Developing a Content Strategy for Your Institution

Developing a Content Strategy for Your Institution
eduWeb, 30 July 2012

Kate Brodock
Executive Director of Digital & Social Media at Syracuse University
Founder & Chair of Other Side Group

Me….

Kate Brodock eduWeb 30 July 2012

AGENDA

CONTENT PRODUCTION

CONTENT STRATEGY

INSTITUTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

IMPLEMENTATION

TOOLS

Q&A


Content Production: What is Content?

•  Writing - blogging, eBooks, white papers
•  Photos
•  Audio clips
•  Video
•  Use-generated content
•  Third-party content – articles, videos, etc


Content Production: Brand Journalism

“Brand Journalism is when any organization….creates valuable
information and shares it with the world.”

•  Brand Journalism is not a product pitch. It is not an advertorial. It is not an
egotistical spewing of gobbledygook-laden corporate drivel.
•  Instead, Brand Journalism is the creation of Web content – videos, blogs posts,
photos, charts, graphs, essays, eBooks, white papers – that deliver value to your
marketplace and serve to position your organization as one worthy of doing
business with.

- David Meerman Scott, 2009


Content Production: Social Writing

“Content, primarily in written format, that is designed to be optimal for
social sharing.”

•  Goal 1: Create content that people want to share.
•  Goal 2: Create content that will work well once shared.

- Other Side Group, 2012


Content Production: One more time….


Content Production

Question: What sorts of content are you using?


Content Production: How it works with your communications plan

Your goals may be:
•  Branding, promotion, outreach, media relations, prospecting, alumni
relations….

Content opens up new opportunities to reach new people, have them
reach you, initiate conversation, create more engaging experiences and
two-way relationships, have your “brand” shared with other
networks……


Content Production: How it works with your communications plan

TAKE NOTE:

Content creation does not replace your current marketing or communications
plans……

…..it enhances and supports them.


Content Production: Content Creation vs Content Curation

CONTENT CREATION
•  Original content created by your institution.

Beneficial for:
•  Demonstrating value directly
•  Thought Leadership
•  Giving deeper, more knowledgeable insight into your brand
•  “Controlling the message”



CONTENT CURATION
•  Discovering, gathering, culling through and presenting existing digital content that
surrounds a specific subject matter.
•  “Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on
the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific
theme. The work involves, sifting, sorting, arranging, and publishing information.” –
Beth Kanter, 2011

Beneficial for:
•  Supporting Thought Leadership
•  Quick pieces of content
•  Creating conversation



CONTENT CREATION
+
CONTENT CURATION
=
SWEET SPOT


Content Strategy: Why is it important?

People are consuming information in new ways. You need to keep up with
them.
•  Skimming
•  Video consumption
•  Visual stimulation

Your specific audiences are communicating in new ways. You need to
meet them there.
•  Current students
•  Prospective students
•  Tech savvy faculty, staff and alumni
•  Media and external parties


Content Strategy: Why is it important?

With the right content, you have the potential to reach more people.
•  Social content
•  Search-engine optimized content (SEO)

People are getting bored or annoyed with straight sales tactics and some
traditional marketing, especially when they’re online. You need to give
them a reason to re-engage.
•  They want something valuable and useful.
•  If you can offer them that value, that’s a good thing!


Content Strategy: Why start a content program?
•  Thought Leadership
•  Education
•  “Lead generation” (finding prospective students, for instance)
•  Engagement and Community Building
•  Search-Engine Optimization (SEO)
•  Brand Awareness
•  Outreach
•  Media Relations

•  Traditional methods are not sufficient, and you’re likely missing
opportunities
•  If you’re already in the social space, you need something to share
and connect to people with, right?


Institutional: Content Sources

Where do you already have existing content?
•  Old photos and audio (library archives?)
•  Un-organized video footage
•  Existing marketing copy
•  Testimonials
•  User-generated content

Where have you been able to find existing content?


Institutional: Content Sources

Where can you get additional content?
•  Enthusiastic students, prospects, alumni, faculty, staff and community members
•  Live events – on campus and off-campus
•  Social media channels
•  Third-parties
•  User-generated content
•  Cross-campus partnerships

For those of you who’ve created new content, what have you done?


Institutional: Content Quality

What type of quality guidelines do you want to have for your content?
•  High-profile vs low(er)-profile events
•  When to use user-generated content
•  Professional vs non-professional options
•  Who’s the audience?

What purpose is content being used for?
•  Marketing vs media relations
•  Informational vs engaging
•  What platforms will the content be going on?
•  Who’s the audience?


Institutional: Branding and Voice

Branding
•  How does this content fit into our brand message?
•  Does this content accurately represent our brand?
•  How do we want our brand portrayed in this particular piece of content?
•  Who’s our audience?

Voice
•  How do you want your brand portrayed?
•  Social media is sometimes more casual than other formats
•  The Voice Brand and The Emotional Brand
•  Who’s your audience?


Institutional: Representation

Who are you representing?
•  Universities have many different units – schools, departments, programs, centers,
etc
•  Which one are you in charge of?
•  Can you collaborate with others for a common goal?


Institutional: Things to Think About

•  Length
•  Quality
•  Accessibility
•  Shareability
•  Verification
•  Legal Issues and Rights
•  Attribution


Implementation: Resources

Resources needed for content strategy (and social media)
•  Time
•  Money

We’re strapped for both, so resource allocation is very important
•  You get out what you put in to you content production plan.
•  Think about other units across your campus and how you can share resources.
•  Think about various ways you can create resources – students, alumni, volunteers.
•  If you can’t find the resources, rethink your content production plan.
•  Does your resource allocation include the right people and tools – various platforms
and media types, various departments, etc?


Implementation: Ownership

Several different ownership options
•  Centralized
•  De-centralized
•  Committee structure
•  Horizontal
•  Partnership

Things to think about
•  Content often happens on a daily basis.
•  Is there enough leadership in your ownership structure to make sure content can
get out regularly?
•  Is there enough tech support in your structure to make sure technical glitches can
be handled appropriately?
•  Are the right people at the table – marketing, PR, web, mobile, etc.


Implementation: Management

Management suggestions
•  Creation of an editorial calendar
•  Access to the right set of tools – platforms, media types, etc
•  Content Lead in each unit
•  Again, is there enough leadership to move things forward?

Things to think about
•  Accountability
•  Seasonal cycle
•  Editing
•  Cross-platform expertise


Tools: Blogging Platforms

•  Wordpress, Typepad, etc
•  In-house platform
•  Tumblr


Tools: Video Platforms

•  YouTube
•  Vimeo
•  uStream
•  Short-form (app-based): Viddy, Tout, SocialCam)


Tools: Content Curation Platforms

•  Storify
•  Pinterest
•  Paper.li


Tools: Rich-media and Location-based tools

•  Broadcastr
•  Foursquare


Thank you!

Any questions?

@just_kate
Today and Tomorrow – katebrodock.com
Ad Comments Here - othersidegroup.com
Slideshare.com/justkate

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