Even if you’ve never heard of content strategy, you’ve probably felt the lack of it. Ever visit a website and find yourself confused, or encountering duplicate information and outdated video clips? The print world can be just as confusing, but that’s another story for another time.
Over the last year and a half, we’ve been defining content strategy for the work we do here at Journey. We consider content any substantive asset — words, images, videos, audio — that’s essential in telling a particular story. So our content strategy is the exploration of identity, audience and purpose as background for cataloging or creating content assets, and then making a plan for their appropriate use.
Our content strategy work usually begins with a content audit, which involves cataloging each page on the current site. Next, we examine existing patterns of the organization, such as understanding how web content has been updated in the past or who ultimately makes decisions about the website. You have to understand how things have worked in order to make them better and not repeat the same mistakes. Kinda like therapy.
At each level of site organization we ask: WWUD (What Would the User Do)? How would a user look for this information? Does grouping this information make it easier for a user to find answers to questions?
One of the most important things we facilitate in content strategy is filtering all potential decisions through the lens of the primary audience.
For large, complex sites, we create copy templates — a way to consistently organize information for users as they navigate the site. These templates also make it easier for a site’s administrator to get the specific information he or she needs from various members of the organization.
Content strategy asks the tough questions, the ones we’d rather avoid because finding the answers is hard, walking-10-miles-in-the-snow-uphill kind of work. Questions such as: Why is this here? Is this best for the user? Who’s going to be in charge of all this content and its schedule? Who will write this new copy? Who will consistently update this image gallery?
The actual content — words, images, videos, etc. — are the heart and soul of a site. It doesn’t matter how well things are organized if any of the content is shoddy. The entire communication platform loses impact, and that’s not good for anybody.
Dynamic websites with photo galleries, news, videos, audio and connection to social media are like the pets that daily need your attention for food, water and a little scratching behind the ears. Their quality of life is dependent on your attention.
Same goes for your website’s users. So, early on in the process is the time to think through such pivotal questions as: Hey, do we have all the people in place to really do this well, to keep our stories and images updated and fresh, to keep engaging that primary audience?
It’s certainly not easy to trudge through the thick mud of “oh-this-just-has-to-be-here-because-it’s-always-been-here.” But we promise it’s worth the fight. And hey, we’re more than willing to wield our swords (and our red editors’ pens) alongside you for excellence.