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Archive for April, 2009
I've been getting a lot of messages in my mailbox lately from CEOs and the like trying to reassure me about the state of their business. No, your money didn't go towards that $30,000 antique rug in my office. I swear.
A great example of this phenomenon is a recent TV campaign with Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. In it, he strolls through Central Park in a luxe overcoat pitching a new product, all while empathizing about the "trying times" we're in. Bill Clinton feeling my pain this isn't.
Occasionally, we get asked at Brain Traffic to make space for this kind of thing as part of a larger content development project.
It seems like a lame holdover of a (much) older style of advertising . . . say from the 1950s. I guess I just can't get my Gen X brain around the idea that an appeal from authority is an effective way to retain a customer, let alone a good means to convert a sales prospect.
It's as if they think a few platitudes and a reassuring word from the Person in Charge can fix a deeper issue.
Well maybe it can, and maybe it can't. But I'm skeptical that putting executive marketing messages on your website is an effective way to soothe a nervous customer.
The customer is on your site to accomplish a task. Maybe they want to learn more about a product, or service an existing product. A leadership message doesn’t help accomplish that task.
The best way to convince a customer that your company is still trustworthy is to prove it with action. Continue to provide value. Make the customer service process easy. Make it clear why you’re offering something your competitors aren’t.
As hard as it is for an old editor to say, there are times when content alone can't fix the problem.
Posted in Content Strategy, Editorial Strategy, User Experience, Web Writing
Several months ago, I started a Google Group on content strategy. And then promptly neglected it. (Yes, thank you, the irony does not escape me.)
And so, after an initial flurry of activity, it died.
And then! Much to my delight and surprise, a comment was posted to the group from a graduate student named Brynn, who asked the following question:
I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for postgraduate study that would lead to a career in content strategy.
From what I've read, it seems like people kind of ended up in the position before it was even labeled – but considering the work you do now and the challenges you face, what would anyone recommend to a Silicon Valley resident with a B.A. in English looking to do some Masters work to get into your field?
The programs I have looked at are all so specific and none are exactly in line with what I think is relevant study… I know that I might end up combining things, like a Masters in professional writing and taking some computer science classes on the side. I have considered advertising/marketing, professional writing, computer science or information systems (or something similarly related to IA), but I am really just starting my search.
The responses – coming from content strategists all over the country – have been terrific, and very worthy of sharing with the community at large. So, with the authors' permissions, here's what they have to say:
Jeffrey MacIntyre, Principal, Predicate LLC:
I would say follow your muse, but then that's not something you can bank on exactly, is it?
Library sciences is a very strong basis for content strategy skills. I came to be a content strategist out of a constellation of management/ communications consulting, interactive copywriting, and a strong field interest in publishing.
There's no one path that's right, in my experience. It really comes down to best aligning your interests and getting some project exposure as soon as you feel ready to test the waters.
I strongly recommend you join the CS mailing list and ask the subscribers what they think! To subscribe, send an email request to Content-strategy-request@mail.asis.org.
Karen McGrane, Principal, Bond Art Science:
Consider programs in Technical Communications and Rhetoric. University of Washington, University of Minnesota, Carnegie Mellon, and Rensselaer Polytechnic all have well-known programs.
Rahel Bailie, Principal, Intentional Design:
I had to chuckle because I have never been hired as a content strategist. The last gigs I've been hired as:
- Business analyst with user-centered design specialty
- Copywriter (but did very little copywriting, mostly UX activities)
- Marketing writer/Usability expert
- Information architect
- Web design analyst (my personal favorite)
- Training project manager
My M.O. is this: Half the effort is showing up and listening to their problem. When the problem can be re-articulated as a content strategy problem (possibly combined with other problems, such as site architecture), then I just write that in as a line item and explain what I'm doing and why.
Richard Sheffield, Author, The Web Content Strategist's Bible:
From the point of view of someone who hires content strategists, I look for two basic kinds of experience (on top of solid writing skills):
- Web writing as part of good-sized Web development project. You don't have to have a lead role, I just want to see that you have worked in the Web development environment and understand the various roles and responsibilities.
- Having created Web content using a Web Content Management System.
My experience shows that if you take ten good writers and put them to work using a WCMS, that 5 will simply not "get" it or completely hate the process. So I want to hire content folks who have previously worked with a WCMS, otherwise its a fifty-fifty shot.
I'd focus on internships and contract work to make sure you get as much exposure to the Web development process as possible while working on your degree. I got my MA in Professional Writing. I needed a broader exposure to all kinds of writing to counter my tech-heavy background.
Content strategists can share a lot of concepts with librarians and information architects, so another idea would be to look into univerities with a School of Information, or iSchool.
[Your Name Goes Here]
Have other ideas for Brynn? Want to help breathe new life into the Content Strategy Group? Visit and join today!
Posted in Content Strategy
Our most important job here at Brain Traffic isn’t information architecture. It isn’t content creation, or even copywriting …
Nope, it’s good old-fashioned listening.
I mean the kind of listening that demands our active attention and participation. The kind that leaves us with the information we need to recommend truly smart, thoughtful web content solutions. The kind that requires we really focus on YOU.
So whether we’re scoping a project, clarifying user goals, or managing rounds of client feedback, we all hold fast to a few rules for active listening around these parts.*
Keep an open mind.
We may have created content for a dozen healthcare websites over the years. But that doesn’t mean we automatically know the unique challenges your healthcare company faces as you fight to get your new site off the ground.
That's why we mindfully avoid assuming we know where the discussion is going before it gets there. We’ll let you speak for yourself. It’s only polite.
Lead with “open” questions.
Open questions start with “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” or “how.” It's straight up Journalism 101. If we're getting yes/no answers from you, it means we’re being lazy reporters. And it means our conversation can only scratch the surface in terms of uncovering your needs and goals.
Get comfy with silence.
If our question to you is met with dead air or a frowny face, we're likely squirming in our ergonomic chairs. It's just human nature. So we count to 10 (in our heads, don’t worry) while you organize your thoughts. Because jumping in to fill that void might prevent you from collecting your ideas and articulating a particularly illuminating response.
Ask the “stupid” questions.
We wouldn't be doing anyone any favors by pretending we have all the answers. And we feel very strongly that the success of your project depends in part on us being bold enough to not take anything for granted. So we make a point to ask at least one “stupid” question in each client meeting.
Being not entirely shameless, however, we do practice some super sneaky tactics:
- “I know we’ve been talking about this for a while, but could you just clarify one thing for me?”
- “I’m afraid your users might not understand this fully. Could you take a minute to break it down so I can explain it in very basic terms?”
- “You'll have to excuse me. This is probably a stupid question, but…”
Our willingness to humble ourselves in that regard seems to really resonate with our clients. Because in many cases, voicing our confusion helps them quickly pinpoint gaps in their content universe.
Be curious.
There we are, asking you our thoughtfully stupid, open questions, and waiting patiently for your equally thoughtful answers. Suddenly it hits us: We know precisely how to solve all your website woes. Nice.
But wait! Now is not the time to share our brilliant plan. We may have an inkling about where your main pain points lie. But we need to know more. Where did these issues originate? How long have they been plaguing your company? Whom do they affect? How exactly would your life be easier if we made them go away?
Now we’re finally getting somewhere together. And as it turns out, we suddenly have an even better plan to share.
*Bonus: These techniques have multiple applications outside the work environment. Try them on your friends! Your in-laws! Your pets!
Posted in User Experience
It's not every day a person gets interviewed by Lou Rosenfeld.
You know. The guy who helped create the profession of information architecture.
Perhaps you even have a copy of Lou's book, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, sitting on your shelf, right within arm's reach. If you don't, you should. Maybe even two copies.
As a longtime fan of Lou's work, I was honored to help "open his eyes" to content strategy (his words, not mine).
An excerpt from our interview:
Lou: Kristina, tell me how you came to practice content strategy.
Kristina: Lou, OMG, you so totally rock. Seriously? You ROCK. Will you sign my copy of the polar bear book?
Lou: Uh.
Kristina: Tell me something. Are you a big IA or a little IA?
Lou: Could we focus, here?
(Hm. Upon review, I think he actually took that part out …)
Read the actual, non-annoying, mostly informative interview here: Future Practice Interview: Kristina Halvorson
Kristina's Rosenfeld Media webinar Content Strategy for Websites takes place on April 23, 2009, 1-2pm EST. Use code RMWBNR for a 20% discount off your ticket purchase.
Posted in Content Strategy, Presentations
Sure, someday you’ll have a free decade or two to tackle the mountain of books out there on web writing. Until then, use this nice, basic list of web writing best practices to tack on your wall:
- Trim fat. Keep your content short and sweet. (Would say more about this, but, you know.)
- Stay focused. As you’re writing, stop yourself every once and awhile and revisit your topic sentence. Ask yourself: Is what I’m writing relevant? Delete what’s unnecessary and retool what’s awkward.
- Don’t exceed 60 words per paragraph. Doing this will make your readers’ eyes want to jump out of their sockets. True story.
- Honor thy bulleted lists. Three items? Perhaps you should bullet. Ten items? Definitely bullet. This will help your readers quickly assess, divide, and digest information.
- Avoid fantastic, wonderful fluff and cutting-edge, innovative corporate-speak. Readers can smell it a mile away. They don’t like it. It’s just a big, dumb, useless mountain in between the user and what they want.
- Speak to the audience as ‘you.’ Make them feel special, like you’re speaking directly to them. Remember, conversational. If you went to check into a hotel, a friendly concierge would say “Here’s the key to your room. Hope your stay is pleasant.” A not-as-nice concierge would bark “Here’s the key to the room. Hope the stay is crap.” (The crap bit was for emphasis. But you get the point, right?)
- Divide and conquer existing content. Sometimes a content expert will give you information for the About Us section that would actually be more useful in the Jobs section. Or, a sentence won’t fit with the rest of a paragraph. Don’t assume the person who put it there was smarter than you. Move it! When reorganizing existing paragraphs or forming new ones, a good rule of thumb is to use the inverted pyramid style.
- Talk like a human. If you’re writing for an established brand, by all means use their existing tone—if that’s what the client hired you to do. If you’re hired to create a new tone, that’s great. Do that. But in all instances make sure you don’t sacrifice clarity for cleverness. Also, don’t get overly grammatical. Sometimes it’s better to break a few grammar rules than to sound stuffy.
- Stay grounded. Don’t fall in love with your writing. You’ll lose perspective. And, you’ll probably be less open to constructive client feedback.
- Stay active. Jog twice a week. Heeeyyyoooo! Seriously, though, use active voice. Say, “She rocked the content.” Not, “The content was rocked by her.” Active voice sounds more conversational and offers less potential for confusion. Make sense? Good!
Want to dig deeper? Check out Kristina’s book recommendations.
Posted in Web Writing