Q: What is content strategy, and do I need it?
A: Content strategy and its specializations (like UX writing and information architecture) guide the lifecycle of your content in alignment to your organizational goals. If you don’t know the who, what, why, when and how behind what’s on your website, then you probably need content strategy. It starts with understanding your objectives and goals, and includes all the activities necessary to make sure your content is working toward them.
Reasons you might need a content strategist
Your website doesn’t reflect your vision or values.
Your website is a conversation with your customer. Often, it’s making the first impression. So it should look and feel like it belongs to you. I can create a framework that acts as your North Star and includes:
- Goals and objectives that ladder up to your business’ goals
- Personas that help you understand your user’s needs and how to meet them
- Voice and tone and style guides to maximize consistency, efficiency, and impact
- Workflows that ensure content is appropriately edited and vetted before publication
Your website has a lot of pages, but they’re not doing anything.
Your content should be working for you — otherwise, it’s just words and pictures. I can take inventory of your website’s content and do a qualitative audit to figure out why it’s not achieving its goals. If it’s not tagged or organized correctly, we can fix it with better taxonomy and navigation. If it’s not delivering the info users are looking for, we can optimize it with copy that makes it easier to find and read.
You’re redesigning your website and you want to start fresh.
Moving websites is a lot like moving house: It’s a chance to upgrade your space and throw away what you don’t need. I can audit your existing content and sort it into “keep,” “toss,” and “fix” piles. We can design and test new data-informed copy and content hierarchies.
For the best user experience, we’ll apply content design best practices, including:
- Clear language that is familiar to your users
- Short sentences and paragraphs to cut down on cognitive load
- Semantic headings that organize content for scannability and readability
- Intuitive formatting (think lists and icons) that makes content easier to digest
Then, I can create a governance plan to make sure the content on your website is updated and maintained so that new-house feeling lasts a long time.
Ready to get started?
I’m Jen Clarke and I want to help you create something great! I’m a content strategist and writer in Memphis, TN and I’ve been making websites and digital content for more than 20 years. You can send me an email, or fill out this form to request more info.