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Category: Extended Deliverables

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What is it?

The mental model, or classification system, of a taxonomy of content or concepts in the minds of content consumers. Includes vocabulary, organization, relationships, and interactions.

Why is it important?

To understand content consumers, you must know how they mentally structure the topics your content covers.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

A classic taxonomy is a formal description of relationships, whereas a folksonomy is crowd-sourced, based on the content consumer’s ideas of how concepts and ideas fit together. This classification system depends on variables such as education, experience, and culture of the content consumer. A folksonomy is important because we gain insights into how content consumers think about the structure and relationships of content. This allows us to understand how to talk about and structure our information in a way that is more natural to content consumers.

There are many ways to find out about a folksonomy. You can do ethnographic work, studying the vocabulary and relationships of speech and concepts. You can also ask content consumers to help index content by allowing them to freely add terms and categories. For example, on Amazon.com, people are able to assign keywords and categories to items, which builds a folksonomy over time. This results in better searches and better results over time for content consumers.

Folksonomies are not limited to search results. Folksonomies can also help define how marketing might want to talk about products. Understanding how a product fits into other categories of products, from a consumer point of view, prevents wasted time and money educating consumers.

Additionally, content developers use folksonomies to understand appropriate language and to create examples that have deeper meaning for content consumers. This results in content that can profoundly resonate with content consumers and reflect their world view.

About Sharon Burton

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Sharon Burton helps companies get the most value out of content and content development processes. Towards this end, she consults, teaches, and writes for companies and organizations large and small. Her graduate training is as a cultural anthropologist, where she worked with hammock vendors in rural Mexico.

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Email: mailto:sharon@sharonburton.com

Website: sharonburton.com

Twitter: @sharonburton

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sharonvburton/

Facebook: facebook.com/sharonvburton

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What is it?

Guidelines that determine who has ownership and responsibility for various aspects of an organization.

Why is it important?

Makes it clear who has authority to make which decisions about content and contributes to smooth operational decisions and processes.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

Having a governance model is a critical aspect of implementing a successful content strategy. It is important to have a clear chain of command and a clear understanding about who is responsible for which decisions.

Often, organizations leave the task of determining the governance model until the very end of the process—almost after the strategy is complete. People in the organization assume that everyone knows who the decision makers are along the content lifecycle. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case.

When the governance model is not clearly defined, even the most well-thought-out content strategy will become stuck, unable to move forward, because the decision maker(s) are either unaware of the decisions that need to be made, think that someone else is responsible for making the decisions, or do not understand the urgency of their role.

By determining the governance model early in the development of a content strategy, organizations can ensure that workflows and decision trees are clearly delineated, agreed to by all parties, and strictly adhered to as the strategy is put into action.

About Val Swisher

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Val Swisher founded Content Rules in 1994, an end-to-end content services provider that helps customers plan their global content strategy, create content in structured and non-structured environments, and work with their source content to prepare it for translation. Content Rules is the exclusive provider of The Rockley Strategic Method™ and a certified service provider for the Acrolinx optimization software. Val is the author of Global Content Strategy: A Primer (XML Press, Summer 2014).

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Email: mailto:vals@contentrules.com

Website: contentrules.com

Twitter: @contentrulesinc

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/valswisher

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What is it?

A set of guidelines and standards covering areas such as vocabulary, editing, tone, and voice. May extend to structural aspects of content.

Why is it important?

Assists with consistency across a body of content and reinforces best practices, ultimately supporting business goals.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

A style guide defines grammar, spelling, and usage topics unique to your organization, such as product name capitalization, as well as style issues that reflect the branding or image of a company. Is the language of your content formal or casual? How do you address your audience? The style guide establishes a voice and tone that enable writers and editors to create consistent content across deliverables.

Consistency of language makes it easier for multiple writers to create a single, cohesive message and gives editors a baseline from which to work. Compliance with a style guide can help improve comprehension across a multinational audience and reduce translation costs. By standardizing phrases and choosing one word for each meaning (do you press, touch, or click a button?), you reduce the number of words that need to be translated.

A style guide may also include a breakdown of guidelines for content based on delivery mechanism. For example, it may specifically prohibit abbreviations like U for “you” and R for “are” on popular microblogging sites such as Twitter or specify the type of content that should or shouldn’t be shared on social media like Facebook or LinkedIn forums.

A good corporate style guide references (but does not duplicate or replace) published style guides. If you duplicate content found elsewhere, your style guide will quickly become bulky, complex, and difficult to enforce. Aim for the minimum amount of guidance that will enable the tone and voice your organization wants to project.

About Brenda Huettner

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Brenda Huettner is a technical communication consultant, a Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication, a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and principal of Microwaves101.com, an online encyclopedia of microwave engineering. Brenda writes about communication and technology and publishes books through her own imprint, Prince of the Road Press.

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Email: mailto:bphuettner@p-ndesigns.com

Website: p-ndesigns.com

Twitter: @bphuettner

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/pub/brenda-huettner/0/584/924

Facebook: facebook.com/bphuettner

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What is it?

A simplified representation of a web page or an application screen that illustrates and describes its proposed information and structure, as well as its functional behaviors.

Why is it important?

Creates visual clarity and direction for website or application content by allowing for a rapid exploration and refinement of its functionality, behaviors, and relative properties.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

Wireframes are variable and flexible diagrams, both in their format and purpose. Typically prepared in grayscale with minimal styling (graphical or typographical), wireframes are a rapid and relatively inexpensive tool for representing screens, or portions of them, to other core members of the project team.

Their simplified appearance is precisely what helps steer any discussion closer towards how a screen will behave and what kinds of information will be displayed, rather than what the page or screen will look like. This lack of visual realism isn’t always seen as a good thing. Wireframes—often flat, nonfunctional vector-based drawings—don’t always effectively demonstrate dynamic client-side screen interactions.

There is an ongoing debate about the merits of displaying real content, as opposed to placeholder content. Some argue that, in much the same way that injecting enhanced visual elements onto a wireframe that make a screen seem closer to the final design can shift focus away from its functionality and behavior, incorporating content elements on wireframes that aren’t really in question can have a similarly adverse affect.

The answer most likely lies somewhere in between, where structural and instructional content integral to a screen’s core functionality and behavior is a must, but, say, mocking up a lengthy article to demonstrate a screen’s flexibility may risk undermining its true purpose. However wireframes are presented, they are ultimately about clearly communicating the different information elements and their relative properties, as well as the range of behaviors available to users.

About Richard Ingram

Photo of Richard Ingram

Richard Ingram is a writer, information designer, and content strategy advocate hailing from the sleepy English seaside town of Hastings. He is one of a triumvirate of brothers at accessible web design company Ingserv, co-founder of Kinship, and co-organizer of the London Content Strategy Meetup.

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Email: mailto:ringram@ingserv.com

Website: richardingram.co.uk

Twitter: @richardjingram

LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/pub/richard-ingram/20/31b/1a9/

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What is it?

The art and science of structuring information (knowledge) to support findability and usability.

Why is it important?

Allows for intuitive navigation and quick access to relevant content, supports interaction with content (usability), and makes the body of content both maintainable and extensible.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

Information Architecture (IA) is both a process and a product. The process involves analyzing a body of content—a domain—to understand its components, the relationships among them, and their behavior; identifying the organizing principles; and designing a conceptual model that captures the underlying structure. The product is the conceptual model.

A typical IA model will feature one or more hierarchical structures (shown diagrammatically as inverted trees, with leaves at the bottom) with a secondary network structure. Hierarchies arise from the nesting of categories and sub-categories. In the digital world, a single piece of information (a leaf on the tree) can be part of more than one hierarchy, using a faceted categorization scheme. Relationships between components within or across hierarchies are allowed. This cross-linking (via hyperlinks) results in a secondary network structure.

Good IA results in a body of content that is:

  • Easy to navigate and search: A conceptual model that matches your users’ existing mental models allows them to navigate intuitively using recognition memory. Search results show more helpful context.

  • Usable: Standard conventions for search allow your users to draw on existing knowledge to complete tasks. Structured presentation of dynamic content enhances usability.

  • Maintainable: A defined structure ensures new instances of existing types of content—for example, meeting minutes—have a designated place.

  • Extensible: A growth plan ensures that your IA structure can be enhanced without massive re-organization.

In addition, clear IA informs the graphical design process, contributing to a coherent look and feel across the content domain.

About Claudia Wunder

Photo of Claudia Wunder

Claudia Wunder is a veteran of several Olympic Games, including Beijing, Vancouver, and London. As business analyst and interfaces manager, she defined the business rules for the Olympic Data Feed, a semantically rich XML feed that distributes sport results to broadcasters, print press, and websites around the world.

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Email: mailto:claudiaf@telus.net

Website:

LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/pub/claudiawunder

Facebook: facebook.com/claudia.wunder.90

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What is it?

A representation of the copy required at each stage of the transaction flow.

Why is it important?

Ensures that a content strategy accounts for all content that supports brand messaging. It includes error messages, feedback, and embedded assistance.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

A transactional content map ensures that copy displayed to users of an application, whether in an interface, an error, or a feedback message, is on-brand, produced in a streamlined way, and contributes to a positive user experience. The map captures details that might be missed or hidden from non-developers and interaction designers—especially in lean and agile teams. Different versions of the copy can be included, based on target devices or localization.

Capturing these details facilitates governance, the creation of a workflow for transactional content, and the interaction design process. Multi-disciplinary teams of writers, designers, and programmers can create a high-quality experience with on-brand content because they can see all the content needs in one place. The copy can be imported into a code base, speeding up development and ensuring that high-quality content gets into the code. The import process is another opportunity to discover if there are messages or copy in the code that are missing in the map and vice versa.

The map can be used by interaction designers to ensure that appropriate copy and messaging are displayed for each scenario. The map contains rules and logic for displaying content that can be difficult or impossible to track on annotated wireframes or specification documents and can serve as the authoritative source for the app’s transactional content and metadata. Content changes, improvements, and redesigns are easily tracked in the map. A transactional content map is also a great tool for planning and budgeting translation/localization services and accessibility.

About Linda Francis

Photo of Linda Francis

Linda Francis has been helping people understand their needs, and their customers’ needs and aspirations, for a long time. She has a reputation for comprehensive designs and strategies that reflect her empathy for people and awareness of the disciplines and functional areas that are woven into a person’s experience.

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Email: mailto:Linda@360c.co

Website: 360c.co

Twitter: @LindaFandango

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindalfrancis

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What is it?

A schedule for the publishing of content over a given time period, often annually or during a given campaign period.

Why is it important?

Ensures that important publishing milestones are recognized and activities planned so that content publishing remains manageable.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

An editorial calendar is used to ensure consistent content publishing over a set time period. It helps you plan for content creation; establish priorities for when, where, and what content will be published across your given platforms; and discover any holes in your plan. It establishes guidelines to spread your content out and not overwhelm your audience with too much too fast or too little too late, while maintaining a consistent voice.

With an editorial calendar, “Monday Madness” can be a planned recap of all the weekend’s events, instead of a rush to figure out what to post before lunch. The solution to many common content strategy problems—lack of content, poor content quality, lack of consistency—is to plan ahead with an editorial calendar. A solid base of scheduled content allows you to supplement your publishing with reactive, timely content for your audience. Your calendar also helps you track audience habits. Learning from your audience lets you adjust your publishing practices and increase overall engagement.

An editorial calendar should suit your organization’s needs and be as detailed or as loose as required. Some calendars need to be followed to the last detail; others can simply be a guide to maintain a consistent content flow. Whether planning for a long-term marketing campaign or outlining a blog, an editorial calendar is an important piece of an overall content strategy and an important step on the way to achieving business objectives.

About Mat Szwajkos

Photo of Mat Szwajkos

Mat Szwajkos is the creative director at Swig Social. He has established Swig’s core offerings and best practices for real-time content creation for Fortune 10 companies and start-ups alike. He’s a forward thinker looking to create and discover what comes next in brand storytelling.

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Email: mailto:mat@swigsocial.com

Website: swigsocial.com

Twitter: @szwajkos

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/pub/mat-szwajkos/20/3/428/

Facebook: facebook.com/matszwajkos

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What is it?

An engaging, graphical way to present data, often with the intent to tell a persuasive visual story. May also be referred to as data visualization or information graphics.

Why is it important?

Allows the communication of complex ideas faster and in a more compelling way, which can help others perceive content strategists as visionaries, not just analysts.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

It’s not just clients who are compelled by visuals. Visuals grab everyone’s attention in meaningful, memorable ways, whether we’re trying to influence project managers or chief marketing officers. Many of us, though, crunch our data, analyze it, and think silently, “Wow! A whole bunch of this stuff is a big hot mess.” Then we hand our clients a thorough, polite content matrix and audit report and hope they’ll read between the lines. Instead, we should boldly punctuate our findings with information visuals, even internally in our own companies or agencies.

Those visuals should persuade our audiences to listen to our opinions instead of dispassionately displaying facts and figures. As content strategists, we’re usually not selecting color themes or stock photography; we’re delivering tough news that people may not be ready to hear. But make no mistake, we have exactly what our clients and coworkers need to hear, and the time to listen is now.

Information visualization can help us express our recommendations in a captivating, compelling way. We already have the data information visualization is the tool to help us transform that data into insight.

About Tosca Fasso

Photo of Tosca Fasso

Tosca Fasso has worked with clients like Nike Women and Intel to put the right content in front of the right audience at the right time. She’s particularly passionate about infographics, storytelling, and the magic of metadata. Tosca also managed an international style blog and has the shoes to prove it.

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Email: mailto:tosca@subtxt.us

Website: subtxt.us

Twitter: @toscafasso

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/toscamarie/

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What is it?

A hierarchy of communication goals that reflect a shared vocabulary.

Why is it important?

A strategic foundation and yardstick against which to measure existing content, determine quality, and prioritize content types, budget, and new content investments.

Why does a content strategist need to know this?

A message architecture has an impact beyond editorial engagement:

  • Planning for creation

  • Assigning responsibilities

  • Establishing guidelines

  • Assessing quality

  • Auditing for redundancy

  • Scheduling archiving

For these activities, you need to grasp the purpose of your content. Should it inform? Entertain? Resolve a problem? Should it represent an authoritative brand or say the brand is approachable? Content articulates those differences with guidance from the message architecture.

Consider a stately financial institution that develops thought leadership through dense white papers with charts detailing ongoing research. Deft jargon conveys industry fluency while creating a distance between the organization and clients. They don’t serve everyone, and their clients pay a premium. Here’s their message architecture:

  • Respected

    • Relevant

    • Trusted

  • Deep but narrow expertise

    • Focused on large-cap funds

    • Premium

  • Serving an exclusive class of investors

You can employ this message architecture throughout an editorial and structural engagement. Use it as a yardstick to conduct a qualitative analysis: does instructional copy communicate these points or just meet functional goals? With a content audit, use the message architecture in a gap analysis: where is it weak? Perhaps the institution communicates expertise, but misses the premium nature of the brand. As you establish style guidelines, consider how content communicates these themes. As you structure repeated content types, look to the message architecture to determine ancillary elements to communicate the brand. But the first step is your message architecture.

About Margot Bloomstein

Photo of Margot Bloomstein

Margot Bloomstein is the author of Content Strategy at Work (Morgan Kaufmann, 2012) and principal of Appropriate, Inc., a brand and content strategy consultancy. A participant in the inaugural Content Strategy Consortium and featured speaker at South by Southwest, Margot speaks about enriching interactive engagements with content strategy.

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Email: mailto:margot@appropriateinc.com

Website: appropriateinc.com

Twitter: @mbloomstein

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mbloomstein