As a Technical Communicator, you are responsible for an increasingly dynamic content experience. You are expected to contribute value through cross-functional and interdisciplinary functions, such as content strategy and quantitative analysis. Your content must enable more than break-fix, but engage users at every stage of the customer journey. There’s a lot to do! Learn how to incorporate engineering principles and quantitative measures into continuous content optimization. Benefits include better cross-departmental collaboration and content ROI that proves the value of a mature content experience.

1. Sara Feldman, Content Experience Manager
Optimize Your Content
Like An Engineer

2. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Half
Full
Half
Empty
Twice
the size
it needs
to be
OPTIMIST
ENGINEER
PESSIMIST

3. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Technical Writer KCSⓇ
Methodology Content Experience
Customer Self-Service linkedin.com/in/sarafeldman
About Me

4. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Invert perspective to outside-in
Challenge yourself to evolve
Goals

5. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Outline
Future of Content
Measures & Methods
Current Trends

6. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Current Trends

7. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
2021
15% support interactions
will be completely AI
(400% increase from 2017)
RECOMMENDATIONS
Automate engagement with
AI / Machine Learning
Distribute consistent
knowledge across self-service
& assisted channels
Four Best Practices for Implementing Extreme Customer Self-Service (Gartner, 2018)
2022
85% support interactions
will start with self-service
(up from 48% in 2018)

8. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Content

9. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
CONTENT
A message that
is delivered
FORMAT
How a message
is delivered
vs.

10. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Content Engineering
What Is Content Engineering? | I am a Content Engineer
Bridge gaps between strategy and development
Transform structure and application of content assets
Empower authors to deliver greater value

11. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Measures
&
Methods

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Conversions
MICRO CONVERSION
Move towards macro conversion
MACRO CONVERSION
Tied to business objective
Micro Macro
Ecommerce ➜ Subscribe to newsletter Purchase
Content Publisher ➜ Click into content Click on ad
Support site ➜ View an article Complete microlearning

13. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Leading & Lagging Indicators
LEADING
● Activity oriented
● Easy to influence
● Directly actionable
● Insight into the future
LAGGING
● Output Outcome oriented
● Hard to influence
● Quantify current condition
● Confirm a pattern
Done is dead – welcome to outcome-driven development

14. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Leading Lagging
Social Media ➜
Posts
Channels
Followers
Knowledge Base ➜
Articles created/edited
Time to publish
CSAT, renewals
Content Experience ➜ # personalized content Upsell, expansion

15. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Vanity Metrics
PAGE VIEWS
TIME ON PAGE
BOUNCE RATE
# OF ACTIVE USERS
# UNIQUE/NEW VISITORS
Measuring Page Velocity with Google Analytics
Level up example here

16. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
[KISS]
Maximize work
NOT done

17. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
REFACTORING
DATA-DRIVEN DESIGN
RETROSPECTIVES
● Analyze data, make decisions, test decisions with more data
● Means to determine MVP
● Simplify design of existing code without changing its behavior
● Corrects for: unhealthy dependencies, inefficient allocation of
responsibilities, and other varieties of confusion and clutter
● Identify what works well (and what doesn't!) so you can improve
● Follow-up: Don't let it be a ritual without value #RetroYourRetro
resources.collab.net/agile-101/code-refactoring
toptal.com/designers/ux/data-driven-design
atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/retrospective

18. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Future of Content

19. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Information
4.0
Molecular
freestanding from
format
Ubiquitous
online, findable
Profiled
personalized delivery
Dynamic
continuously updated
Independent
usable in multiple contexts Spontaneous
triggered by contexts
Offered
systems can pull
Content at the Crossroads: The Information 4.0 Consortium

20. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Conversational UI / chatbot
Litmus Tests
Voice assistant / smart speaker

21. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Prioritize users/intent more than authors
Blended content delivery
Every page is page one > every snippet is snippet one
Feedback loop to business objectives & products/services
Mature Content Experience

22. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Win-Win: Subscribe to the MindTouch Blog!
mndt.ch/blog
Customer Experience | Customer Support | Knowledge Management | Industry Trends

23. @SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent
Who to follow
[A] - Master Content Model
Ann Rockley - Intelligent Content
Information 4.0 Consortium - Blog 4.0
Mark Baker - Multi-sourcing
MindTouch - Why Chatbots Need Knowledge Management
Precision Content - Microcontent
Sarah O'Keefe - Smarter content in unexpected places
Val Swisher - Trifecta of Global Content

24. Sara Feldman, Content Experience Manager
Optimize Your Content
Like An Engineer
@SaraContentWise @mindtouch #stc19 #OptimizeContent