If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to learn more about content strategy, I’ve got a deal for you!

I’m presenting a 3-hour workshop as part of the Midwest UX Conference, in Columbus, OH. Content Strategy 101 will take you through the whats, the whys, and most importantly, the how-tos of content strategy on Thursday, May 31. The conference pass is an affordable $350 and the workshops are a steal at $50 each. I’m teaching in the morning, so pick up one of the other great topics that afternoon, as well. Register today while there’s still room….some of the workshops are close to selling out!

Content — quality content — is a valuable commodity. More and more, companies large and small are recognizing that it is just as important a piece of the website puzzle as great design. So, why would anyone — individual or business — give content away for free?

1. To stay on top of trends. What’s the latest and greatest in your industry right now? Are you in-the-know about the next big social media trend? Be the first to write about it and you’ll likely be considered a thought-leader and expert in your field.
2. To make themselves (more) marketable. If your company makes the best widgets in town, you probably know everything there is to know about widgets. That makes you the authority on widgets! When you give away content — articles or videos about how widgets work, for instance — others will then start looking to you more frequently for your expertise.
3. To secure clients and partnerships. Sometimes, just like the nibbles and bites we can grab when wondering the aisles of Costco, clients and potential partners want a taste of what’s to come. Although they’ve probably seen your work elsewhere, they may want to know — without spending a dime — exactly what you can do for them. Provide an article for their website, pair up with them to produce an eBook, produce a podcast together. Don’t just tell them what you can do for them, show them!
4. To build a portfolio. Sure, a company can build a portfolio based on their work from their own websites or published materials, but if that company has had blog posts or articles published on, say, Mashable.com, SocialMediaToday.com and TechCrunch, they carry more weight. Provide a high-quality piece of content to a big-name industry source for publishing, then show the world.

Have you ever given content away for free? What was your experience?

If you’re interested in learning more about content strategy, or in hearing how you can budget for and measure it, it’s not too late to sign up for the luncheon! We’d be glad to see you there.

We are really excited about the opportunity to talk content strategy basics at PodCamp Nashville on Saturday, April 14. Whether you’re just diving into the interactive and digital worlds or have been online since before the world wide web, you’ll find great speakers and useful intelligence at PodCamp.

This year, I’ll be doing a mini workshop in my session, Content Strategy 101. I’ll take you through the nuts and bolts of content strategy — both the mindset and the toolbox. You’ll learn:

• How to advocate for content in the design process
• How to identify the right people to do it [And what to do if that person is you!]
• The tools you need to analyze your content
• How to get rid of ROT [Redundant, outdated, trivial content]
• The importance of developing long-term governance processes

The result?

You’ll come out of this workshop with tools to be an advocate for your content. You’ll understand how to manage your content strategically. You’ll also have resources to get support and continue learning about the emerging discipline of content strategy.

Steph’s short answer is that most of us rely too much on design to catch the attention of readers, rather than the content we write. For a few hours, Steph talked about focusing on the following three criteria to improve your writing:

1. Focus on your audience, medium and network. Start by figuring out to whom you are sending the message. Instead of considering everyone who might drop by your site, focus on one ideal person and directly speak to him or her. Then, determine how you want them to feel.  Consider how your network will describe you—and then influence your target audience. Once you are satisfied with your content, capitalize on other communication channels to tell your story.
2. Write credible content. Obviously, usable content has to say something substantive. Too often, we get caught up in filling space rather than creating something that will reach our audience. Remember that credible content is meaningful, helpful, results-oriented and confident. Here are a few tips for achieving credible content:
   
   • Meaningful: Take time to ensure that your writing actually says something. Remove buzz words and industry jargon and tell your audience exactly what you want them to hear.
   • Helpful: Don’t assume users know what to do once they reach your site. You have to tell them what you want them to do!
   • Results-Oriented: Explain what awesome things your users will get from you. Writing a list of what you do isn’t enough to get results.
   • Confident: Be careful not to over promote. Showcase confidence in your work while being humble.
3. Achieve consistency. Content is consistent when it is uniform in structure, style and voice.
   
   • Structure: Always lead with the most important information, include what is relevant, and use keywords throughout the site.
   • Style: Make sure every page of the site uses the same format for capitalizations, punctuation, headings, etc.
   • Voice: Always write in a genuine tone. Read your content out loud and then rewrite anything that sounds questionable.

What’s your definition of great content? Let us know in the comments below.

What is information architecture?
Information architecture is a discipline and practice that focuses on making information usable. Information architects organize information and figure out how to best share it to help others find and use the information they need. Day to day, that means we do things like create wireframes, website navigation, develop metadata and taxonomy, and evaluate user’s needs and their responses to our work.

Let me know if you’ll be in Ann Arbor for World IA Day, as well. If you can’t make it in person to any of the events on Saturday, watch #wiad on Twitter to follow along!

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the Nashville Chapter of the American Marketing Association is hosting NAMA’s eSIG Website Smackdown at eSpaces. Experts in several web-related fields such as website design, user experience and and development — including our own Laura Creekmore — will give no-holds-barred feedback on 10 different websites the night of the main event. Thirty additional websites will receive written feedback from one member of the panel.

You can enter your website for the Smackdown or register through NAMA’s website. The deadline is Friday, February 10, at 5 p.m. for your website to be included.

We spend a lot of time educating ourselves and our clients on the latest tools and techniques that content strategy brings to projects. Because the holistic way of thinking about content strategy is still gaining traction in many quarters, many people we talk to would consider themselves learners instead of experts. And with the holidays around the corner, you might be working on your wish list.

So we’ll share our picks for the best resources on content strategy — both now and in 2012. And we’re going to send a full set of our content strategy library to one reader! Keep reading for the details….

Laura’s Picks:

• Content Strategy for the Web — Buy it now, or pre-order the 2nd edition coming in 2012! This is the book that defined the discipline of content strategy.
• Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works — The seminal classic on writing for the web. If Ginny Redish hasn’t taught you how to write yet, don’t miss the opportunity to learn from a master.
• The Elements of Content Strategy — Erin Kissane wrote this great how-to book earlier this year. Great companion to the Halvorson book.

Summer’s Picks:

• The Content Marketing Institute Blog was one of the first that I ever added to my RSS reader. Posts are written by leaders in the content marketing and strategy world — all people that I trust, many that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in person. They stay on top of trends in the industry, offer case studies on best practices and let us all learn lessons from their mistakes, and provide a one-stop shop for resources.
• Content Rules by Anne Handley and C.C. Chapman is about much more than creating quality website content. This little book packs quite a punch and covers content formats such as ebooks, videos, podcasts and webinars. It’s an easy-to-read reference that has a little something for first-time content creators and veterans alike.

To get the library: 
In the comments below, share your favorite content strategy resource or tell us which book above you’re looking most forward to reading. We’ll randomly select one commenter on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011, and send you the four books in the library. [Shipping free to any U.S. location; if you're not U.S.-based, we'll talk.]

We wanted to point out two events this week that have us pretty geeked out.

Contents Magazine launches: We are looking forward to this new source of wisdom on content strategy, founded by Erin Kissane, Krista Stevens, Ethan Marcotte and Erik Westra. The site promises to focus on “content strategy, online publishing, and new-school editorial work.” We love it. The first issue is rolling out over the next few weeks, but they’ve already got some goodies posted on what the heck we all do, and what we call it.

Margot Bloomstein’s book hits Amazon: We can be a fairly cynical lot around here, but some of us turn downright fan-girl when we talk about Margot Bloomstein. She’s a smart thinker about content strategy and the theories behind what we do, so we can’t wait to read her content strategy book
coming out next spring.

And P.S., while you’re over at Amazon checking that out, you might as well go ahead and pre-order the second editions of two other great works that inform our field — also coming out in 2012:

• Ann Rockley and Charles Cooper’s Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy
• Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach’s Content Strategy for the Web

We don’t know about you, but we’re already feeling smarter in anticipation.

First, know your goals. I don’t mean the “what’s on your to-do list today” kind of goal. I mean the big, hairy goal. The “increase sales 15% over last year” goal, or “Cut call center volume by 20%” or “Improve customer satisfaction by 30%” kind of goals. Many people get stuck here because the company has a stated goal, and then it has the way it acts day to day. Do everything you can get to clarity on the real goals before you begin.

Know your timeline. Are you embarking on a campaign, or establishing a new method of operations? If you can clearly answer this question, it will help you decide whether you need to hire an agency or a staffer.

Know your core competence. What is your organization? Is your core competence something outside of the marketing and communications arena? For most organizations, the answer is yes. That doesn’t mean you need an agency, but it might make it more likely. Conversely, even communications-heavy organizations hire agencies to bring in fresh ideas or handle extra work.

Define the judgment needed. Anyone who’s going to be the last person to see content before your customers has to have judgment that you trust completely. Someone who’s writing copy and submitting it to you or another trusted staff member needs less authority. Sure, you’d let a 17-year-old run the register at a retail location [and thus represent you directly to customers], but you shouldn’t let a junior-level staffer with little training run your Twitter account without supervision. The potential for damage is significantly higher.

Finally, let’s talk skills. When you’re thinking about making a hire or signing a contract to procure content services, you not only must identify the skills you need today, but you also have to think about what you need tomorrow. If you can’t count on a budget for professional development [and time to support that as well], you are better off contracting with a freelancer or agency that aggressively educates its own staff. The world of digital content is changing minute by minute, and many of the skills we need today won’t be current tomorrow. You want to hire curious people who are always learning. If they’re on your staff, you have to support that. If they’re your vendor, expect to pay more for it.

So what’s right — hire a staff or an agency? There’s no right answer, but these questions may help you shape your thinking.

How did you decide whether to outsource or hire? What skills do you value in your content staff?