No Field of Dreams When Planning Content

Build it and they will come has never been a recommended game plan for creating publications and web sites. And in today’s climate, there is huge pressure to draw in and engage your audience as never before. How to do it? Content is the foundation.

Publications and web sites are not static; just as design should continue to evolve, so too does the content. Add to the mix various digital tools that a publisher can use to “push” content out to an audience such as e-mail newsletters, widgets, RSS feeds, digital editions, etc., and what used to be a much simpler process for planning content has become cloudy for some and overwhelming for others. Thus, the need for content strategy; a guide defining what you will create and publish that is useful.

Content strategy addresses the needs and interests of your audience (can and should include some audience segmentation) through key themes and topics. The strategy should also define the “lens” that your brand brings to content. What is content? It is text, graphics, audio, video, data or any combination of these.

In future columns, we will look at how to create, manage and distribute content across various channels. But for now, let’s step back and think about addressing the needs and interests of your audience.

A commitment to audience research is a must when creating content strategy. For many publishers, research includes one or more of the following: a print reader survey, MRI (syndicated research across a competitive set), market analysis, editorial tracking studies of specific issues and ad tracking/recall studies. Add to this the need to learn more about the characteristics, demographics and needs of an online audience.

It is wise to have a research plan that incorporates print and online research, asking similar questions for comparison as well as probing about areas that might be unique to the medium (print or online). What publications and sites do they read and frequent and more importantly, why? Catalog data to mine audience insights and assemble in meaningful ways. Readers and customers have more choices than ever before and less time. Creating a value proposition for your audience has a better chance of meeting their needs and your goals if you carefully bridge your mission with a content strategy built on current research that is actionable.

Lou Ann Sabatier, www.sabatierconsulting.com