1.
The Truth About Content:
Broken Dreams and the Big Fix
Kris%na Halvorson
March 10, 2018
SXSW
@halvorson

2.
4:14 PM - 9 August 2014

3.
6 Ways to Wipe Up Any Mess

4.
Studies show paper napkins bring
families together

5.
10 Easy Ways To Store Paper Towels

6.
Aw snap.

7.
One month later…

8.
What happened?

9.
Vision
Mission
Goal
Strategy
Objec4ve
Tac4c
Target

10.
Vision
Mission
Goal
Strategy
Objec4ve
Tac4c
Target
Vision Ideal future state
Mission What we exist to do
Goal Long-term measurable outcome
Strategy Key iniIaIve to create meaningful change
Objec4ve Shorter-term measurable outcome
Tac4c AcIvity to achieve objecIves
Target Metric for success

11.
Vision
Mission
Goal
Strategy
Objec4ve
Tac4c
Target
Vision GP paper products in every home
Mission To clean up every body’s mess
Goal LiQ consumer product revenue by 5%
Strategy Content markeIng
Objec4ve Publish 1,400 arIcles
Tac4c Hire Meredith
Targets “Consumer engagement”

12.
This is
not a
content
strategy.

13.
Content strategy guides the
creation, delivery, and governance
of useful, usable content.

14.
• Define
• PrioriIze
• Integrate
• SystemaIze
• Measure

15.
Content design uses data and evidence
to give the audience what they need,
at the %me they need it,
and in a way they expect.

16.
Editorial
• What is our editorial mission?
• Who are our target audiences?
• What is our point of view?
• What brand and language standards
do we need to comply with?
• What is our voice and tone?
• What is our publishing cadence?

17.
Experience
• What are our users’ needs and
preferences?
• What does our content ecosystem
look like?
• What are our customers’ journeys?
• What formats will our content take?
• How will design pa^erns shape our
content on mobile and beyond?
• What metrics will we use to measure
performance?

18.
Systems design is the process of defining
the architecture, modules, and data for a system
to saIsfy specified requirements.

19.
Structure
• How will we organize content for
browse-and-find?
• What tags are most intuiIve for users?
• How will we categorize content for
efficient management?
• How will we structure our content for
future reuse?
• What are the requirements for
personalizaIon, dynamic delivery, AI?

20.
Process
• How will content move through its
lifecycle?
• What tools will we use to create,
deliver, and maintain content?
• How and when do we care for our
exisIng content?
• Who gets to say “no”?

21.
• Define
• PrioriIze
• Integrate
• SystemaIze
• Measure

22.
1. Reset.

23.
This is now.

24.
It’s okay to scrap stuff.

25.
2. Get aligned.

26.
Vision Ideal future state
Mission What we exist to do
Goal Long-term measurable outcomes
Strategy Path to success
Objec4ve Shorter-term measurable outcomes
Tac4c AcIviIes to achieve objecIves
Target Metrics for success

27.
3. (Actually) know your audience.

28.
• Phone interviews
• Onsite interviews
• Usability tesIng
• Website polls
• Social listening
• Keyword trends
• Website search analysis
• Customer service conversaIons

29.
4. Establish common
systems and standards.

30.
• Editorial mission
• Style guide
• Messaging architecture
• Publishing calendar
• Needs-based
personas
• Page templates and
tables
• Microcopy
• Taxonomy
• Content models
• Authoring interface
• Content reuse
• Workflow and roles
• Tools
• Governance plan
Content design
Systems design

31.
5. Beware the silver bullet.

32.
By 2018, 20 percent of business content
will be authored by machines.
“
– Gartner, Inc. 2016 predicIons

33.
THE TECHNOLOGY
IS NOT THE THING.

34.
✓ Reliable source of data and content
✓ Accurate informaIon that’s suited to the
applicaIon
✓ Framework for organizing the informaIon

35.
1. Structure your content.
2. Write like a person.
3. Clean up your house.

36.
There’s a deeply-held view within
technology culture that people are the
problem that technology is going to fix …
“
– Gerry McGovern
“Quality InformaIon Requires Quality People”

37.
… Technology can help, but without
quality people, technology just helps you
fill the garbage dump faster.
“
– Gerry McGovern
“Quality InformaIon Requires Quality People”

38.
What now?

39.
1.Reset.
2.Get aligned.
3.(Actually) know your audience.
4.Establish common systems and standards.
5.Beware the silver bullet.

40.
Content first.
Humans

41.
Thank you.
Kris%na Halvorson
h^p://contentstrategy.com
@halvorson