This appendix highlights useful insights from content geniuses around the world who have contributed to Content Science Review, participated in a Content Science study, or offered comments on The Content Advantage chapters.
[A]nalytics create a feedback loop that allows writers and publishers to hone what resonates with their readers. It gives them insights into not only the content, but the style, language, voice, and even the frequency of creation that their audience desires.1
—Alan Segal, vice president of analytics and audience development at CNN
Page views are a fluctuating number that depend on a lot of different factors, and I think that people can get a little too caught up in an arbitrary page view number or an arbitrary return visit number. That has to connect to something—such as how much revenue are you getting based on this.2
—Tracy Wilson, editorial director at HowStuffWorks.com
In a world where customer experience is everything, creating the right content is a high-value activity, and using data and feedback to support decision-making about what content to invest in only makes sense.3
—Cathy Ewaschuk, content strategist in information design and development at Dell
Fundamentally, governance brings order in a world full of chaos—something every organization can benefit from.4
—Scott Rosenberg, senior director of global marketing operations and governance at Visa
“It’s not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” This quote from W. Edwards Deming is very Darwinian. Change, adapt, and survive. Or don’t. There’s no middle ground. That’s true whether you’re leading a content team, a Fortune 500 enterprise, a small business, or anything in between.5
—Cory Bennett, associate director of user experience at AT&T
When we all feel listened to and appreciated we’re more open to accept other ideas around us. Content strategy is exploding all over our bank content teams, and it’s because I’m doing the work upfront to get out of the way.6
—Michaela Hackner, head of UX content strategy at Morningstar Financial
In the context of a large organization, when you start looking at content from a client journey and ecosystem perspective, you’re immediately faced with technology, people, process, and culture silos. Busting those silos is essential to defining a real end-to-end customer experience through content.7
—Marie Girard, content strategist at IBM
If you want to make a design system your entire team can use, a system that thoughtfully guides the work your team is doing, shouldn’t content be a part of it?8
—Michael Haggerty-Villa, principal content designer and strategist at Intuit
The stakeholders used to say, “This is what we want to tell people.” But if the content fails to match what your audience wants, they won’t find it.9
—Melinda Baker, director of web marketing at the American Cancer Society
If your strategy-less digital experience, piece of content, or product wore a name tag, what would it say? Would everyone in your organization write the same name on it? What about your users? If not, seize the opportunity to clarify.10
—Laura Jarrell, content strategist at CFA Institute
If a piece of content is published on the internet and no one reads it, does it make a sound? Yes, definitely—and the sound is your CEO’s voice saying, What does this content team really do here, anyway?11
—Margaret Magnarelli, vice president of marketing at Monster.com
Content should be created for purpose rather than placement. That way, the content can be quickly and easily repurposed across brands, hotels, and channels, delivering a consistent experience for customers no matter what channels are selected.12
—David Henderson, director of content operations and localization at Hilton
1 Segal, Alan, “3 Observations on How Analytics Influence Content Creation + Selection at Cox Media Group,” Content Science Review, November 5, 2015, https://review.content-science.com/2015/11/3-observations-on-how-analytics-influence-content-creation-and-selection-at-cox-media-group/
2 Wilson, Tracy, “How Leading Content Teams Works at HowStuffWorks: A Q&A,” Content Science Review, January 5, 2016, https://review.content-science.com/2016/01/how-leading-content-teams-works-at-howstuffworks-com-a-qa/
3 Ewaschuk, Cathy, “Using Customer Feedback in Content Strategy: Wring your Data for All Its Worth,” Content Science Review, May 15, 2018, https://review.content-science.com/2018/05/using-customer-feedback-in-content-strategy-wring-your-data-for-all-its-worth/
4 Rosenberg, Scott, “Intel Addresses Modern Marketing Challenges Through Digital Governance,” Content Science Review, October 11, 2016, https://review.content-science.com/2016/10/intel-addresses-modern-marketing-challenges-through-digital-governance/
5 Bennett, Cory, “Survival Isn’t Mandatory: Leading Content Teams During Change,” Content Science Review, November 15, 2017, https://review.content-science.com/2017/11/leading-content-teams-through-times-of-change/
6 Hackner, Michaela, “Navigating Professional Ambiguity: Leading with Content in the Face of Change at Capital One,” Content Science Review, May 17, 2016, https://review.content-science.com/2016/05/leading-with-content-in-the-face-of-change-at-capital-one/
7 Girard, Marie, “Raiders of the Lost Content: Silo-busting Adventures in the Corporate Jungle,” Content Science Review, April 6, 2017, https://review.content-science.com/2017/04/raiders-of-the-lost-content-silo-busting-adventures-in-the-corporate-jungle/
8 Haggerty-Villa, Michael, “Content: The Next Big Thing for Design Systems,” Content Science Review, May 3, 2018, https://review.content-science.com/2018/05/content-the-next-big-thing-for-design-systems/
9 Baker, Melinda, “Implementing Content Strategy at American Cancer Society,” Content Science Review, May 1, 2014, https://review.content-science.com/2014/05/implementing-content-strategy-at-american-cancer-society/
10 Jarrell, Laura, “Classified Information: How to Uncover Unseen Content Strategy,” Content Science Review, September 21, 2017, https://review.content-science.com/2017/09/classified-information-how-to-uncover-unseen-content-strategy/
11 Magnarelli, Margaret, “The ‘How? Now. Wow!’ Framework That’s Helped Monster Supercharge Its Content KPIs,” Content Science Review, October 26, 2016, https://review.content-science.com/2016/10/the-how-now-wow-framework-thats-helped-monster-supercharge-its-content-kpis/
12 Henderson, David, “The Challenges of Moving to Decoupled Omnichannel Content at Hilton,” Content Science Review, March 13, 2018, https://review.content-science.com/2018/03/the-challenges-of-moving-to-decoupled-omnichannel-content-at-hilton/