A content strategy helps associations transform everything they do into relevant, meaningful, and useful tools and resources for their members. Content strategy is a disciplined way to bring out the value of the association's work, leading to more member participation, higher renewal rate, and greater understanding of the association's value to members. Presentation at the 2014 ESSAE Annual Meeting for NY State association executives
4. Why do people
visit your website?
Design?
Graphics?
Widgets?
The carousel on your homepage?
http://shouldiuseacarousel.com/
5.
6. Content lets users do
what they need to do
• Take advantage of what you offer
• Find out why they should join or stay
• Learn how your association helps them in
their profession
• Not need to call you to answer a question
7. Content lets you
achieve your goals
• Attract prospective members
• Retain and engage current members
• Increase use of programs, resources,
tools, and information
• Increase awareness of and participation in
political advocacy efforts
• Increase non-dues revenue
8. Content problems?
• Language/jargon
• Prioritized promotion
• Content hoarding
• Bad editorial processes
• New content missing
• Different content on different channels
9. Yes, content problems
• Hard to find information
• Too many publishers
• Who’s in charge of the home page?
• “4002.pdf”
• Website is based on our org chart
• Not accessible from a mobile device
• “We should be on YouTube”
19. Myths your members think
about digital
• It’s free, instant, and you can do it in your spare
time
• Search engines will find your information instantly
and display it at the top of the first page of what
anyone searches for
• Any video they make will go viral
• Every member wants to share information about
the board’s latest initiative
• Your home page and social media posts should be
primarily about your association
20. The real facts
• Every digital channel needs a strategy and the
right identity. The more channels, the more time
and complexity.
• Page views are not a goal – the goal is the goal.
• You can’t succeed in your goals unless your users
succeed in theirs
• Success builds over time
• Think > plan > do – all three steps are required
21. Quality Takes Time
Good web writing is
• Short
• Active
• Scannable: uses bullets and subheads
• Leads with the most important information
• Readable – aim for 9th grade
– test at read-able.com
• Free of jargon
• Has compelling headlines that will make sense even out
of context
22. I
have
made
this
[le.er]
longer
than
usual
because
I
have
not
had
7me
to
make
it
shorter.
Blaise Pascal, 1657"
27. Conceive and create
• Conceive
• Set goals
– Business: make or save money
– User: increase satisfaction/encourage use or decrease
dissatisfaction/reduce customer service needs & costs
• Create
• Optimize
– On-site
– Search engines
– Other outlets
28. Publish and promote
• Publish
– Review process: quality, facts
– Content Management System (Wordpress)
• Promote
– On-site: home page, landing pages, topics
– Off-site: e-newsletters, social media, advertising
29. Maintain and retire
• Maintain
• Measure
– Test and tweak
– Refine
• Retire
– Archive/Delete/”Unpublish”
– Renew
30. Who’s involved?
• Staff
– Technology
– Marketing
– Communications
– Membership
– Programming
• Committees
– All of the above