May 31, 2013

Content Strategy for the Web

James Giese UWEBC Communications Director

For all the discussion about the importance of Web content, organizations struggle with developing comprehensive Web content strategies that drive business objectives and brand awareness.

“Brands need to care about content more than ever,” says Kristina Halvorson, CEO of Brain Traffic and a speaker at the upcoming Business Best Practices & Emerging Technologies Conference, “because that is what drives their relationship with any of their customers or potential customers online.”

 Halvorson has co-authored one of the seminal books on web content, called Content Strategy for the Web. She is recognized as one of the top content strategy experts in the world and is the founder of the Confab content strategy conference.

Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content. In a marketing context, content strategy is driven by business objectives and brand. As evolving technology delivers new tactics and new platforms, it is critical to execute on a core content strategy.  

Halvorson, has noted, “Content Marketing is a term made popular by Joe Pulizzi and Ann Handley, and my ongoing concern about content is that you can’t create it without strategy. “ Havlorson added that content marketing is a tactic and Web management teams need to consider content strategically: who it’s for, is it being delivered to the right people, and how are we positioning it.

Content strategy considers the workflow, governance, policies and guidelines of content to drive business objectives. Define how the content strategy serves the brand and business objectives and then decide what platforms, formats, purposes, and audiences are going to map back to that content strategy.

In her work, Halvorson focuses on:

• Understanding content strategy and its business value;
• Discovering the processes and people behind a successful content strategy;
• Making smarter, achievable decisions about what content to create and how; and
• Developing a business case for content strategy.

“The number one thing that brands can do to improve the quality of their content is to ensure that they begin to look at that content not just as a commodity but as a business asset,” says Halvorson.

For more on conference speakers and to register see Business Best Practices & Emerging Technologies Conference.