Content Strategy Definition
According to Usability.gov, the goal of content strategy is, “to create meaningful, cohesive, engaging, and sustainable content. Content strategy refers to the planning, development, and management of content—written or in other media. The term has been particularly common in web development since the late 1990s. It is a recognized field in user experience design, and it also draws from adjacent disciplines such as information architecture, content management, business analysis, digital marketing, and technical communication.
Content Strategy Client Projects
Sources Used
Halvorson, Kristina and Rach, Melissa. Content Strategy for the Web, 2nd Edition New Riders; 2 edition. 2012.
Kalbach, James. Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams. O'Reilly Media. 2016.
Richards, Sarah. Content Design. Content Design London. 2017.
Process and Scholarship
Having worked on several content strategy projects, my methodology comes from what is called the “Content Lifecycle,” from Usability.gov:
- In step one, I conduct extensive research to find out the current state of content in and around client to determine the environment.
- In step two I analyzed that research to decide who specifically the audience is, and what their journey is to determine how best to reach them.
- In step three I decided on the types of content that would work best, the outlets to use to reach the audience. I also determined how to maintain the content lifecycle moving forward.
- In step four I began an ongoing process of creating content. This includes brand materials and guidelines as well as messaging and web content.
- The final step involves maintaining the content strategy lifecycle. Having created a plan to follow, I create a calendar of content for what content goes where.
As a cycle this process should be repeated regularly to ensure success.
"Content strategy connects real content to real people. That connection is key to getting your content right..” — Kristina Halvorson
"Doing discovery and research means you are better informed and better equipped to start tackling the content design problem." — Sarah Richards
the goal of content strategy is, “to create meaningful, cohesive, engaging, and sustainable content." — Usability.gov