By Corey Vilhauer CHAPTER 10ect who understands it and can work with various departments (think:
marketing director, lead content editor, etc.); or someone from outside the
project who can bridge the gaps created through siloing and politics (think:
a content strategy consultant).
This seems so simple, right? Yet we still struggle with teams that have
too many cooks in the kitchen — and too many content sources claiming
precedence. Nothing frustrates the process more than unnecessary work,
so make sure someone is in charge of determining where content comes
from, where it goes, and (most importantly) what’s important.
Rely on subject matter experts
I don’t know anything about flywheel engines or computer chips or cup-
cakes or whatever it is we’re making websites for this week. That’s not my job
as a content strategist, though. My job is to help those who do know about
flywheel engines or computer chips or cupcakes create content that’s usable.
Remember: we aren’t responsible for knowledge within the domain. We
are responsible communicating that knowledge in a way that’s both usable
and useful for that domain’s audiences. We do this by relying on the rela-
tionships we have within the project, asking good questions and conceding
to expertise, instead of running in with all of the answers predetermined.
Know when to hold ’em, and know when to fold ’em
Internal politics. Apathetic co-workers. A reliance on outdated methods
that appeal to a certain section of the organization. These are serious
problems, and they really pop up when we begin figuring out the details of
website content. Who gets to be on the home page? Who gets to have the
biggest bio? Why haven’t you talked about this department yet?
When we start work on a project, we’re often bombarded with informa-
tion. But the information is biased. It’s all connected to specific goals and
departments within the company, and it’s all competing for the same area
on the website. The worst part? These competing nuggets of information
can all be reframed to fit our website’s message hierarchy. For example, if