Content Strategy

Give Your Content a Makeover in 3 Easy Steps

August 31, 2011 By Britt Raybould

I hate when my searches land me on pages that are clearly outdated or inaccurate. Too often in our pursuit of building content-rich sites, we skip over the need to review, update, and toss out content as needed. We also forget that the needs of our readers/visitors may have changed, too.

Holding Patterns

Despite being capable wielders of digital (and therefore flexible) technology, I’m surprised at how few writers and companies embrace revision. Solid content can remain so for an extended period of time, particularly if it’s maintained with care.

It reminds me a bit of our approach to personal health. We’ll live a lot longer and feel a lot better if we take care of ourselves along the way. But, just like our aversion to regular exercise and a healthy diet, we’re often resistant to giving the same, regular attention to our content.

A Content Makeover

A few times I’ve been approached to redo a website or a marketing piece with the plea to start from scratch. On rare occasions, this approach makes the most sense. But if it was solid work to begin with, I can usually take the basic structure and give it a new coat of paint, saving both time and money.

Here’s how you can give your content a makeover:

Update references. Things change, and unless the idea or premise you’re promoting is wildly out of date, look for new sources to reference.
Update images. Few things will date your work more than images of 80s bangs and shoulder pads. With so many royalty-free options available, new images are an easy way to give content a fresh appeal.
Remove dated slang/terminology. Reading terms that reflect previous technology, for example, distracts from what may otherwise be solid principles. Look for better ways to describe your concepts that rely less on words likely to change over time.

Toss It Out

Making the recommendation to toss content out doesn’t happen very often. But you owe it to yourself and what you want to accomplish to assess regularly if content is helping or hurting you. Perhaps it’s too vague or related to something you used to do in the past. Maybe it promotes a service or technique that’s since been called into question. Ultimately you’re writing to not only help people learn, but to also establish your authority. Make sure the content that you sign your name to does both.

Getting the Most Out of Your Content Strategy

July 28, 2011 By Britt Raybould

We’ve all done a workout or two that we gave less than our best effort. But why do we do it? We’re still taking the time to do the workout, so why not do everything possible to get the full benefit?

I see this approach happen all the time in content strategy. Maybe it’s a routine project and it seems like a waste of time to do more than the bare minimum. Maybe it’s a complicated project that feels overwhelming. Whatever the circumstances, people choose to do less than their best. But the work still has to be done. So like the exercise routine, why not do what you need doing to get the greatest benefit?

Here are some ideas to help you get the most out of your content strategy (routine):

1) Add a Warm Up

Ever jump into a snow-fed lake? It’s not pleasant. The shock won’t kill you (probably), but it can bring you to a screeching halt. The same thing can happen if you haven’t built a warm up in to your content strategy. So start with the basics.

Identify the people who’ll contribute to the project. Outline a broad goal of what you hope to achieve. Make a quick assessment of existing resources. Whatever gets you headed in the right direction, make sure you do it every time. Creating consistency from beginning can help you avoid the cold-lake effect regardless of the project size or complexity.

2) Track Project Progress

Tracking the results of a workout can show if you’re improving over past routines. Sometimes in the rush to get things done, tracking individual and overall progress can get overlooked. In some ways, you can’t get to where you want to go if you don’t know where you’ve been. Plus you get the benefit of understand how your scope of work changes over time.

Tracking progress also gives you a baseline for assessing and comparing different projects. Did you really need five people or did a similar project with three people show that the smaller group was more efficient?

3) Don’t Leave Out the Challenge

For workouts to do their job, we have to do things that keep them challenging, like increasing the weight or going longer. The same holds true for your content strategy. Just because you did a project one way six months ago doesn’t mean you should automatically do a new, but similar, one the same way.

You’ve probably learned something new in those six months. Put that knowledge to work on the new project and look for other ways to improve on the status quo. Doing so can keep you focused and interested in the work. I’m not talking about making it harder for the sake of working harder, but instead about making it better.

Overall you’ll get more out of your content strategy (routine) if you look for ways to maximize every project. And like any good workout, you’ll start to feel and see the benefits.

The Dining Alone Content Strategy

July 14, 2011 By Britt Raybould

I dine out alone a lot. My dining experience falls into two categories: ignore me (and my water glass) or shower me with attention. In both instances, it feels like the server is embarrassed by the fact that I’m there alone, and the embarrassment gets in the way of doing the job right.

We see the same thing happen around creating a content strategy. While it may not be embarrassment, some emotion—frustration, fear, pride—gets in the way of doing the job right. Instead of taking the time to assess the situation and make judgements based on what we do know, we start to assume, which puts us at a disadvantage from the beginning.

The Dining Alone Content Strategy

Over the course of several solo meals, I came up with idea that a solid content strategy could look like good service in a restaurant:

Ask the right questions.
When I get to a restaurant, the host(ess) automatically grabs two menus, and I have to clarify that it’s just one. What if instead of grabbing the menus, the questions was posed: “Are meeting someone or waiting for the rest of your party?” Asking the right question from the beginning sets you up to get the information you need to do the job right.
Learn to recognize the cues.
Start by watching for signs that you need to act or react to a situation. When dining out, I like my water glass refilled at least once. But it rarely works out that way. Instead I run out or the server splashes the table by constantly refilling the glass. The same thing can happen with your content strategy. Assess where you really need to apply your effort and don’t force it where it isn’t needed. You’re looking for a balanced approach.
Deliver more value than expected.
I’m a good tipper unless the service is horrible. In the past, I’ve wondered if I’ve gotten less attention because there’s no expectation of a good tip on one meal. Perhaps I’m the exception, but if my service is good, I usually leave a 30-50% tip. The same lesson applies to content strategy. It may not happen every time, but there will be projects that result in your version of a big tip. Maybe it’s a bonus, promotion or referral. Whatever the benefit, there will be a something good that comes from delivering more value.

I have yet to find a restaurant that consistently does a good job with solo dining. I do know that if I ever find it, I’ll be devoted customer for life. The same can be said if you figure out how to consistently deliver a content strategy that works without leaving a mess on the table.