We Love Content Strategy! Here's Why! #confab

By Marisa Peacock (@marisacp51) May 9, 2011

I think I finally understand what Woodstock must have been like. Being at ConFab 2011, The Content Strategy Conference, hosted by BrainTraffic, is like a big warm content strategy hug. No matter how unstructured the state of corporate content is, it’s nice to know that there’s a safe place to share ideas, gain support from the content community and have the freedom to investigate new strategies, ideas and approaches.

From keynote to sessions, the aim of ConFab hasn’t been to tell us what we’re doing wrong, but instead to tell us how awesome it is that we’re working to make it better. That isn’t to say we’re being petted and pleased into complacency. Rather, we’re being encouraged and empowered to keep on keeping on and learning how to prepare our organizations for the challenges ahead.

Why Content Strategy? Why Now?

While content strategy isn’t new, it certainly has gained momentum over the past few years. So why is content strategy so relevant and popular now more than ever? As Kristina Halvorson, CEO of BrainTraffic, author and Content Strategy Queen Bee puts it, it’s because our content is so “messed up.” For too long we’ve been working in silos and now thanks to the accessibility of mobile web, users demand access to content across multiple platforms when they want it and how they want it. As a result, our strategies need to catch up or risk falling behind further.

Armed with intellectual action verbs (articulate, investigate, integrate, appreciate, ideate) and empowered not jump to conclusions or solutions, but to embrace different content perspectives, ideas and disciplines, we set out to learn about the content ecosystem within our organizations and professional lives.

Navigating the Content Ecosystem

As it turns out the content ecosystem is a lot like the Amazon rainforest. Most of it needs to be preserved so as not to harm what works. But for what doesn’t work, you don’t need to tear it down. Instead, you need advocate for change by offering options for soliciting ideas and solutions.

You can start by understanding the different roles that enable a successful content strategy. According to the “Z” process for content creation, there are 5 different roles: creator, advancer, flexor, refiner and executor. All are vital to the process and knowing which one you are can help you understand how your ecosystem works.

How to Hack (and Innovate) Your Content Strategy

But what if your ecosystem thrives within a hacking culture, like Facebook? Sarah Cancilla, Facebook’s first official content strategist, guided us through the process of promoting awareness about content strategy in an environment that supports risk taking and encourages failure, as long as it inspires and accelerates innovation.

Instead of bemoaning your developer's lack of writing skills, instead, in the spirit of ConFab, use it as an opportunity to learn a new language. Working to define their role (probably an executor) can help you understand their motives and their motivation. At Facebook, Sarah employed the Potato-based method of communicating.

Raw Potato: dry, technical
Baked Potato: clear & concise
French Fries: clear, concise, informal
Chilli-Cheese Fries: clear, concise, irreverent

By playing the "if you were a potato, what kind would you be" game you can identify the type of language needed to get your point across effectively. Lest you think that this wasn't successful, Sarah assures that across Facebook you can now hear "that's a chilli-cheese fry idea!"