How to develop a content strategy to engage usersMiao He Digital Editor (Internationalisation), University of Bath

About me

What to expect from this workshop

1. Engaging international users with relevant content: our story

2. How to develop a targeted content strategy around your

user journey (with two group exercises)

3. Learn to test your assumptions and iterate often

4. Q&A

“There is no single perfect strategy. It’s a matter

of launch, learn, refine, re-launch. By making an effort and being able to say here is what went

well and what went poorly will allow you to gain credibility to further your digital initiatives.

◎ Perry Hewitt (Harvard University)

1.Engaging international users with relevant content: our story

◎ According to Content Strategy Alliance, content strategy is ‘Getting the right content to the right user at the right time through strategic planning of content creation, delivery, and governance’.

◎ Engagement is the collective set of experiences that users have with your brand. It is about how they think or feel about your brand/products.

◎ All content creates user experience.

Definitions

Our story

Our international content before the makeover

buried

fragmented

hard to find

www.bath.ac.uk/collections/worldwide/

2.How to develop a highly-targeted content strategy around your user journey

Understand your users’ needs

The first question to ask is: What information do our users need and how do we get it to them when they need it?

Sources to build your user journey:

◎ Your internal analytics

◎ Third-party data

◎ User interviews

◎ Key dates in your diary

Exercise 1(10 minutes)

1. Think about your specific group of key users.2. Mock up key dates and events on your user journey.

Write them down on the paper.

Map your content to the user journey

Think about your:

◎ Content objectives

◎ Key messages

◎ Message formats (texts, podcasts, video, etc.)

◎ Channels to deliver your messages (email, blog, social,

etc.)

◎ Calls to action

“The bottom line is, we want to create value to our users. Give them something valuable, so they will

give you the time to consume your content.

◎Randy Hlavac (Northwestern University)

Tips

◎ Focus on two or three messages you really want to send out to your users to support your organisation’s goal

◎ Be aware what messages you do not send out◎ Target your communication methods and deliver in the way that

your users want to receive

◎ Different types of media deliver different experiences. Format follows story, not the other way around.

Exercise 2(15 minutes)

1. Identify the content for each event 2. Identify the appropriate channel(s) for each piece of

content

3.Test your assumptions and iterate often

A/B testing of your hypothesis

● Headlines

● Images

● Calls to action

What I have learnt

● Use analytics to measure what matters and iterate based on user needs.

● Don’t be afraid to fail - knowing what’s not working is also part of the learning process.

● Do fewer things better. Drop the ‘big bang’ mentality.

“Ultimately, the best approach is to help

your users accomplish their mission. If you do this, you will likely achieve your overall

objectives.

◎ Randy Hlavac (Northwestern University)

Thank you!

Any questions?