Category: Content Management

Tips for a Better Client-Writer Partnership

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Hiring a writer is like hiring an architect to build a house. You don’t just say to an architect, ‘Great – go build me a house.’ You discuss the style and size of the house, what things are important to you, what local building regulations are, etc.

There’s a partnership of sorts between you and the architect, with both of you bringing things to the table to produce the house you want.

a couple consults with their architect over a set of blue prints

Working with writers is also a partnership. So here are a few tips for clients working with writers and writers trying to address common client concerns – all to help ensure that partnership produces the results you want. Continue reading “Tips for a Better Client-Writer Partnership” →

No Reason to Run Away from Content Audits

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Mention the word “audit,” and many of us immediately think of stress, scrutiny, and – ARGH!!!! TAXES! Run away! Run away!

Dog running away but there's no need to run away from content audits.

But a content audit is far from a cause for alarm. In fact, a well-managed content audit improves your content management processes and enhances your digital landscape. Especially if that landscape has gotten a bit… well, overgrown.

You know how it is. You intend your content to go up as part of a planned strategy and most of the time it does. But then sometimes content expands organically; you throw something up in response to a last-minute request from sales or an article gets published ASAP in in light of unexpected events.

Over time, this organic material clutters things up with bits that no one really owns or manages. The result is content management that is more challenging than it needs to be and possibly a dilution of your brand’s message and impact.

The solution to these woes is the content audit. It’s a valuable opportunity to take stock of your existing content, understand its strengths and weaknesses, and chart a clear path forward.

Let’s demystify the content audit and talk about how it can be a positive experience for you and a positive process for your organisation.

Looking at the positive experience of a content audit Continue reading “No Reason to Run Away from Content Audits” →

What a Content Audit Is, What It Isn’t and Why You Need One

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A recent client meeting trip into London got me thinking about content audits again – what they can do for a business or organisation, why they happen and why ‘audits’ and ‘inventories’ are NOT the same.

Content Audit

And as the topic keeps coming up, I thought it might be helpful to get it all down here. Continue reading “What a Content Audit Is, What It Isn’t and Why You Need One” →

Are You Managing Your Digital Landscape

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I recently nodded my way through an article about ‘digital estate sprawl’ because I’ve definitely seen a lot of it the last few years; especially as the phrase ‘digital transformation’ becomes more and more misunderstood as ‘just make it digital.’ And it’s not just in large organisations where you can see how and why it happens so easily.

Any size company can find itself with a digital footprint that has expanded more … organically than strategically. It’s an issue Imogen Hitchcock at Beaumont addresses in ‘Why websites are like gardens – a new approach to building website content‘ – but applied to an entire digital landscape instead of just one site.

And it’s not only the number of websites that creates the overgrowth. Continue reading “Are You Managing Your Digital Landscape” →

Focus on Visual Content

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Wednesdays are when I try to do a bit of industry catch up – you know, read up on trends, stats, who has moved where, what campaign has struck what chord etc. It’s also a chance for me to do the reading and collecting the most interesting takeaways so that you – who very likely have better things to do – don’t have to. My latest reading: “Engaging Your Audience With Visual Content 2018” by Contently and Libris. Definitely worth a read.

We all know visual content isn’t just decoration for your posts and tweets. It’s an amplifier, a booster. Gets more eyes on your info and engages viewers more fully – thus increasing the likelihood that they will take action on your info or offer. So, we know that but how is the use of visual content taking shape this year? This goodly sized report is full of lots of interesting info about what’s being used, by whom and how. Here are a few of what I see as key takeaways. Continue reading “Focus on Visual Content” →