Skills to transition to content strategy
You may say that all this is fine and good to position content strategists as the management consultants of the content world, but what does an aspiring content strategist do with that information? What concrete steps can you take to make the move to content strategy?
I quite dislike the laundry list approach to skill sets, and avoid the allure of “top ten” lists that are supposed to be a one-dose-fits-all remedy. However, in an attempt to provide a succinct resource that can be useful to those wanting to round out their knowledge, I’ve created a suggested reading list. It is not meant to be a definitive list, and likely has more benefits to technical communicators who want to manage large bodies of technical content with more efficiency. However, I stand by my belief that those wanting to make the transition to content strategy will benefit from havin some knowledge in each of these areas. I’d be interested in feedback and additions.
Requirements Analysis
- Identify business needs
- Understand corporate motivations and goals
Deliverables:
- GAP analysis
- Requirements matrix
- Process models
Learn from:
International Institute of Business Analysts – Body of Knowledge
Information Management Center – Information Process Maturity Model
User Analysis
- Identify key audiences
- Understand user motivations and goals or tasks
Deliverables:
- Needs assessments
- Personas and scenarios
- Flow diagrams
Learn from:
Content Analysis
- Take inventory of existing content and documents
- Categorize content
Deliverables:
- Content inventory
- Content audit
- Metadata taxonomy
- Content models
- Content architecture
- Wireframes
- Delivery design
Learn from:
Information Architecture Institute
Content Design and Production
- Production workflow analysis
- Create content business rules
- Design content
- Develop content
Deliverables:
- Business process maps
- Topic maps
- Customization and personalization maps
- Localization plan
- Page tables/layout templates
- Standards and style guides
- And, of course, the content
Learn from:
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
The Culturally Customized Web Site
Content and Technology
- Managing content
- Content standards
- Content management systems
Deliverables:
- Technology recommendations
- Implementation strategy
Learn from:
There are a few resources not included in this list, only because they span multiple areas mentioned above. These are the books about content strategy, whether or not called by that name:
Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy, by Ann Rockley
Web Content Strategist’s Bible, by Richard Sheffield
Content Strategy for the Web, by Kristina Halvorson
Information Development: Managing Your Documentation Projects, Portfolio, and People, by JoAnn T. Hackos
As a final note, hats off to the founders of the content strategy knol (unit of information) where practitioners are welcome to contribute resources, to consolidate information into a central location.
Previous posts in this series:
The extraordinary world of content strategists
Abilities and aptitudes for a content strategist
Content strategy: the skills conundrum
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This is a great list of resources – thanks for putting it together!
One content strategy book you missed: “Audience, Relevance, and Search: Targeting Web Audiences with Relevant Content,” from IBM Press, by James Mathewson, Frank Donatone and Cynthia Fishel.
Looking forward to using this as a reference for a new client. Thanks for this creating this well researched post!
very useful post, thank you for sharing. I also feel communication is a key part of content strategy – as it is for any strategy. While the deliverables themselves are a sort of communication, summarizing the deliverable in an email or in less than 10 slides is both an art and a science. Should be part of the Content Strategy lesson, in my opinion.
[...] Skills to transition to content strategy | Intentional Design Inc.You may say that all this is fine and good to position content strategists as the management consultants of the content world, but what does an aspiring content strategist do with that information? What concrete steps can you take to make the move to content strategy? [...]
The question of how to turn your existing skills into something concrete – something that you can sell to a client – doesn’t have a hard-and-fast path. There is no BA in Content Strategy, at least not yet. I think it’s something you take on and grow into. And at that point, you package your skills into an offering that you know clients (or your employer) need, and the rest is marketing. Heather Hedden discusses her own transformation into a taxonomist quite eloquently. As does Richard Sheffield, discussing his own journey from technical writer to content strategist. If you were to compare my own offerings to some of the CSes I’ve come to know over the past year or so, you’d see that we all have different offerings, and thus end up with different clients. Finding your own path, and developing it, has more to do with understanding the market and what you can offer than it does with the actual work. And that’s a whole other topic!
[...] [13] Bailie, R. A. (2010, June 16). Skills to transition to content strategy. Intentional Design, Inc. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from http://intentionaldesign.ca/2010/06/16/skills-to-transition-to-content-strategy/. [...]
Very useful information, thanks for providing!