A short time ago I was in a web strategy meeting with a long term client. We reached a point where our attention was focused on the (in)frequency of updates to their news section.

Before I knew what was happening I found myself preaching the importance of maintaining an up-to-date site. The more I said the more sheepish I began to feel as I realised that I could do so much more to practice what I was preaching with the kilo75 website (plus I hate it when people spout on like that).

So in an effort to take positive action I decided to document a sort of manifesto for content planning and production. If someone you know is struggling with content generation I humbly present the BAGPUS* content planning method for your consideration:

Brand

Know your brand. Whether you're handling corporate communications or writing from a more personal point of view, it is important to know what are the values that you want to exemplify? Seek to establish consistency in both content and tone of voice, I believe it allows your audience to understand you better and more quickly. Depending upon your audience(s) I would always advocate quality over quantity but not every piece of content has to be Pulitzer prize winning standard or even convey a particularly worthy message. Having said that, it is vital to bear in mind that every piece of content has the potential to shape your audience's perception, so be wary of publishing content that could be misconstrued and result in damage to your brand.

Audience

Who is it for? What value are you providing? How can you connect with them? Don't fall into the trap of being overly familiar and don't kid yourself that your audience knows you or understands your sense of humour or motivations. Be generous in pointing your audience towards other sites that could be beneficial to them.

Goals

Develop an understanding of what you are trying to achieve, set some goals (perhaps make them SMART). Most important of all is to set some criteria against which your efforts can be assessed. I also advocate that in the early stages you put aside any concerns about SEO (search engine optimisation). In the earliest stages of content planning focusing too much on SEO can take your eye off the prize, a distraction you don't need. Executing this plan should lead to improved search performance but more importantly it should establish a solid foundation upon which other such activities can build.

Planning

Set aside a regular time slot to discuss content ideas and in between get reading! This will help inspire ideas for content while also refining an appreciation of what is already being said about your idea. As stated previously focus on quality over quantity. Not every piece has to be unique but merely adding to the noise wont do much to differentiate your voice. With some ideas in hand commit them to a realistic and achievable production schedule (that means setting deadlines). Some points to remember:

  • Not all content has to be written.
  • Not all content has to be created internally.
  • Not all content has to be hosted on your website.
  • Not every thought or idea has to be expressed in public.

It's OK to break from the plan and add content reactively so long as it scores well when assessed by these criteria.

Understanding

Remember the success criteria you specified when defining your goals? Now is the time to use them to assess your successes or failures. This should lead to an understanding of what makes your audience engage with your website. Use your developing understanding to steer your future efforts in the right direction.

Stick with it

Most of the people that we work with who have the responsibility for content production do it in addition to their normal job responsibilities. All share a common trait in that they are never satisfied with their output, so please don't beat yourself up if you fail to see great results right away. Take comfort in the fact that you are doing something.

* Bagpuss was a British Children's television program made in the 1970s. The central character, Bagpuss, was “an old, saggy cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams” - the mnemonic magically appeared as I was writing this post, although admittedly I had to “engineer” the “u” to fit. You may have noticed that I'm missing an S and I'd love to hear from anyone with suggestions for other content planning advice.

If you want to know more about the real Bagpuss, follow this link to the wikipedia entry on Bagpuss