Content Strategy

The Content is the Strategy

Content strategists are nothing particularly new in terms of specialized industry experts, however, the structure of the strategy is in a state of constant change. Of course each content strategy is essentially unique, but there are similarities between nearly every successful online content strategy today. There are few people who understand a sufficient amount of the components to be successful.

The effective use of  editorial skills, content metadata and organization, search engine optimization (SEO), distribution plans and the right content management system (CMS) is what sets apart just about every single site on the net. These are only some of the core components of a good content strategy, the level of expertise needed to execute on these fundamental specialties is immense. A comprehensive content strategy involves multiple experts.

The Core Content Strategies

There are 5 core strategies that make up a “content strategy”, where each core allows for a comprehensive industry expert or set of experts.

Cornerstone Content Strategy

The cornerstone content strategy is the stable of your industry specialization, the ongoing reason to return to your website and comment, to open their wallet, to subscribe to feeds and essentially be immersed in your website’s culture. If a website does not have a content theme, then it does not have a purpose or function worthy of returning to. Choose your cornerstone carefully and be specific. The cornerstone content strategy falls in line with the elevator pitch, be able to describe it in less than 15 seconds. “My blog is about X”, make your mind up and stick to your decision. The cornerstone content describes the goal of your website on an ongoing basis.

Flagship Content Strategy

The flagship content is not a single event in your website development plan. It is ongoing. Flagship content is the kind of content where the world says “oh….hello website! I see you!”. It is viral video, viral comments, viral tweets. It is the quickening for your website. It is also, on an ongoing basis, the best way to expand your website over time. For each new category, technology, employee, new event, make a flagship for it. Announce it, be strong. Flagship content development can be the most creative part of your day.

Social Content Strategy

Social networks are incredibly important to the success of your website. The social content strategy includes much more than just social bookmarking, this strategy puts you in the driver seat for managing the result and effect of everything you publish. Social networks make it incredibly easy to send notifications of new content to existing readers with little or no cost with the distribution process. At the same time, an excellent social content strategy includes engaging other websites, blogs, social users on Facebook or Twitter and any web 2.0 comment enabled property online, as well as your own. Don’t just bookmark and socially spam your self promotion, but actively engage other like minded online properties and thoughtfully share….everything you know! A Social Content Strategist manages the output and the input of social network interactions, far beyond just reputation management.

Content Capitalization Strategy

Content capitalization is not just about monetizing your website, it is about the “capitalization” of your readership. Getting someone to subscribe via the RSS feed is a capital event. Getting someone to comment on your blog is a capital event. Someone clicking a link to a product you recommended is a capital event on several levels. Someone simply picking up the phone to call you from the information on your contact page is a capital event. These events all add up to the determination of a website’s success. The ultimate intention of any content online should be aligned with capitalization strategies. The process of developing content should be mindful of capitalization, especially when spending dollars on marketing efforts to attract customers. Your reader is your customer.

Content Quality Strategy

Editorial skills are mission critical for content development. Most people have just enough editorial skills to avoid embarrassment…on second thought, maybe not.  Aside from grammar, spelling and structure, there are more important and fundamental roles an editorial group should be playing. On-page search engine optimization (SEO) and capitalization reinforcement are the first to mention in terms of written content, but don’t forget about “implementation”. The platform from which you serve your content must be stable, fast, reliable and inexpensive to support. Your website layout must be browser compatible, mobile enabled, easy to navigate and creative. A “quality strategy” takes a  bottom up approach, ensuring your website is super fast and available, as well as your information being accurate, useful and easy to discover and share.

Content will never be a commodity

Website themes, CMS systems and hosting packages have become commodities now. Websites are essentially free. For less than $100 dollars you could have a highly capable WordPress theme, a year of hosting and run on your own brand. The majority of these sites are simply terrible wastes of time. To stand apart from the nonsense you need a plan, and you need to stick to it. Everyone and their pets are making blogs on the free sites, even practical jokes are elaborately planned by grabbing funny sub-domains or even registering a funny domain just for one joke.

This trend of poor quality website development is nothing new, there are just far more of them now.  So many, there is little room for forgiveness when it comes to search engines, readership and sales.

Make your website content count by developing compelling content, every time.