Strategy: Content Strategy's Other Half
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Presentation to Confab 2011 by Melissa Rach, Dialog Studios (formerly Brain Traffic) Let’s go beyond content deliverables and tactics and focus on the overall strategic process. In this session, we’ll discuss what strategy is, and what makes content strategy different from other strategic disciplines.
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Strategy: Content Strategy's Other Half
- 3. Strategy is … a plan designed to achieve a particular long-term aim.
- 4. Strategy is … what to do + what not to do.
- 5. Strategy is … the art of creating advantage.
- 6. Strategy is … amplifying what you’re good at.
- 7. Strategy is … putting your pants on before your shoes.
- 8. Strategy is … selecting which stakeholders to disappoint. Bud Caddell: whatconsumesme.com
- 9. Strategy is … [Insert your personal theory here.]
- 10. What I used to think
- 11. What I used to think 1. Bigwigs + strategists 2. Research + analysis 3. Objectives about mo 4. Grand master plan 5. Send plan to minions 6. Minions rejoice! 7. Success + $$$$$$$$
- 12. What I used to think 1. Bigwigs + strategists 2. Research + analysis 3. Objectives about 4. Grand master plan 5. Send plan to minions 6. Minions rejoice! 7. Success + $$$$$$$$
- 13. What I used to think 1. Bigwigs + strategists 2. Research + analysis 3. Objectives about money 4. Grand master plan 5. Send plan to minions 6. Minions rejoice! 7. Success + $$$$$$$$
- 14. What I used to think 1. Bigwigs + strategists 2. Research + analysis 3. Objectives about money 4. Grand master plan 5. Send plan to minions 6. Minions rejoice! 7. Success + $$$$$$$$
- 15. What I used to think 1. Bigwigs + strategists 2. Research + analysis 3. Objectives about money 4. Grand master plan 5. Send plan to minions 6. Minions rejoice! 7. Success + $$$$$$$$
- 16. What I used to think 1. Bigwigs + strategists 2. Research + analysis 3. Objectives about money 4. Grand master plan 5. Send plan to minions 6. Minions rejoice! 7. Success + $$$$$$$$
- 17. What I used to think 1. Bigwigs + strategists 2. Research + analysis 3. Objectives about money 4. Grand master plan 5. Send plan to minions 6. Minions rejoice! 7. Success + $$$$$$$$
- 19. It didn’t always work
- 20. My theory wasn’t fact.
- 23. The age of the Alfreds
- 24. Scientific management means a constant search for the facts, the true actualities, and their intelligent, unprejudiced analysis. Thus, and in no other way, policies and their administration are determined… Only by increased knowledge can we progress, perhaps I had better say survive.‖ (Sloan 1941)
- 25. “Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.” -John Maynard Keynes (1936)
- 26. Also, very quietly, around 1955 the “information age” began.
- 27. Did it work? 1960s: Everybody did it 1970s: Competitive advantage 1980s: Market positioning 1990s: Focus inside
- 28. Results: Silos
- 29. Results: Layers
- 30. 60 years later ―Strategy‖ is necessary to survive Profit is the #1 outcome of strategy Classically-educated finance guys make the best ―generals‖ Constant research and measurement is required – and must map to money (report progress quarterly) Work is done in functional silos
- 31. Guess what, it’s not 1950 anymore.
- 32. "Well, in our country," said Alice, still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else — if you run very fast for a long time, as we've been doing.― "A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!― - Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
- 33. Adaptability is the key Today’s sustainable strategies need to have: Flexible frameworks Ongoing learning/education Quick responses and reactions Strategic routines vs. long-term strategies
- 34. Knowledge is the advantage Knowledge: Gives you the ability to change quickly Is valuable precisely because it’s not easily captured Is dispersed throughout the organization Relies on innovation, which is not obviously profitable Requires constant learning and education
- 36. You have excellent timing.
- 37. Organizations need content to survive. They need us. And, some of them even know it.
- 38. Content strategy helps organizations use content to achieve their business goals.
- 40. We don’t play by the rules. Rebel yell! Mo, mo, mo!
- 42. Not always at c-level
- 43. No obvious super powers
- 44. Can’t define value conventionally
- 45. They need us anyway.
- 46. Start thinking about strategy in a new way.
- 47. Never forget journalism is a service industry. – David Brinkley
- 48. Think of strategy as a VERB Everything you do, needs to do one of these things: Create clarity Align stakeholders Make smart decisions Operationalize change (Chris LaVictoire Mahai, Aveus)
- 49. Deliverables are tools, not outcomes Education moments Conversation starters Records of past conversations Memory aids
- 50. Create clarity
- 51. We are not competition, we are a complement
- 52. Make smart decisions Give people the tools, knowledge, and expert advice they need to: To move confidently Act independently To move quickly Make content decisions in their area of expertise
- 55. We can be strategists AND engineers Strategy sets the stage/direction Engineering creates a solution based on expertise As content professionals we often do both And, both are extremely important
- 57. In summary…
- 58. Brier’s first law At some time in the life-cycle of virtually every organization, its ability to succeed in spite of itself runs out.
- 59. You can be a CONTENT PERSON and a BUSINESS PERSON
- 60. You can be an EXPERT and a PARTNER
- 61. You can focus less on DELIVERABLES and more on DELIVERING
- 62. You can think of strategy as a VERB Not a NOUN
- 63. Create clarity Align stakeholders Make smart decisions Operationalize change
- 64. Help your team be KNOWLEDGABLE and KNOWLEDGE-ABLE
- 65. Ready. Set. Go.
Notes de l'éditeur
- I’m going to guess every person in this room has a different definition of this wordDefining conceptual words like strategy, marketing, business isn’t like defining object words like book, projector, chairThese definitions are really theories – made up of our collective knowledge on the topicWhether that knowledge is from books, experience, or a mentor, whateverAnd theories are great because they create shortcuts in our brains, we don’t have to think something through every time But, the danger about them is that theory becomes indisputable fact in our heads
- And, this worked so well for meIt’s neat and tidy – such a step-by-step process – with such a happy ending And quite honestly at the beginning of my career this worked super well – it was the beginning of the web Nobody knew what the web was supposed to do, they were kind of afraid of it, so they did what we, the 23-yr-old consultants said to do We didn’t always make the $, but it was new media, it didn’t have toSo to me, this definition was irrefutable fact, it’s the way it was always done, since the Greeks invented strategy in 2000BC
- And, this worked so well for meIt’s neat and tidy – such a step-by-step process – with such a happy ending And quite honestly at the beginning of my career this worked super well – it was the beginning of the web Nobody knew what the web was supposed to do, they were kind of afraid of it, so they did what we, the 23-yr-old consultants said to do We didn’t always make the $, but it was new media, it didn’t have toSo to me, this definition was irrefutable fact, it’s the way it was always done, since the Greeks invented strategy in 2000BC
- Make lovely plan reports with exciting graphics and fancy covers
- And, this worked so well for meIt’s neat and tidy – such a step-by-step process – with such a happy ending And quite honestly at the beginning of my career this worked super well – it was the beginning of the web Nobody knew what the web was supposed to do, they were kind of afraid of it, so they did what we, the 23-yr-old consultants said to do We didn’t always make the $, but it was new media, it didn’t have toSo to me, this definition was irrefutable fact, it’s the way it was always done, since the Greeks invented strategy in 2000BC
- Minions worship (or at least respect) plan
- If the plan is smart enough, it succeeds wildly And, this worked so well for meIt’s neat and tidy – such a step-by-step process – with such a happy ending And quite honestly at the beginning of my career this worked super well – it was the beginning of the web Nobody knew what the web was supposed to do, they were kind of afraid of it, so they did what we, the 23-yr-old consultants said to do We didn’t always make the $, but it was new media, it didn’t have to
- So to me, this definition was irrefutable fact, it’s the way it was always done, since the Greeks invented strategy in 1200BC
- Then I became a marketing/communication strategist (not web, general) The bigwigs/smart people often knew less than the minionsResearch wasn’t always conclusiveThe plan wasn’t always very grand The report was irrelevant the minute it was published The minions responded with distaste/apathy The plans weren’t implemented It was hard to measure value of communicationsAnti-climactic Research: competition, users The plan: tactical, hard to measure, hard to equate to $But, I was doing great – the clients loved it! So I tried to research harder, make more detailed plans, make lovely communication strategies for the minionsStill didn’t feel right
- Classical American Method (what about the Greeks?)It was: Developed in 1950sFor huge manufacturing giants (GM/Du Pont) By guys who had military school educations and rich parents There are dozens of other strategies, but this one dominates the text booksAnd, it played a huge part in the way business, particularly in the US, but around the world works – and how content strategy can play So, I want to take a few minutes to tell you about it
- Right after WWII (the Allies “won”)There was a glut of resources Business was about making stuff Manufacturing was a good job Communication came from authorities Competition risesMarketing becomes commonRight after WWII (the Allies “won”)There was a glut of resources Business was about making stuff Manufacturing was a good job Communication came from authorities Competition risesMarketing becomes common
- Alfred Sloan: Create a About long-term vision Based off the military Centered around classical economic theoryIncluding intense measurement requirements Introduced frequent earnings statements as proof of success Adam Smith 1776“Rational economic man” We can see consequences and plan accordingly We can forgo short-term gain for long-term successTheory of valueThings are transparentThings are exclusive Alfred (Du Pont) Chandler
- Alfred Sloan: Create a About long-term vision Based off the military Centered around classical economic theoryIncluding intense measurement requirements Introduced frequent earnings statements as proof of success Alfred (Du Pont) Chandler
- “Rational economic man” We can see consequences and plan accordingly We can forgo short-term gain for long-term successTheory of valueThings are transparentThings are exclusive We still have this stuff – even if we don’t know about it
- Worked well for GM, because of the context and they were first At the same time: 1960s:Bandwagon gets full – the SWOT is born; middle class gets a more educated, challenges authority 1970s: Not just Americans, don’t know your competition anymore 1980s: Global economy gets even bigger, lots of mobility 1990s: More Communication channels are added Evolutionists
- 2000s: Hyper competition and hyGame theory Chaos theory Complexity theory Evolution theory Cognitive psychology Real options theory
- This is, of course, a theory Even the military gets it Silos are set up to compete – separate strategies, objectivesIt’s not profitable and not very measurable The pyramid doesn’t work – people are moving They have long-term visions and roadmaps
- This is, of course, a theory Even the military gets it Silos are set up to compete – separate strategies, objectivesIt’s not profitable and not very measurable The pyramid doesn’t work – people are moving They have long-term visions and roadmaps
- 1993This one is even better
- Lisa WelchmanFinancial guyThreatened
- 3. Don’t have obvious, secret, superior knowledge We have to earn trust, every time We have to acknowledge knowledge We more often coach, not advise
- 4. Can’t define value conventionally Based on function not exact numbers Less about profit, more about competitive advantage
- We can’t change the whole business world and economic systemWhether you’re a client or consultant
- It’s not about deliverables It’s about helping them achieve their business goals
- All this conversation about deliverables is for usI like to geek out and see how amazing the work this community If you are a client, stop asking for it
- Sloan was right, you need to do research, within reason, too fast paced for crazy It is not your job to haul out all your fancy terms and talk over their heads, help the client feel confident about what their talking about Earn their trust by letting them help you learn about their business They know the business better than you do. Let them be part of the solution. There is a ton of theory and best practices behind good contentMake sure you’re the team knows the ones that are applicable to themHelp them use the vocabulary Help them develop realistic goals for content
- Threatening? Marketing strategy, UX, website strategy -- we do a deep dive on an area they would have overlooked, not a complementsWhere is the dividing line? Case by case. Who cares.
- This is not about creating THE SOLUTION We think of decisions as commitments to future action Decisions made in formal settings are usually not acted onThey are more about mobilizing support and creating momentum
- This is not about creating THE SOLUTION We think of decisions as commitments to future action Decisions made in formal settings are usually not acted onThey are more about mobilizing support and creating momentum
- It’s not enough to just show them the mountain, gear, and compass Content strategists can’t do a runner Start with small projectsTest it did it work? Earn trust, communicate often Prove to leadership Measure it somehow that makes sense… it might not be dollars Based on function not exact numbers Less about profit, more about competitive advantage They are smart, resourceful, successfulBut they don’t have:The right equipmentTime to plan Guides or spottersAnd, everybody’s watching
- This is a statement about strategyBut, it’s also a statement about classical american method This isn’t going to change overnight, and maybe not during our careers…But, it’s got to start somewhere