5 Tips on Creating a Better Content Strategy

SXSW was an amazing conference. some of the brightest minds in the Internet marketing industry gathered together to talk social media, web development, interactive marketing, and content strategy.

One of the panels I went to was all about content strategy and web writing and why it is extremely important for businesses. A lot of companies overlook the importance of having a cohesive content strategy when it comes to their websites and think that the writing stops after the copy does. This isn't the case.

[powerpress]

The panel was comprised of :

Erin Anderson - Brain Traffic

Ian Alexander - Eat Media

Tiffani Jones - thingsthatarebrown LLC

Dan Maccarone - HardCandyShell

5 Tips on creating a better content strategy

1. Picking the right medium

Picking the correct way to disseminate content is crucial for any content strategy. A lot of the time we see web writing and it would have been better as a video or a slide-show. So remember, think about the vehicle that you are delivering the content.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Does this medium give me the ability to express every angle?


• Can this content be re-purposed into another format?


• Does the content and the design fit together to tell the story and does it feel right?

2. Organize Your Thoughts

Remember your audience is impatient. Make sure that your thoughts are organized well.

3. Try white boarding

Make sure some form of brainstorming occurs to get all your ideas onto the table. Whiteboarding out your thoughts and ideas can be a powerful tool in making sense of it all.

3. Don't silo your departments

Having the web writer(copywriter), information architecturer, the UX guy, and graphic designer collaborate throughout the process will produce a better end result. The the overall look and feel of the site will be more consistent and easier to use. Doing it in separate pieces can be disjointed and mess with the flow of the site.

4. Good content is expensive and/or time consuming, but that the end of the day it is worth it.

"You have a search box and a checkout chart, everything in between is CONTENT." exclaims Ian Alexander. The content on your site is of the utmost importance. You need to have something that is engaging and relevant, but most importantly, messaging that will drive action.

Content strategies is the planning for the creation and delivery and ongoing governance of content. You need to be thinking about content sustainability and relevance.

5. Create an editorial calendar.

Having an editorial calendar for what content you are going to put out is a crucial piece of any website's strategy. The initial layout and planning can shift the project in newer more creative directions and your site will be better off in the long run. Make sure to plan in room for spontaneous posts as well. You never know when the mood will strike.