What Is Content Strategy
In order to understand Content Strategy Consulting, we should probably define “Content Strategy” first.
DCEOs in business now see the function of marketing and communications as a driver of growth. As one former CEO said in an article from McKinsey Consulting “data has changed how the C-Suite is interacting with marketing. It is very hard to separate company strategy from marketing strategy.
At the heart of marketing and communications is content. In fact, this observation helps us get to a useful definition of the word “content”. It can seem like too big a word to explain why we are trying to put a “strategy” around it. Thus, “content” is simply defined in the business strategy context as “communication”.
Then, a strategy is simply a “plan of action” designed to achieve a goal. We can define “content strategy” as simply developing a plan of action in order to achieve optimal business communication.
And if our content strategy is at the heart of marketing and communication, we can conclude that developing the optimal content strategy is at the heart of our business growth strategy.
What is Content Strategy Consulting
The people, processes, and technology of managing content optimally
many organizations today there is still no strategic approach to creating, managing, activating, or measuring content. Content is thought of as everyone’s job, but no one’s strategy. The business may put incredible importance on saying the right things at the right time to the right customer. However, unless there is a documented, coordinated, and well-communicated operational process behind this goal, this ideal will never be realized.
Content Strategy Consulting aims to help a business sort through the people, process and technology decisions that need to be taken in order to create a repeatable, and consistent approach to how the business communicates. Content Strategy Consulting can be seen through four lenses:
The Four Lenses of Content Strategy Consulting
Strategy & Planning, Operations, Transformation & Change Management, Audience Data and Technology
1. CONTENT STRATEGY & PLANNING
In today’s digital world, consumers leverage search engines, the consumption of original content, and their own research far more than they do interruptive based advertising. It makes sense for a business to build an ecosystem of digital, content-driven experiences in order to attract, convert and retain those customers. A Content Strategy Consulting team can help marketers develop the roadmaps, plans, and promotional strategies in order to create an optimal portfolio of content-driven experiences for customers.
2. CONTENT STRATEGY & OPERATIONS
In order for a business to be successful with their portfolio of content-driven experiences, they must have coordinated, consistent and measured teams and governing operations in order to manage them effectively. From managing the entirety of the content creation lifecycle, to scaling content operations to multiple languages, to managing thousands of digital assets in an efficient manner, a great Content Strategy Consulting engagement can help a business understand where there may be gaps in a business’ content operation, and how to build a roadmap to succeed.
3. DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PLANNING
In today’s new world, the convergence of technology, work, and people is shaping not just our business strategy, but the way we actually communicate. From remote work, to the adoption of digital technologies, a great content strategy involves a fluid and evolving technology strategy. Digital transformation is not a destination it is a skill, and a great Content Strategy Consulting team can help a marketing and communications team sharpen their talents.
4. AUDIENCE DATA, PRIVACY & TRUST MANAGEMENT
If Content is the experience, then an engaged, subscribed and loyal audience is the expected outcome of that experience. Great content strategy consulting engagement can help marketers map and optimize the digital fabric of all of the business’ connected experiences. Developing plans to help prioritize and organize the first-party data collected, to developing trust-based initiatives to ensure customers fall in love with the brand.
Is Content Strategy Consulting Right For You
Do you need to enable better marketing and communications at scale?
Do you believe that you need to enable your marketing and communications teams with a more consistent approach to developing, managing, and measuring content?
Is your business struggling with content operations and duplication, and the feeling that you’re producing too much content that isn’t used?
Are you trying to better understand your audiences, their customer journey, and where there may be gaps in your business’ capabilities to deliver?
Do you need to better understand how to develop more engaging content-driven experiences?
If the answer to one or more of those is “yes”, then content strategy consulting may be right for you.
