering new automated video production techniques that translate text on a page into dynamic product videos (see it to believe it – especially on your phone). Home shopping was never so easy or engaging. Sunday Sky is also developing customer service videos that reduce call center utilization (see the demo here or an AT&T example). The videos appear to even give you better and more memorable information (reinforced because it’s visual) than a call center.

What this means for Content Strategists: Video at all levels of a site is now possible at cost-effective price points and production values. We need to test adding more relevant video content in the Buyer’s Journey and other key site areas to accelerate movement through purchase funnels. While e-tail markets take the lead here, B2B and B2C channels are taking action. After all, wouldn’t you want to see if the integration of compelling, targeted videos could boost the sale of products or services by 10% within your organization?

Who in your opinion is taking the art of persuasion, education or awareness to the limit by using video to improve their brand? And who, dare I ask, is sharing the metrics on improved results?

Just what are content strategists doing with those Content Audits and Content Gaps? If you didn’t know better, you’d worry that these words describe accounting software. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Audits, analyses and gaps – these words mask the true nature of content strategy. Which is? To create dazzlingly persuasive user experiences – experiences that accomplish a user's or a brand’s mission: to research a purchase, foster connectedness and ultimately engage in a transaction.

Content Strategy plans for and supports the über experience: discover, engage, transact, applaud and measure.  What do I mean? Just think about yourself. Let’s say you’re seeking to engage in cool content X (cool is relevant, it’s what you make it). You find and engage in said content, the content spurs you to transact  (a transaction could be a purchase or, in a social environment, the desire to interact), and based on the experience, you’re so happy with that experience that you tell others about it in some manner (blogging, word of mouth, reviews, tweeting it, pinning it, commenting, etc.). And when all is said and done, we substantiate – with metrics – that our strategies were, yes, that persuasive.

Yesterday’s content strategists had it a lot easier. There were a few basic content types in the collective online vocabulary: text in various flavors (product descriptions, FAQs, about us descriptions, news, etc.), audio, a little video and a few webinars – and fewer metrics.

Today the available content vocabulary has become infinitely more complex – with infographics, slideshows, social media content, communities content, UGC, social data, data visualizations and more…and – thanks to device diversification and adaptive web design – at least four distinctly different screen sizes (mobile, tablet, desktop and TV) on which we can deliver these persuasive and engaging experiences.

With 2012 in the rearview mirror, 2013 will see engaging trends rising everywhere. The core and emergent trends to have on the radar include:

• Adaptive Web Design
• Video: One Size Does Not Fit All
• Social Design: Increasing Content Consumption

In the weeks to come we’ll talk about the good, the bad and the new trends. For now, let’s get started and talk about the adaptive movement.

Winners and Losers in the Multiplatform Content Olympics

Its popularity and potential could be massive, but at this stage, adaptive web design (also referred to as responsive web design) is a leading cause of major brain cramps in content strategy circles. How do we address all those white papers and that “important marketing-speak copy"? Clients have a lot of long-form assets and deep attachments to the desktop experience.

How will content evolve in this brave new world of one-site-to-rule-them-all, adaptive web design? Despite the natural fear of change, adaptive web design’s ramifications require internal teams to revisit and address content and its relevancy. This is a good thing. A very, very good thing.

Nice adaptive site experiences that you can check out include the Boston Globe, for it’s thoughtful design and content hierarchy and ShopWiki, for its purposeful ecommerce design, which has seen significant mobile usage by its users, whether they are in stores or out and about.

What this means for Content Strategists

An opportunity to create an Adaptive Content Strategy? We can get out in front of the curve and design content experiences that fully capitalize on content types that swing both ways – those that are truly cross-platform compatible.

What are the content types that span this multiplatform universe? We can all vote in this contest (and please do, via comments). Good candidates include Slideshares, infographics and videos. Slideshows play well on mobile, tablets and desktops. Keep in mind that that your content needs to be self-contained and self-explanatory, like Google’s howtogomo.com.

Multiplatform losers are white papers (could they get a Slideshare-esque makeover?) and other lengthy text assets. Details still matter, but so do device screen sizes. Not to mention that in 2013, it’s not just the common cell phone and tablet small screens that we need to be mindful of but also web-enabled dashboards in cars, which will take the concept of multitasking to a whole new level. And then when you go big, how will you ensure that your content translates to boardrooms or family-rooms, where in today’s world, 40- to 60-inch screens are de rigueur? Bottom line: your content has to be more flexible than a game of Twister.

Doubling, tripling or quadrupling up on the ways the same information can be consumed (white paper, slideshow, infographic, audio and video) may help us get detailed information across the Content Olympics finish line – satisfying clients’ needs to get the details out there and the buyers’ need to pick and choose, based on their device, attention level and physical environment.

This is a conversation that will be on the radar for a long time, so we invite you to join the discussion now and over the coming weeks. Share your thoughts on adaptive web design, where you see it going, what it means for you in your role and/or any cool sites that you think are leading the charter.

Inventories can take several forms but what constitutes a good inventory? There are inventories and there are audits. When you need deep insights about your website content, forget the simple "browse-by" audit, which only captures high-level content topics and related assets such as graphic elements, and instead, choose the inventory. Your Content Strategist or Information Architect can take a deep dive into each page within the website (or a section of the site)—listing navigational elements, page URLs, intended purpose, functionality, quality, relevance and noting any usability issues.

Determining what's relevant can be a catch-22.  It requires a firm grasp of the project vision, understanding the market and the competitive landscape.  Examining positioning statements, emerging brand guidelines and current trends will help determine relevance. Is the content too lengthy or outdated?  Maybe.  Does the content rank and deliver pertinent traffic from search engines?  Probably. Does the current tone match the new brand? Probably not. Does the audience even care about the topic anymore?  You can see where I'm going.  An inventory is where you capture, analyze and begin to formulate recommendations for how to address these concerns.  Performing an effective inventory goes beyond listing page names and URLs.

A solid content inventory captures more than just the basics.  If you really want to do it right, you'll prepare the full Monty and bare both qualitative and quantitative data about the current site. It may not be pretty, but it will definitely be revealing.

Why take the time to do this?  Because it's an ideal way to capture what you need to know about your content.  By analyzing each content asset, you'll separate the wheat from the chaff and identify not only what's relevant but also what should be retired. Ultimately, when your Content Strategist or IA takes a holistic look at the findings, they’ll be able to make recommendations that will help the team and guide the next phases of the project.

What's the outcome?

You can't just share the data.  You have to put it into context for the best outcome. Here are ways that this information proves to be valuable as part of your strategic content recommendations:

• Identify exactly where content resides, page by page
• Categorize news articles, events, features or case studies to archive
• Rank this content: low to high (1-5)
• Identify useful content to repurpose (relevant to audience)
• Identify outdated content (refresh, redirect or retire)
• Identify specific gaps between your client and the competition
• Suggest new content topics to be developed
• Determine which content has strong positioning for important keyword phrases in search results
• Suggest more ways to cross-link content
• Resolve broken links
• Show how to improve usability through the new information architecture with navigation paths
• Use to develop a taxonomy

Not only is this type of inventory effective, it’s comprehensive and offers solid recommendations that the team can build upon in their efforts to create a more relevant and engaging web experience.

If you are interested in reading more about content inventories, here is recommended reading:

• Content Strategy for the Web
• Content Strategy at Work
• Usability.gov

As one of the newbies in the midst of a growing organization, we’re as scarce as the White Lion (not the 80s band). But you’ve heard of us (or perhaps seen us) or have even worked with us. And it’s cool to see how this discipline, while still young, is blossoming. I always look forward to meeting new people at work or when I’m out and about. The natural list of get-to-know-you questions eventually lands on your nine-to-five purpose in life. I say, “I’m a Content Strategist,” and you say, "Content Strategy, cool!”

In reality, if you’re being really real, you may ask, “Who do you work for/with?” or a more honest and simple, “What’s that?”

Depending on timing, body language, and tone of voice, I modify my response. Not because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all response, but because content strategy can be interpreted in many ways and utilized differently in organizations and businesses at large, so I try to make my response relatable to the audience. Go ahead, I dare you to ask 5 random people within your own office how they would describe content strategy, and I guarantee you’ll hear 5 different definitions.

What is content strategy?

I won’t speak for everyone, but I will speak from a digital agency perspective about the creation or reorganization of content for the Web. Content strategy has a dual purpose that speaks to both the tangible and the intangible that, together, can lead to the creation of a memorable customer experience. The tangible aspects of creating a great user interface (UI) is easy, not because the job is easy, but because people are familiar and comfortable with the tactics and concepts involved—revise the navigation, create a new hero, redesign a site, add a few pages, build a microsite, create strong and relatable calls to action, infuse more video, make it fun, make it social, create a messaging strategy, stay within the brand, create a new brand identity, more sexy visuals, etc. Ok. It’s a puzzle that needs to be thoughtfully addressed but we’ve done that before. No problem.

The challenges lie within the intangible properties of creating the story. Just like when you were a teenager and you missed your curfew, you created an imaginative story that would address the problem, guide the conversation, identify the solution, measure the response, and evaluate the experience. Content strategy does the same for the Web by defining and weaving content into a compelling story. Content is a puzzle. The way in which we put content together creates a story. That story engages your audience and creates an experience, which fosters an emotional response that can lead to building a relationship that’s not only engaging (transactional) and measurable, but also memorable.

When do you need a content strategy?

You always need a content strategy. Well, I defer, 10% of the time it’s up for grabs, but 90% of the time, your initiatives should be inclusive of a content strategy. If you’re not thinking about the story, where, when and why it’s told, then you’ve only addressed the tactical issues—that’s only half the story, and cliffhangers only work well in the movies.