“Content Strategy”

It’s one of those unfortunate job titles that has been bandied about in recent years. Many people who consider themselves “Content Strategists” feel that it’s a misleading job title – like an alchemist, nobody really knows what it is, yet many profess to have the skills. Content strategy is important, it’s not easy and certainly doesn’t earn the respect it truly deserves!

What is a “Content Strategist”?

A strategist maximises the commercial impact of content. Think about that. Consider the vast amount of information online and consider that someone out there has the potential to help your content stand out from the rest. I’ve got your attention now….right?

What do they do?

“Content Strategy” differs from “Content Creation”,  in that it provides a framework on which content is built so that highlights of content can be selected.It’s a critical asset that helps your content standout from the myriad of information online. Having said all that, it’s more than just highlights, it’s about selecting content that can be repurposed, whether that’s video, images, infographics or Tweets. A content strategist repurposes information in a meaningful way and ensures that the creation, delivery and management of said content supports an experience for the audience.

Why is Content Strategy Important?

A content strategist can wear several hats (as we all seem to do since the recession kicked off), but most of all, they are responsible for ensuring that content is easy to locate, read, absorb, understand and share.  Imagine that content is your marketing message….it suddenly becomes important to be heard above the din, right?

A good content strategy can help your content get noticed.

Much of todays content is “siloed” with the sales team taking over email marketing, customer service managing Twitter and Facebook and marketing managing the website. A content strategist rises above the noise and presents a more holistic connection between them all. The different tones bleed into one and prevent conflicts and duplications. Content strategy defines key messages, it recommends topics of focus that will attract attention and most importantly, it bridges the gap between commercial needs and audience desires.

In need of a content strategist but dont have the resources?

Content strategy is a wide ranging topic – this is merely an introduction. We help many clients with their content strategy needs, acting as their “inhouse (but out of house)”, team. You can talk to us about how we can help you or stay tuned to our upcoming posts for ideas, tools and tips for creation, maintenance and monitoring of content.