Post on 20-Aug-2015
IBM Client Technical Content Experience (CTCX)
Creating a Content Strategy Ecosystem
Andrea L. Ames (@aames)IBM Senior Technical Staff MemberIBM Enterprise Content Experience Strategist/Architect/Designer
12 October 2014
© IBM Corporation 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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Acknowledging Alyson Riley, my former IBM content strategy cohort in crime
The original version of this workshop and its content was a labor of love in 2013
Co-created by me and AlysonCo-taught by me and Alyson twice
Alyson designed the chart template and most of the graphical charts
Although Alyson has moved on from IBM to The Mayo Clinic, she is clearly with us in sprit through this material
All material is used with her knowledge and consent
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Introduction
InstructorWorkshopParticipants
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About Andrea (@aames)
Technical communicator since 1983Areas of expertise:
Content experience design: strategy, architecture, and interaction designArchitecture, design, and development of product-embedded assistance Content and product usabilityUser-centered process for content development and experience design
Senior Technical Staff Member on corporate Client Technical Content Experience team, IBM CIOUniversity of CA Extension program chair and master instructorSTC Fellow, past president, former member of Board of Directors, and Intercom columnist (with Alyson Riley) of The Strategic IAACM Distinguished Engineer
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Today’s agenda
Part 1: Level set around a few key concepts
Part 2: Analyze the “today state”: Problem, conditions, and requirements
Part 3: Envision success and measure it
Part 4: Tell the right story to manage your stakeholders
Part 5: Wrap up
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Context and level-setting
Organization considerationsSystems thinkingContent ecosystemContent strategyContent experience
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A little context-setting…Where do you live in this picture?
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Systems thinking, part 1from wikipedia (of course ;)
The process of understanding how things, regarded as systems, influence one another within a wholeAn approach to problem solving
Viewing “problems” as parts of an overall system, rather than reacting to specific part, outcomes or events, and potentially contributing to further development of unintended consequencesA set of habits or practices within a framework that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system can best be understood in the context of relationships with each other and with other systems, rather than in isolation
Focuses on cyclical rather than linear cause and effect
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Systems thinking, part 2from wikipedia (of course ;)
And most importantly for our purposes…
Attempts to illustrate how small, catalytic events that are separated by distance and time
can cause significant changes in complex systems
Acknowledges thatan improvement in one area
can adversely affect another area
Promotes organizational communication at all levels
to avoid the silo effect
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The Iceberg ModelSummarized from It's All Connected: A Comprehensive Guide to Global Issues and Sustainable Solutions, Benjamin Wheeler, Gilda Wheeler and Wendy Church. www.facingthefuture.org
Trends/patterns of behavior (anticipate) What’s been happening?
Systemic structure(design) What is contributing to the patterns?
Events(react)
What happened?
Increasing leverage
Mental models(transform) What keeps these patterns going?
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A systems thinking modelfrom ecomind.wikidot.com, Ecology, Mind, & Systems
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Habits of a “systems thinker”
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People—the “living” organisms
RolesPower structures and politics, governanceCulture and community
What is a “content ecosystem?”
Products—outputs of the interaction within the system
ContentPackagingArtifactsTools and technology
Living and nonliving components
Interacting
Resulting in content ecosystem
Processes—the nonliving components
Models, metrics, best practicesInterdependenciesCommunication
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What is a “content experience?”
Content
Presentation
Delivery
Navigation
User
• Message• Motivation
• Form/format• Layout
• Where• When
• Organization• Structure
• Perceptions• Judgments
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To users, often experienced more like this…
Content
Presentation
Delivery
Navigation
User
Content
Presentation
Delivery
Navigation
User
Content
Presentation
Delivery
Navigation
User
Content
Presentation
Delivery
Navigation
User
Content
Presentation
Delivery
Navigation
User
Content
Presentation
Delivery
Navigation
User
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Assess and analyze the “today state”
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1. Before you begin2. Identify sources and gather data
A closer look at some specific inputs…1Analyzing business data
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Analyzing business dataStep 1: Before you begin
Make sure that you are well-grounded and well-connected in the product or information experience that is your focus
Show that “you belong” by building enough knowledge of the domain to ask intelligent questions—at this phase of the game, you don’t have to have the answers, but you do need to ask the right questions
Be sure you are experienced in using the current version (if it exists), its information experience (IX), and the content ecosystem that supports that IX
Gather and absorb any development plans and designs
Find out where thought leaders are connecting and making decisions, and get involved! Be assertive!
Join any relevant product development, product management, or user experience design teams to stay informed and advocate for content strategy and the value of information
Network extensively with the extended product team (marketing, support, test, sales, and so on)—let them see your value
Find and enlist a “sponsor” to help you get connected if this is new territory; a mentor to help you navigate these waters is even better
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Business plans and priorities:
Business strategy
Market intelligence
Target customers
Development plans and priorities:
Product, solution, or service development plans
Existing functional requirements, scenarios, use cases, etc.
Analyzing business data—Step 2: Gather dataStep 2: Identify sources and gather data
“But I can’t find this stuff!”
Your company MUST have this data somewhere.
You just haven’t made the right contact yet.
Don’t give up. Keep fighting the good fight.
“Why?”When you analyze data from development, try to
figure out why the plans are what they are. Where did
the requirements come from? How do you know
they’re valid?
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Your company’s business strategy might be layered:Enterprise-level strategy Business unit strategies that support the enterprise strategic intent and focus items Product or portfolio strategy that delivers on business unit and enterprise strategy
Mine business strategy data to discover:Customer prioritiesCompany prioritiesInvestment areas for future growthPlan for balancing competing opportunities and focus areasRoadmap for growth
Analyzing business data—Step 2: Gather dataA closer look at business strategy, part 1
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Look for the “Why?” behind your company’s business strategy.
Is your strategy a response to:
Change, challenge, or opportunity in the marketplace?
Change in the IT landscape?
Change in financial realities or global dynamics?
The answers to “Why?” will help you figure out what matters:
Discern strategic priorities from point-in-time tactics
Distinguish high-value investment and innovation from low-value “traditions”
Identify high-impact opportunities where information can contribute to the success of market plays, key initiatives, or customer requirements
Identify areas where you can demonstrate that content strategy maps precisely to the priorities of the enterprise, the business unit, and the product or portfolio
Identify areas where you can demonstrate that content is a high-value product that customers want
Identify business metrics to which you can connect content strategy outcomes
Analyzing business data—Step 2: Gather dataA closer look at business strategy, part 2
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Analyzing business data—Step 2: Gather dataA closer look at market intelligence
Market research happens at every layer of an enterprise Find channels into each layer and investigate things like:
Sales support resources
Customer references
Market insights and intelligence
Find the people who are the keepers of this information—build your network
Ask colleagues in product management, user experience design, marketing, development, sales, etc.
Do your own sleuthing! See what’s going on in industry literature and blogs, customer groups and social media
Use market intelligence data to determine:What’s important to our customers
What problems our customers are trying to solve
What our competitors are doing and how you measure up (and does this vary by things like geographic location or industry?)
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Analyzing business data—Step 2: Gather dataA closer look at target customers
Depending on your industry or the size of your business, your company may have a layered view of its target customersThe business data that you uncover may refer to specific customers—”Company X” or “Client Y” Tease out which client layer the data address in order to understand what the data show about the target customerTake note of the way that specific messages in the content ecosystem target specific client layers
The Big Cs:Executives—CEO,CIO, CTO, CFO, etc.Buyers:People who make purchase decisions
Deployers:People (experts?) who plan solution roll-outUsers:End users, the focus of the user experience
A layered view of “the client”
What do the decision-makers care about?What do the users care about?
What issues concern the people who have to integrate the solution into the
company environment?
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1. Before you begin2. Find critical client data3. Identify any known client issues4. Mine client data5. Research and understand client metrics
2Analyzing client data
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Analyzing client dataStep 1: Before you begin
Get connected and build deep relationships with your user experience (UX) design team, if you have one
If you don’t have a UX design team, it’s critical that you network with other members of the extended product team who have insights into the nature and needs of your client. (This is a good idea in general). Examples of these kinds of people include:
Marketing reps
Sales reps
Trainers and education teams
Beta programs
Support reps
Customer advocates or account reps
Development team members who interact frequently with clients
Your work to gather and analyze client data depends on good data about the client. If you can find the data you need, then prepare yourself: you need to do the research to get the data. Prepare to become an agent of change!
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Analyzing client dataStep 2: Find critical client data
Do the hard work to really know your client! Find:Personas that define client/buyer/user goals, wants, needs, knowledge, motives, etc.
Business scenarios that define the target customer, their organization, their business goals and pain points, the users and the tasks that those users perform with the product or solution—in particular, their reason for buying your productTask scenarios that define how users interact with the offering to complete the tasks that contribute to solving the larger business goals
Examples of architectures, topologies, deployments, usage scenarios, application, or whatever to achieve a particular business result with your product
User stories or use cases that fill in the details of each scenario and highlight how the client will actually use your product
(optional) Integration scenarios that define how the task scenarios of multiple products fit together to solve the most important or difficult problems
“No really.I can’t find this
stuff!”Create it.
Validate it.Share it.
“But I can’t find this stuff!”Your company likely has this
data somewhere—it just might look a little different than you’re used to. For
example, it might look like support call summaries, business intelligence, or
marketing reports.
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Analyzing client data
Step 3: Identify any known client issuesYou may already have a collection of known client issues. (Validate and document them—quotes are great; videos are better.)Use your network!
Ask Support: “What kinds of customer calls are you getting? Any trends?”Ask Sales: “What’s the hardest part of your job selling our product? What do your customers like least about the product? How do we measure up to the products and people you’re competing against for the sale?”Ask your product management and development leads: “What kinds of customer issues are you hearing about most? What keeps you up at night?”Ask your Marketing representatives: “Are your market messages working as you had hoped? What kind of feedback are you getting? What ideas are taking hold?”
Mine known client issues for data, such as:How the product compares to other productsThe success and quality of the product once it’s in real customer handsHow content contributes to the success and quality of the productOpportunities for improvements in the information experience to contribute to improvements in the total offering or product user experienceRequirements for content, both strategic and low-hanging fruit
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Analyzing client data Step 4: Mine client data
Content strategists mine client data to determine:
The identity of the target clients
The business goals for which clients purchase the product, solution, service or whatever in the first place
The tasks that clients must do to achieve their goals
The tasks that clients have to do as a result of product or solution design
Connections to other products, solutions or information
Current and potential problem areas
Connect dots & synthesize:Client business goals
+Client problems
+Business strategy
=A great way to identifyopportunities where high-value content
can make a difference that matters to business!!
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Analyzing client data
Step 5: Understand client metrics
We’ve talked about relevant business metrics and development metrics thus far
What about the client? What are your clients’ metrics? Do your clients value the same things that your business values? How do you know? Can you prove it?
Key idea: think of yourself as a partner in your clients’ success (this is one of IBM’s core leadership competencies)
Leverage network relationships with client-facing personnel. (Better yet, develop those relationships yourself.) Use those relationships to discover, prioritize, and validate client concerns. Here’s a simple list to get you started:
ROI
Time-to-success
Time-to-value
Ease of use
Ease of maintenance and support
Functional priorities
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1. Before you begin2. Analyze content3. Analyze “packaging”4. Analyze people5. Analyze processes
3Analyzing the current content ecosystem
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Analyzing the content ecosystemStep 1: Before you begin, part 1
To learn about the ecosystem as a whole, you need to build and leverage a network that includes subject matter experts from every facet and entity that participates in the content ecosystem—you need their expertise both to gather and interpret data
Wherever possible, use metrics to distinguish opinion from fact—but don’t try to interpret the data you collect without others’ insights and experience
Like any ecosystem, the content ecosystem is comprised of interdependent elements
While it’s tempting to focus solely on the content facet of the ecosystem, you must see the system
To gain a nuanced and true understanding of how the ecosystem works (and where you’ve got work to do), you need to analyze each element and how the system functions as a whole
z
content process
peoplepackaging
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Analyzing the content ecosystemStep 1: Before you begin, part 2
Your systems thinking skills are really getting a workout!Another system impacts the content ecosystem: the product lifecycleWhen assessing your content ecosystem, view it as the client/buyer/user sees it: an interconnected series of product interactions facilitated by contentInterpret the effectiveness of your content ecosystem by asking:
How well does the ecosystem function in and between each phase of the product lifecycle?
A generalized view ofIBM’s product lifecycle
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Analyzing the content ecosystemStep 1: Before you begin, part 3
materialobjects, actions—
owned, controlled, repeatablecommodities made of scarce resources
immaterialknowledge, competencies, emotions—
not owned, boxed, or controlledavailable in abundance
*Adapted from Miikka Leiononen’s “Melt,” here
*
Effective content ecosystems generate profit for the business
and value for the client:
In the knowledge economy,profit is created by “stuff”
but value is created by content:
new economy
old economy
Remember what the content ecosystem is for…
Company-generated information
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Analyzing the content ecosystemStep 1: Before you begin, part 4
A word about assessing a content ecosystem…When you analyze the content ecosystem, you look at:
ContentPackagingPeople Processes
When you measure the content ecosystem, make sure you identify or define measurements for:
ContentPackagingPeopleProcesses
Only measuring content will not give you a complete assessment of the effectiveness of the ecosystemThink about:
Metrics for external effectivenessMetrics for internal efficiency
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Analyzing the content ecosystemStep 2: Analyze content, part 1
To assess content health, do a heuristic evaluation:How well does the content meet client/buyer/user needs?
Go back to your client data—are the high-priority client business goals, scenarios, and tasks thoroughly covered?
Can you easily see the value propositions for the product in the content ecosystem?
Is the content client-centered, task-focused, and high-value?
How thoroughly does the content cover the full product lifecycle?Are there gaps or disconnects between the phases of the product lifecycle?
Are there content redundancies or inconsistencies that could derail or confuse a client?
Does the content enable client success in the typical tasks within each phase?
How well does the content address typical client content needs?How well does the current information experience address product content such as up-and-running, getting started, preventing or recovering from errors, and so on?
Does the information experience include embedded assistance where appropriate?
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Analyzing the content ecosystemStep 2: Analyze content, part 2
Continued…How well does the content address typical information-seeking behaviors?
Starting: identifying relevant sources of interest.
Chaining: following and connecting new leads found in an initial content source.
Browsing: scanning contents of identified sources for subject affinity.
Monitoring: staying informed about developments in a particular subject area.
Differentiating: filtering and assessing content sources for usefulness.
Extracting: working through a source to find content of interest.
How well does the content contribute to a delightful client experience?Is the information experience elegant in its presentation, visual design, etc.?
Are there opportunities to simplify or innovate?
Are there opportunities to improve the information experience, such as:Improvements to the product that result in a need for less content?Tighter integration between interaction (UI) and information?Simplified information architecture—fewer sources, fewer pages, designed paths?
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Analyzing the content ecosystem—Step 2: Analyze contentWhat is high-value content?
As you analyze today-state content, spot the high-value content—track it, measure it, note its impact on the information experienceHigh-value content is content that:
Speaks directly to client/buyer/user business goalsIncludes only the tasks necessary to achieve those goalsAids the client in making decisions or applying concepts in their own situationsIs technically rich in the sense that it includes validated real-world samples, examples, best practices, and lessons learned
High value content does not:Focus on manipulating elements of a user interface (those things that everyone should know by now, such as "Type your name in the name field")Describe tasks that can't be mapped to a meaningful goal or objectiveDescribe what to do without explaining how to do itDescribe how to do it without explaining why to do it
!
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How do you measure high value content? That depends! If your goal is to convince others that high value content matters, look at:
How does my content contribute to clients' purchase decisions? Is there click-through data and contributions to conversions on marketing pages that I can reference?
How does my content contribute to clients' perceptions of product quality? What's the relationship between quality problems in my content and known quality problems with the product?
How does my content contribute to client satisfaction with our products?
How does my content contribute to the product visibility (and thus the sales cycle and revenue streams) in the marketplace? What kind of social capital is being generated around my content? Who's active, and how active are they? How frequently and with what impact am I engaging with customers through my content? What are they talking about—nits, or requirements for content or broader product strategy? Does the sum of the social conversation support IBM business strategy and advance the eminence of our brand?
If your goal is to assess the effectiveness of your content and experience, look at:
Heuristic evaluations (we just talked about this)
Traditional web statistics
Analyzing the content ecosystem—Step 2: Analyze contentAssess today-state content metrics, part 1
We’ll talk more about business metrics later on—let’s look at web stats now…
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Analyzing the content ecosystem—Step 2: Analyze contentAssess today-state content metrics, part 2
Web metrics are one way to assess the effectiveness of content
Content strategists use web metrics to gain a clear picture of client/buyer/user activity in the current information experience that the content ecosystem supports:
Historical data: Number of visitors to the site or page over time
User data: Who is visiting your site and where they are located
Page popularity: Most and least accessed pages
File types: Files that have been loaded as opposed to viewed
Operating systems and browsers: Browsers and devices used to view content
Referrers: Who is pointing to your stuff, and who isn’t as expected
Referrals: How people are getting to your stuff
Search terms: Words with which users describe and try to find your content
Robots and spiders: Programs that have crawled your site in order to provide information about site contents to search engines
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Analyzing the content ecosystem—Step 2: Analyze contentAssess today-state content metrics, part 3
Interpret current web statistics to understand how clients:Search for the information—whether the content is optimized for search engines (SEO); what click-through and bounce rates show about user paths and successEnter the experience—whether designed entry points are effectiveThink about the information space—what search terms they enter, what topics they pick as they browse found contentNavigate the information space—whether user paths make sense relative to your understanding of their business goals and tasksUse the information—how actual usage patterns differ from designed or predicted usage patterns; how much time they spend on certain pages; whether they’re accessing content on mobile devices, etc.Value the information—any social interaction to consider?
Web usage statistics give us hints at the core issues:Is my content ecosystem performing in the ways that I expect it to, based on user actions? Is the information experience effective?
Is my content high-value, or just highly-findable?
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Consider “packaging” aspects of the ecosystem:Is the presentation of content effective and predictable across the ecosystem? Does the visual design of content support the branding strategy for the product?
Where and how is your content delivered to the client? Lots of places? One place? Do the delivery vehicles integrate well with each other? Is the content easily accessible from the client’s context or point of need?
How findable is your content across delivery vehicles? Are the signposts for wayfinding visible, usable, and predictable across the ecosystem? Is your content progressively disclosed in support of clients’ need for increasing depth or breadth of content?
In the information experience, several mediators come between the client/buyer/user and the content. We call these mediators “packaging”:
Presentation—the visual design of the contentDelivery—the vehicle used to publish the content for client accessNavigation—the various ways in which the user finds the content
Analyzing the content ecosystemStep 3: Analyze “packaging”
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Analyzing the content ecosystemStep 3: Analyze people
Who are the human players in the ecosystem?Internal players
Professional content producersMarketing teamSales enablement content teamEducation teamsBeta programs teamsSupport teamsProduct documentation teams
Non-professional content producersSubject matter expertsClient-facing personnel
External playersBusiness partners
Clients, with all their social networking tools and capabilities
What unique value does each player contribute to the ecosystem?
Look for: Strengths—these are your assets! Mission overlap—these are your pitfalls! Ways to maximize organizational
capabilities—this is your vision!
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Analyzing the content ecosystemStep 4: Analyze process
The processes at work in the content ecosystem have as profound an effect as the content itself. Analyze:
What processes are present in the ecosystem?Business processes
Corporate-level processesBusiness unit-level processes
Content design and delivery processProcesses that span all content producersProcesses unique to individual content producing teams
Are the processes effective?Do processes make it easier or harder to package content for publishing?Do processes make it easier or harder for people to work together?Do process make it easier or harder to produce high-value content?
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1. Before you begin2. Do a little archaeology3. Assess the treasure you find4Analyzing history
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Analyzing historyStep 1: Before you begin
Find people who represent multiple perspectives
Your view of history depends on who you are
Get multiple views to triangulate upon “truth”
Go in with humility
You may have the latest tools, techniques, and technology, but these alone will not guarantee your success
Start from the assumption that people have good motives and are doing their best
Dig deep, and wear your systems-thinking hat
Pay attention to organizational dynamics, significant relationships, cause-and-effect, and systemic issues
Look past obvious issues—try to understand pressures, motives, and circumstances
Don’t let it drag you down
Learn from the past—but don’t believe everything you hear
“History is bunk.” –Henry Ford
“Those unable to catalog the past are
doomed to repeat it.” —Lemony Snicket
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Analyzing historyStep 2: Do a little archaeology on the content ecosystem
1. Who was here before?2. What did they do?3. Why did they do it?4. What worked well?5. What didn’t work so well?6. What challenges did they encounter?7. What did they learn?
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Analyzing historyStep 3: Assess the archaeological treasure you find
What did you learn?Any lessons from history that can help you form a strategy?Did develop a better appreciation for why things are the way they are?What failures from the past can you turn into future opportunities?
Use your new historical perspectiveShow respect for—win the respect of—those who have been there beforeIdentify potential roadblocks—politics, resources, schedules, skills, peopleIdentify potential heroes and pre-heroes (read: villains that you haven’t won over yet)Go in fore-warned and fore-armedPrepare effective messages to counter arguments that history suggests you are likely to encounter
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1. Before you begin2. Consider political factors that may influence your
success3. Manage stakeholders5Analyzing the political landscape
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Analyzing the political landscapeStep 1: Before you begin—get your head in the game
If you’re not there already, content strategy requires you to step into the world of politics
Think of it as a game—moving pieces on a board
You can’t touch the pieces directly to move them where you want them
You have to inspire them to move
You inspire them by figuring out what they care about, and speaking to that
It doesn’t have to be an evil game
Look for win-win alliances and opportunities
Discover and play to people’s strengths
Enjoy finding kindred spirits in the game—don’t get bogged down by pieces on the board that refuse to move
Enjoy the wins—be sure to share the rewards
Learn from the losses—keep your eye on the end game on not on emotional setbacks
Make smart for the greater good—but remember who you are
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Analyzing the political landscapeStep 2: Consider political factors that may influence your chance of success1. Do I have the right big picture view of what my
organization cares about?Executives?Visionaries?Management?The proletariat? (political metaphor, you know)
2. Where are there opportunities for me to connect my strategy to initiatives in which the organization is already investing?
What problems does my strategy help solve?What opportunities does my strategy help maximize?
Keep asking:What are my options?
Where are my opportunities?
3. Whose agendas do I need to understand to be successful?Which influencers can help me? What are their agendas? Which influencers could block me? What are their agendas?
4. Put it all together—which path forward seems most promising? Where do you need to campaign? Where do you need to gain allies?
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Analyzing the political landscapeStep 3: Manage your stakeholders
Your best political asset—your stakeholders!
A rigorous stakeholder management process will help you take rigorous advantage of this key asset
Think through the ways that your stakeholders can help you—start by identifying and analyzing:
Their status relative to your project—advocate, supporter, neutral, critic, blocker
Their top interests and hot issues
Their key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics
The level of support you desire from them
The role on your project that you desire for them
The actions that you want them to take (and their priority)
The messages that you need to craft for them to enable the outcome you want
The actions and communication that you need to make happen with each stakeholder to achieve your desired outcome
Keep your stakeholder management plan current
“Stakeholder management is
critical to the success of every project in every
organization … By engaging the right people in the right
way in your project, you can make a big
difference to its success...
and to your career.” —Rachel Thompson
Source and free stakeholder management
worksheet here:Thompson, Rachel.
Stakeholder Management:
Planning Stakeholder
Communication.MindTools. Web. 12
April 2013. http://bit.ly/8UnUdj
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Identifying and prioritizing requirements
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1. Before you begin2. Extract requirements from the business, user,
historical, and political data you collected3. Articulate requirements effectively4. Group requirements5. Prioritize requirements
6Identifying and prioritizing requirements
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Identifying requirements Step 1: Before you begin—procedural overview
determine the importance of individual requirements to user success — to product success — to business success
all the data you collected
become requirements
business priorities, market plays, competitive analysis, target customers[why your company produced the product]
client goals, tasks, work context, wants, needs, and motives[why clients purchase the product in the first place]
what the business needs and values (and doesn’t)what the client needs and values (and don’t)
that you prioritize to identify strategic focus areas
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Identifying requirementsStep 2: Extract requirements from data
Think deeply about what the data you collected shows you—mine the data for:
Themes or systemic issuesProblemsOpportunities
Reflect on history and the current stateDon’t think about the future just yet
Consider:What is the want or need?Who wants or needs it?Why do they want or need it?How might the want or need be addressed? (Caution: don’t get too far into implementation details at this stage.)
Each need is a requirement!
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Identifying requirementsStep 3: Articulate requirements effectively
Write requirements as simply as possible:
Pragmatic Marketing recommends (and we like) this approach:
[Persona] has [problem] with [frequency].
[Alyson and Andrea] have [a hard time focusing on the task at hand when they are having fun making charts for LavaCon] [pretty much all the time].
Pragmatic Marketing also says that the best requirements are SMART:
Specific—precisely what to achieve
Measurable—all stakeholders can determine if the objectives are being met
Achievable—attainable objectives
Realistic—doable with available resources
Time-bound—when the desired results must be achieved
Pragmatic Marketing’s 5 Pitfalls of
Requirement Writing
1. Not knowing the audience
2. Ambiguity3. Squeezing a
solution into the problem
4. Not making form follow function
5. Not having a holistic approach
who what why where when howX
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Identifying requirementsStep 4: Group requirements
Group requirements into categories to make prioritizing them a little easier
Pick the group that makes the most sense for your work—here are some examples:
By area of impact (from these charts):Requirements to fulfill client/buyer/user wants and needs
Requirements to support business strategy and objectives (and all that entails)
Requirements that address historical issues
Requirements that address issues in the political landscape
By type (suggested by Pragmatic Marketing):Functional requirements—capabilities needed
Performance requirements—capacity, speed, ease-of-use, etc.
Constraint requirements—conditions that limit the strategy or design
Interface requirements—interactions needed
Security requirements—such as client privacy or government mandate
Card sort image thanks to UX Matters
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Identifying requirements Step 5: Prioritize requirements, part 1Prioritizing requirements is an art—but we can follow a repeatable process to ensure rigor and high-quality outcomes:1. Assign each requirement a low, medium, or high priority according to its:
Value to the clientHelps achieve the business goal for which the product was purchased in the first place (speeds time-to-value)Helps complete a goal or task (speeds time-to-success)Solves a problem—better yet, prevents a problem (increases customer satisfaction)Improves user experience (increases customer satisfaction)Simplifies; delights (increases customer loyalty)
Value to business strategyContributes to product visibility and success in the marketplaceContributes to brand recognition and mindshare
Value to developmentSupports product functionality or capabilitiesSaves resources (political note: content band-aids don’t save money long-term!)
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Identifying requirements Step 5: Prioritize requirements, part 2
…continued:
2. Identify the “must-do” items, and mark them high priority. Caution: Think critically about those must-do items! Why are they must-do? Ask yourself:
Do these requirements support user needs or business strategy? Or are they “because we’ve always done it this way” requirements? Or “because I think it should be like this” requirements?
Do the requirements yield high-value content that maps to clients’ real-world business goals? Can you prove it? Or are they “because we must have one help topic per user interface panel” kinds of requirements?
Is it because “development told me to” or “marketing insisted?” That doesn’t necessarily mean the requirement is really a high priority one. What does your analysis tell you?
3. Ensure that requirements high in value to your clients, your product strategy, and your overarching business strategy are marked higher in priority than those items that are only valuable to one or two of those areas.
4. Group items by priority, from high to low.
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Identifying requirements Step 5: Prioritize requirements, part 3…continued:
5. Rank high-priority items by doability:
Identify any low-hanging fruit (easy or quick to address).
Do you have the necessary time, skill, and technology resources?
Does the team have the resources to implement the solution?
6. Do the same for medium priority items.
7. Hang on to the low-priority items for now; depending on time and resources, you may be able to incorporate them into your information strategy and architecture.
8. Share and validate your focus area prioritization with stakeholders:
Start at home first: get feedback from your content team. Use this time to:
Help the team think strategically about the future
Collaborate with management about resource requirements and the best ways to deploy skills strategically against high-priority work
Help your executive management chain think about the business value of content through discussions of your focus items and priorities.
Then get feedback from your extended offering team and your users.
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Identifying requirements Step 5: Prioritize requirements—summary 1. Absorb—synthesize—summarize into requirements and groups of requirements 2. If you get stuck, try a free-form card sort or an old-fashioned SWOT analysis:
StrengthsWeaknessesOpportunitiesThreats
3. Prioritize: critical vs. nice-to-have Define a scale to communicate impact—high impact, low impactDefine a scale to communicate effort—high effort, low effortGet as close to the ideal as you can—high impact, low effortDo this for all the kinds of requirements that your data revealed
4. Be prepared to show evidence for all of the aboveQuotes are goodVideos are greatNumbers are better (provided they’re the right numbers)Numbers AND videos are best
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Part 2: Complete!
Upon completing this analysis, you now have:
– A deep understanding of business and user requirements
– A deep understanding of the current content ecosystem
– A nuanced perspective on why things are the way they are
– A sense for what it will take to drive change in content strategy in the current organization and climate
– A collection of prioritized requirements—the what, who, and why (but not how) of business, client, content, historical, and political requirements
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Defining and measuring success
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1. Before you begin—rethinking metrics2. Plan to sell to two different audiences3. Map stakeholders to metrics4. Map content metrics to stakeholder metrics5. Set metrics-based goals6. Plan for a closed-loop process
1Defining success
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Defining successStep 1: Before you begin—rethink metrics, part 1
Problem: Metrics have gotten a bad rapNumbers can be hard for word peopleThe right numbers are hard for everyoneGetting metrics to work for you requires a significant shift in thinking
Solution: Rethink metrics Metrics are another form of audience analysis (who cares about what?)Metrics are another form of usability testing (what works for whom?)
Motivation for change: Metrics are a powerful tool for getting what you want (and making sure you want the right things)
Metrics transform opinion into factMetrics remove emotion from analysis and decision-making
Strategize with metrics: Use metrics at every phase Beginning: identify opportunity, prove the strategy is rightMiddle: show incremental progress, course-correctEnd: to prove value and earn investment for the future
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Defining successStep 1: Before you begin—rethink metrics, part 2
A strategist is (among other things) a story-teller:Define the right visionTell a compelling, true story that inspires people to buy into your vision.
What makes a story true? Facts—things you can prove.What makes a story compelling? It speaks to what matters most.What matters most? Depends on your audience. Duh, right?
We prove the value of content with metricsValue is in the eye of the beholder.Who’s your “beholder?” Understand who your beholders actually are—that is, the real decision-makers and influencers in your world. (Remember the stakeholder management plan from Part 1?) Use metrics that target actual decision-makers. Your actual decision-makers are probably business people—executives, managers, and others who hold the purse-strings.Figure out what your audience values—their metrics for success.
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Defining successStep 1: Before you begin—rethink metrics, part 3
So what audience are we speaking to when we talk about things like this?Site visitors
Page hits
Visitor location
Most popular pages
Least popular pages
Bounce rate
Time spent on page
Referrals and referrers
Search terms
Etc.
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Defining successStep 2: Plan to sell to 2 different audiences
Audience 1: Business peopleUnless you can make a direct connection between your content metrics and the metrics that drive business, you are telling the wrong story for this audience. You need this audience! The business community funds us. We have to sell our vision to them, with a metrics story that resonates with them.We must learn to speak “business”—that is, prove the value of content using metrics that matter to business.
Audience 2: Content producer peopleA enterprise content ecosystem typically includes many kinds of content producers Content producers across the ecosystem tend to reflect the values of their leadership and business unit in which they’re locatedThis means that even kindred spirits—other content people—can have widely different goals and metricsYour job is to define common ground by speaking to what matters most to this audience, too.
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Defining success—Step 2: Selling to two audiencesSelling content strategy to a business audience
The kinds of metrics that we use to build effective content strategies don’t resonate with most executives, managers, and finance people.
Sometimes we “talk to ourselves”—that is, use metrics that resonate with content people, not the actual people we need to support our strategy.
“Page hits” resonate with us. “Sales leads” resonates with business.
You cannot directly connect things like page hits and bounce rates to core business metrics.
You need an informational professional’s intuition to know how content supports business metrics—most business people don’t have that intuition.
The business audience funds us. We have to sell our vision and prove our value to them, with a metrics story that speaks to what they care about most.
Examplebusiness metrics:
Revenue streams
Sales leads
Cost per lead
Customer satisfaction
Customer loyalty
Return on investment (ROI)
Time to value
Market share
Mindshare
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At IBM, we’re learning to tell a better story for a business audienceWe conducted a survey from 2010-2012 with clients and prospective clients about the value of content—here’s the hot-off-the-press data:
Defining success—Step 2: Selling to two audiencesProving the business value of content—IBM example
Shameless ad:
The May 2013 issue of STC’s
Intercommagazine
contains an article that
Alyson Riley and I wrote on
proving the business value
of content.
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Defining success—Step 2: Selling to two audiencesSelling content strategy to a content audience
Analyze each organization or team that contributes to the content ecosystemIn what business unit are they located?Who are their executives, sponsors, and stakeholders? Who “grades them” on their performance?Who funds them?What matters to them? How do they measure their progress or results?What are they doing well (both in your analysis and theirs)?Where can they improve (both in your analysis and theirs)?
Identify areas of similarity and differenceWhere do their goals align with yours? build bridges!Where do their goals conflict with yours? build business cases!Use metrics to craft a story that:
Shows problems and opportunities that each content team cares aboutMaps in key areas to their goals for contentDiverges from their current goals in ways that would increase their value to sponsors and stakeholders
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Defining successStep 3: Map stakeholders to metrics
Remember the stakeholder management plan from “Assessing and analyzing the today-state?” Here’s another place where it provides value.
Be highly intentional about making sure that your metrics plan includes data that map to the things your key stakeholders care about.
This mapping activity will help you:
Validate your strategy—does your work align with mission-critical organizational objectives?
Prepare persuasive communications for your key decision-makers—do you have the framework for a strong story to connect in meaningful ways with your various stakholders?
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Defining success—Step 3: Map stakeholders to metricsMetrics for a business audience
Use the research you did during the today-state analysis phase
Target the key decisions-makers—those who hold the purse-strings
Identify what the key business decision-makers care about
Use language that resonates with that business audience
Remember: unless you can tie a particular goal or result to a measurement that the stakeholder cares about, that result ultimately doesn’t matter
Stakeholder Example metricsVP Marketing ROI
Cost per lead Campaign performance Conversion metrics
VP Sales Viable leads Sales growth Product performance
VP Support Call volume Call length Customer satisfaction
VP Development Development costs Market share Lines of code Compliance Quality and test results
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Defining success—Step 3: Map stakeholders to metricsMetrics for a content team audienceNow map players in the content ecosystem to the metrics they care about
Remember that each content team has their own decision-makers who:
Approve their goalsDetermine their fundingDetermine their futures
Stakeholder Example metrics
Example associated content teams
Example content metrics
VP Marketing
ROI Cost per lead Campaign
performance Conversion
metrics
Web team Social team Event team
Web traffic Click-throughs Likes and shares Conversions Collateral distributed Cost per unit produced
VP Sales
Viable leads Sales growth Product
performance
Sales enablement Education & training Beta programs
Proofs of Concept (PoCs) to sale
Number of classes Beta program participants Cost per unit produced
VP Support
Call volume Call length Customer
satisfaction
Web support team Call center team
Amount of web information produced
Number of calls reduced Time of calls reduced Cost per unit produced
VP Development
Dev cost Market share Lines of code Compliance Quality and test
Product documentation team
Developers who publish whitepapers and case studies
Product community forums and wikis
Lines of text, number of pages, etc.
Cost per unit produced Web traffic Number of forum
participants
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Defining successStep 4: Map content metrics to stakeholder metrics
Tie your content strategy metrics to the metrics that matter most to your stakeholders so you can tell a story that inspires the outcomes you want.
This means researching how content influences the metrics that are most important to the specific people you need for success.
Start your research with these hints:
How does content drive purchase decisions? direct link to the revenue stream
How does content impact product quality? direct link to customer loyalty
How does content influence customer satisfaction? direct link to ROI
How does content shape clients’ perceptions of your company? direct link to mindshare
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Defining successStep 5: Set metrics-based goalsSo what are the goals for your content strategy? Express those goals in the form of business metrics and content metrics. Some examples:
Business metrics Sample content metrics Sample content goalsPurchase decisions(revenue)
Reach—visits, etc. Engagement—referrals, etc.
Contribute to revenue stream through referrals from technical content that become sales leads.
Product quality(customer loyalty)
Reach—visits, etc. Engagement—referrals, etc.
Contribute to product quality through by simplifying the amount of content in the user experience.
Customer satisfaction(ROI)
Web traffic Direct feedback Ratings Shares (social)
Create high value content that speeds customer time to success.
Perceptions of company (mindshare)
Sentiment—nature of social dialogue, etc.
Direct feedback
Create high quality, highly usable content delivered in an elegant information experience.
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Defining successStep 6: Plan for a closed-loop process
Closed loop: end up at the beginning!Start with metrics—use at project outset to:
Identify problems and opportunitiesDefine the visionProve that the vision is right
Continue with metrics—use during implementation to:Measure the success of your progress in small incrementsStay on-target through implementationDetermine when it’s time to course-correct (before change gets expensive)Keep your sponsors and stakeholders engaged throughout the long haulEnsure that you remain connected to the broader goals and metrics of the surrounding businessEnsure that you stay responsive and adapt to change
End with metrics—use at project conclusion to:Prove the business value of cultivating an effective content ecosystemProve the business value of your work—enhance your credibility and careerEncourage future investment in the content ecosystem
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Part 3 Complete!
Upon completing this work, you now have:
A high-level metrics plan that defines success and specifies tactics for staying on-target as teams across the content ecosystem work together to make progress toward the strategy that you defined.
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Managing your stakeholders
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1. Before you begin—understanding the role and value of stakeholders
2. Assess your stakeholders3. Build a community-based model4. Tell the right story
1Managing your stakeholders
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Managing your stakeholdersStep 1: Before you begin—their role and value
To make content strategy happen, you have to master politics
Think of it as a game—moving pieces on a boardYou can’t touch the pieces directly to move them where you want them
You have to inspire them to move
You inspire them by figuring out what they care about and helping them succeed
It doesn’t have to be an evil gameLook for win-win alliances and opportunities
Discover and play to people’s strengths
Enjoy finding kindred spirits in the game—don’t get bogged down by pieces on the board that refuse to move
Enjoy the wins—be sure to share the rewards
Learn from the losses—keep your eye on the end game on not on emotional setbacks
Make smart compromises for the greater good—but remember who you are
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Managing your stakeholdersStep 2: Assess your stakeholders
Whose agendas do you need to understand to be successful?
Which influencers can help you? What are their agendas?
Which influencers could block you? What are their agendas?
How can you help your influencers be successful?
How can you map your success to business priorities and metrics?
Manage your stakeholders intentionally:Their top concerns
Their metrics
The level of support you desire from them
What role they play (or you’d like them to play) in your work
The actions that you want them to take (and their priority)
The messages that you need to craft for them to enable the outcome you want
—Rachel ThompsonStakeholder Management:
Planning Stakeholder Communication. MindTools.
Web. 12 April 2013.
Free stakeholder management worksheet here: http://bit.ly/8UnUdj
“Stakeholder management is critical to the success of every
project in every organization … By engaging the right
people in the right way in your project, you can make a big difference to
its success...and to your career.”
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Managing your stakeholdersStep 3: Build a community-based model
Executive sponsor
Business unit sponsors
Content thought leaders from each domain or department
Content teams from each domainor department
infrastructure gurus
graphic design
content marketing
product management
Network of supportive friends
interaction design
engineering
writers
editors
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Managing your stakeholdersStep 3: Build a community-based model, cont.
Define prioritiesWhich common metrics can we unite around?Which metrics will we be measured against?Which common metrics tell our story best?
Take first steps toward impactWhat mission unites us? What small, measurable projects could we do together to build relationships and demonstrate incremental progress?How can we crawl—walk—run toward value?
Communicate constantly—up, down, acrossTake interim measurementsMaintain sponsor interestCourse-correct as needed
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Managing your stakeholdersStep 4: Tell the right story
What your metrics give you:The “black and white” part of your strategyThe facts that prove your strategy is a good oneAn argument that speaks to the analytical mind
What your metrics don’t give you:A guaranteed successful “sell” to your stakeholdersA vision that inspires people to believeA story that speaks to the emotional heart
Think through the content, tactics, and rhetorical devices that will sell your vision
Be sure that your metrics help you gather all the data you need to tell an ethos—logos—pathos story (huh?)
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Ethos—your credibility (professionalism; authority)
Logos—the logic of your argument; the clarity of your message and evidence, using either inductive (bottom-up) or deductive (top-down) reasoning
Pathos—an emotional appeal, vivid storytelling, creative envisioning
Use all the techniques you can to help your audience visualize the future!
Show, don’t tell—include imagery, video, and audio as appropriate to show the challenges of the today-state and help your audience imagine tomorrow
Keep your packaging professional—high-quality, visually-appealing charts and documents will enhance your ethos
Help your audience learn—start with the big picture (an executive summary), then feed them the details
Remember good old Aristotle? Use your skills as a technical communicator to tell a compelling story with your business case! Ensure your story speaks to:
Managing your stakeholdersStep 4: Tell the right story
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Managing stakeholdersStep 4: Tell the right story, cont.
EthosYour authority, credibility, professionalism, and authenticity
PathosEmotional appeal, vivid imagery, creative envisioning, imagining
LogosLogic, data, clarity, evidence—either inductive (bottom-up) or deductive (top-down) reasoning
Use metrics to: Speak to the analytical mind Tell the “black and white” part
of your strategy Articulate facts that prove that
your strategy is a good one
Use vision to: Speak to the heart Inspire people to believe Craft a narrative that
resonates and lingers long after you’ve left the room
Use expert communication to: Prove that you own the space Provide powerful evidence that
you are worthy of trust and investment Build a network of influencers
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Building your business case
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1. Before you begin2. Specify the issue3. Depict the outcome4. Articulate your recommendation5. Provide justification6. Identify the team
2Building a high-level business case
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Building a business caseStep 1: Before you begin—embrace the case
The beauty of black-and-white—a business case helps you:
Ensure that your strategy is complete and that you’ve thought through every potential issue
Fight the battle for content strategy by equipping you with powerful ammunition
Transform your message from “I want this” to “These critical data show that…”
Demonstrate rigor and professionalism
Assert your credibility—it is the lingua franca of the business world
Lots of mental roadblocks out there about writing business cases!
Let’s demystify business cases a bit! There are lots of approaches and templates out there for building good business cases—but for our purposes today, let’s pare down the content in a typical business to a few key ideas…
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Building a business caseStep 2: Specify the issue
Describe the business problem—clearly, briefly, factually
What business problem does your content strategy solve?
What is the impact of this business problem—today, and tomorrow?
Go back to your metrics and stakeholder management plans—state the problem in those terms, mapped directly to business priorities
“Management is concerned with decreasing costs and increasing revenue, so state the problem in those terms.” —Jack Molisani
“Don’t assume that management can see the ‘pain’ of this problem as clearly as you can.” —Jack Molisani
Do not describe how the problem will be addressed—merely define the problem.
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Building a business caseStep 3: Depict the outcome
What would an ideal tomorrow-state look like?
What would success look like?
This is the spot where you help your audience imagine the possibilities that your solution will address!
Your vision!
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Building a business caseStep 4: Articulate your recommendation
So how do we achieve the outcome you described?
Describe your solution and how your solution solves the problem
Describe the benefits of your solution (another spot where you can use those metrics and stakeholder management plans)
Revenue?
Customer satisfaction?
Client ROI?
Mindshare?
Marketshare?
Cost reduction or avoidance?
You get the idea…
Describe how moving forward with your strategy will achieve desirable results.
Use your skills as a technical communicator—write your justifications using why? and for whom? and how much?
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Building a business caseStep 4: Provide justification
Let your audience see how you arrived at this solution:
Describe all viable/meaningful alternatives (including doing nothing)
Use your metrics plan to evaluate each option
Calculate ROI (where you can): amount returned / costs
Estimate how long it will take to see those returns on investment
Identify any risks and communicate a plan to mitigate those risks
Specify why you selected your approach over alternative options
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Building a business caseStep 5: Identify the team
Who do you need in order to achieve your vision?
Leaders of the project?
Sponsors?
Stakeholders?
What skills do you need?
Leadership/strategy/vision
Project management
Technical
End-to-end information experience skills
Information development skills
Etc.
Make a clear and concise request for resources, and be sure that these resources have been accounted for in your cost assessments
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Part 4: Complete!
Upon completing this analysis, you now have:
– An expectations matrix to help you manage your stakeholders
– A complete, robust business case to use to communicate and sell your strategy to sponsors and stakeholders
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Wrap upThemes
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Themes from today’s session
1. The importance of systems thinking—analyze and strategize at the ecosystem-level
2. The importance of metrics—tell the right story in the right way to the right people
3. The value of knowing who you are—play to your strengths
4. The value of knowing who influences your success—identify the real decision-makers
5. The importance of soft skills—communication, evangelism, assertive outreach, networking, breaking down barriers
6. The critical role that community plays in your success—managing your stakeholders, building relationships with key players in your content ecosystem
7. The wisdom of crawl-walk-run—don’t boil the ocean, but rather envision the run phase, start with crawl, and plan for walk
8. The critical importance of audience analysis—every phase of the content strategy process, every deliverable, every communication
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The whole thing: Complete!
…now you’re ready to go forth and conquer!
Upon completing this work, you now have:
Perspective and skills in analyzing the today-state
Perspective and skills in using the right metrics effectively
Perspective and skills in building a business case
Perspective and skills in creating a compelling, effective communication plan to evangelize your vision
A good time at LavaCon to cherish in memory (or so I hope!)
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References
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References
Ames, Andrea and Alyson Riley. “Strategic information architecture: The information user experience.” Intercom (October 2012). 28-32.
Bhapkar, Neil. 8 KPIs Your Content Marketing Measurements Should Include. Content Marketing Institute. Web. 12 April 2013. http://bit.ly/Wnb7Cy
Carliner, Saul. Ten tips for building a business case. Intercom (June 2012).
Checkland, Peter. Systems Thinking, Systems Practice. 1999.
Ecology, Mind, & Systems: ecomind.wikidot.com
Ellerby, Lindsay. Analysis, plus synthesis: Turning data into insights. UX Matters (27 April 2009). Web. 12 April 2013. http://bit.ly/C2vQ6
Ellis, David. (1989). A behavioural model for information retrieval system design. Journal of information science, 15 (4/5): 237-247.
Johnson, Steve. Writing the market requirements document. Pragmatic Marketing. Web. 12 April 2013. http://bit.ly/SiTrF2
Kalbach, James. “Designing for Information Foragers: A Behavioral Model for Information Seeking on the World Wide Web.” Internetworking, Internet Technical Group newsletter. Web. 20 April 2013. http://bit.ly/11Ryc15
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References
Kalbach, James and Aaron Gustafson. Designing Web Navigation: Optimizing the User Experience. Cambridge: MA: O’Reilly Media, 2007.
Klipfolio. The KPI Dashboard—Evolved. Web. 12 April 2013. http://bit.ly/LhzeL9
Molisani, Jack. How to build a business case. Intercom (July/August 2008).
Muldoon, Pamela. 4 metrics every content marketer needs to measure: Interview with Jay Baer. Content Marketing Institute. Web. 12 April 2013. http://bit.ly/X8IvMJ
Plowman, Kerry J. Five pitfalls of requirement writing. Pragmatic Marketing. Web. 12 April 2013. http://bit.ly/RWKbUY
Sehlhorst, Scott. Writing good requirements—the big ten rules. Tyner Blain blog. Web. 12 April 2013. http://bit.ly/13Y7t0
Thompson, Rachel. Stakeholder management: Planning stakeholder communication. MindTools. Web. 12 April 2013. http://bit.ly/8UnUdj
Wheeler, Benjamin, Gilda Wheeler, and Wendy Church. It's All Connected: A Comprehensive Guide to Global Issues and Sustainable Solutions: www.facingthefuture.org
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andrea ames (@aames)
thank you