UNENDED - _blog

We’re half way through SXSW 2010 and, outside of a couple of flops, it’s been an excellent line-up. There have been so many solid topics on the schedule that it’s made it difficult to choose how I wanted to split my time.

One topic that really stood out for me has been Content Strategy. Interactive has grown significantly over the last 10 years, but let’s face it – somehow content strategy (and content as a result) continues to take a back seat. The fact that this is being brought to the front of a lot of discussion is an important step for raising the interactive bar. This isn’t simply about copywriting. It’s about building a relevant messaging architecture that connects with the people you want to reach.

Back in art school, our projects were about reading an article or studying a topic, and then creating work that visually interpreted what we read. Somewhere along the line there’s been a disconnect when it comes to carrying that into the interactive space.

I think one of the biggest problems has been our inability to articulate the value of content strategy to our clients from a business perspective. It just so happens, though, that there were solid takeaways that anyone can and should bring to the table. Below are some of the points that make the case for starting your interactive projects with content strategy:

1. Messaging becomes focused on your visitor’s needs.
   Business tend to write a lot of content about themselves. By focusing on content strategy, you can evaluate existing content and focus on delivering a message focused around the needs of your audience.

2. You add authenticity to your brand.
   Not only with design decisions compliment the message, but content strategy can them been given to SEO strategists to extend the messaging outward. Having SEO, content, messaging, and design follow the same thread builds a seamless and consistent experience for your audience.

3. And your clincher – a project can be less expensive if you implement content strategy up front.
   The design/creative process is a very iterative one. It is significantly faster and easier to rework words than it is to rework a design comp.

If you’d like to learn more about content strategy Check out Margot Bloomstein’s SXSW presentation as well as Kristina Halvorson’s book, Content Strategy for the Web. I’m hoping that Kristina also posts her presentation on Slideshare. In the meantime you can read the backchannel discussion here. It has been one of the best presentations I’ve seen here so far!