Reddit mentions of Content Strategy at Work: Real-world Stories to Strengthen Every Interactive Project

[TL;DR - This is as shortened as I can make 20 years exp in 10 agencies internationally into a post as I could. Deal with it]

I'd been toying with the idea of writing a book on this. It's a difficult thing to get an understanding of a company's/agency's process - mostly due to lack of one. You'd be surprised just how many places wing-it with the basic "Build 3-design-comps process" - a 'golden-child' design that they love, the wild-child design to show variety (and an air of WTF?!), and a safety-net design which they think the client will love.



...btw. If you're up-front and mention this process to a new client with others [designers] in the running, you'll pretty much eliminate them right there - or whenever they next presented said client with 3 hi-def mock-ups.



First, get your legal templates setup and squared away if you haven't already. Get with a pro on this. You wouldn't want your clients attempting their own web work, so take your own advice.



Second, be as transparent with your client as possible. This means understanding as much about their strategic goals now and in the future (as well as their tactics) as they're comfortable to divulge. Feel free to return that favor to them -- they'll appreciate knowing how long you'll be around and just how compatible you will be with each other. Also, it's really important to get an understanding of the company hierarchy - at least for the project. If it's a small client then it's usual straight forward. If it's a larger company or outsourced to you, that's different. With a larger company you're lucky if you get an experienced middle-person. If he/she is inexperienced then it's a potential nightmare if you don't help them out. So be a pal. Let them know the process, drop hints as to what to bring their supervisor to make their boss happy, let them call some shots (based off of your suggestions) and let them throw you under the bus when "the vendor [you] is being very insistent that you [their boss] take a look at this personally" - they'll appreciate it as it makes their decision making easier, makes them look good, and they'll also get your back in return - probably. If it's outsourced work from another agency that's a little trickier in some ways but more straight forward in others. A mixed bag if you will.



Third, wrap your (and their) head around how to accomplish their furthest goal by outlining "now" and "then" by division. What would half-way-there look like? Then break further into quarter-way-there. Don't solidify too much on the 3/4 as their goals may change in the course of a few years (read: microevironmental forces: the company, suppliers, marketing intermediaries, customer markets, competitors, and publics. Also macroenvironmental forces: demographic, economic, natural forces, technological, political, and cultural). Better to keep agile. A good intro to marketing is "Principles of Marketing" Kotler & Armstrong. Learn who their customers are. Do some card-sorting to get an understanding of Who We Are, Who We Want To Be, and Who We Aren't. You'll find "Content Strategy at Work" a great resource for this under building a messaging architecture.



[edit] Yaoh! Thanks for the gold ;.)