Content strategy could have prevented this
Posted on 02. Mar, 2010 by Melanie in content strategy
I’ve been meaning to write more about content strategy for weeks, but hadn’t got around to it. Then, today, something happened.
Actually, two things.
1. The link to nowhere
A friend sent me a link to the website of an application he’s thinking of getting, called The City.
I was curious to see a demo of the app, so I clicked the Evaluate tab.
As I glanced at the page, my eye caught the huge CTA (call to action) at the top. I clicked. Nothing happened. I clicked again. Still nothing.
Click. Hey! Nothing's happening.
As it turns out, the enormous CTA is just a banner. Yep. The large, green GO button next to the message See It For Yourself doesn’t link the visitor to anything.
2. Sometimes the ‘word on the street’ isn’t worth repeating
Being curious about the company, I clicked the About tab. I found something very surprising there: a live, uncurated Twitter stream based on a search for the company’s handle.
Every tweet that mentioned @thecity appeared on the page — including a tweet by me, mentioning the poorly devised banner. I also saw tweets from folks who were having technical problems with the application.
The live, uncurated Twitter feed on The City's About page.
Obviously, this is trouble.
The fact that anyone still publishes an uncensored Twitter stream on their site comes as a shock, since the well-publicized incident in which Skittles got showered with ridicule when they implemented the same idea. As they found out, there’s nothing to keep defamatory or obscene tweets from appearing on the company’s own site — the exact place where potential customers are most likely to see them.
How content strategy could have helped
If only somebody on this company’s staff had been assigned the task of auditing the content before launch.
It would’ve needed to be a fairly meticulous soul who could effectively scrutinize all that content. Someone who could put himself in users’ shoes, so he’d know whether the content works. He’d also be savvy with web tools, and he’d understand the right and wrong ways to integrate social media into a company’s overall content publication efforts.
That person’s job title would have been content strategist.
A decent content strategy can prevent all sorts of missteps. It’s time we recognized its value.
marta
04. Mar, 2010
You’ve got me wondering what an individual is supposed to do about content strategy. I’m not a company; I’m a writer and artist trying to use the web and all its options, but I often find I don’t know what I should.
I’m going to sit here thinking about my content strategy and if I’ve got any clue…
Melanie
05. Mar, 2010
Hi Marta! You’re not alone in wondering about content strategy; it’s a “new thing” (that certain people have been doing for years) and is just rising to prominence. I myself just learned about it a few months ago (surprising considering how much I go on about it), but I’m learning all I can and working to put it into practice. I’ll post about that later.
Since you’re one person, I’m sure you manage all your content channels (your site, social media, etc.) yourself. I do the same thing. I don’t think you and I are in as much danger of the types of content problems I mention above as big organizations are.
For example, I’ve worked at companies where everyone wanted their pet project on the home page – which is fine for them, but not so good for the user. When everyone is in charge of a company’s web presence, no one is. This is also bad for the user. Content strategy means taking a user-oriented approach toward all of a company’s content. This is especially needed (and difficult) when it’s a company that has a lot of people publishing a lot of stuff.
If you want to learn more about content strategy, I recommend this article, as well as Kristina Halvorson’s book Content Strategy for the Web. Thanks for the comment!
marta
08. Mar, 2010
Thank you for the reply and information. I’ll check out the article. I’m about to change my work schedule so that I have more time to put towards my writing/art career, and this kind of information will help!