Topic outline
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Dear Students,
Welcome to the Content Strategy class. So glad to have you here!
Now, some of you might wonder why as business students - folks who revel in stats, graphs and numbers - you should have to worry about words, or content.
Well, over the next 8 weeks, it will be my job to show you how the words used within digital products are just as critical as the words used to market and sell them. The content your customers and consumers encounter while using your product drives their entire experience. It shapes their user journey and impacts how they feel about your product.
Ensuring the right content at the right time for the right people requires a well thought out content strategy. And as prospective product managers and business experts, determining what content best meets business goals and fulfills user needs will very much fall within your purview. While you might not always be tasked with creating content for a website, app or digital system, you will find yourself working closely with and managing designers, developers and content creators.
And that is why, an overview of content strategy - what it entails, and how it works - will empower you to ask the right questions, and offer meaningful feedback to the cross-functional teams and stakeholders you manage and work with.
In this course, you will see content strategy in the larger context of User Experience Design. UXD is a relatively young discipline, and the exciting part is the rules of the game are still being written. Nothing is set in stone, except for the profound realization that users are at the epicentre of all our business and design decisions.
I’d love you all to come into this course with a curious and open mindset of give and take. You bring your experiences and insights; I bring mine. For the duration of this course, just remember: There are no stupid questions. There are no absolute answers.
Like I alluded earlier, this course is a broad overview that will help you get acquainted with the discipline, and point you in the right direction, if after this course you decide to explore it further. I've broken it into four sections:
1. Discover what content strategy is all about
2. Acquire some core skills
3. Prepare for a job in the field
4. Succeed as a content strategy practitioner
For each of these sections, I have provided videos, resources and supplementary reading. I expect you to watch/read/peruse this course material at your own convenience, and bring back your reflections so we can have some vibrant discussions during the webinars. I will also strongly encourage you to attend the webinars, because I hope to bring something new rather than just repeat what the supplementary material offers. Also, some of your quiz questions will pertain to the things we discuss during these webinars. Your participation in these webinars will also impact your final grade.The course is spread over eight weeks. One week we'll discuss the concepts, second week we'll apply them in practice - for all four sections.
In addition to engaging with me and the course material, I'll also strongly encourage you all to engage in conversations with your fellow learners. I’m also open to you sharing experiences and asking questions over email. I can try and address the answers during our webinars. For that, you’ll need to go through your supplementary material for each module and pose your questions or comments by the Wednesday afternoon preceding the webinar, so I have time to give them a good thought.
So, let the learning begin!
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No matter how good your digital strategy or how elegant your design, eventually it is the content on your website or app that allows users to achieve what they came to your site or app for in the first place. It is impossible to design good user experience around bad content.
As business students who aspire to be good managers, product leads and business strategists, you will realize rather quickly that content falls as much within your purview as business goals. As a matter of fact, when it comes to the digital realm, content is king.
In the first step, we'll discover what content strategy really means, how it helps align user needs and business goals, and how it corresponds with the workflow of an end-to-end product lifecycle.
Watch:
Video 1: What is content strategy?
Video 2: What do content strategists do?
Video 3: Is this role right for me?
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What is Content?
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Content Strategy Digital
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In this step, you'll become familiar with some core and complementary skills required for content strategy, and become further acquainted with the universe of content strategists. This will enable you to better appreciate the interdependencies between the roles, activities and artifacts of product owners, designers and content strategists and understand why collaboration between these roles is so imperative for a deluxe user experience. You will also learn how to get the most out of content strategy in an agile workflow.
Watch:
Video 1: Acquire - IntroductionVideo 2: Acquire - Content Audit
Video 3: Acquire - Requirements Gathering
Video 4: Acquire - User Analysis
Video 5: Acquire - Competitor Analysis
Video 6: Acquire - Gap Analysis
Video 7: Acquire - Complimentary skills
Video 8: Acquire - Nice-to-have skills
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Opened: Tuesday, 25 August 2020, 9:32 AMClosed: Thursday, 10 September 2020, 12:00 AMStudents mustMark as done
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Opened: Thursday, 3 September 2020, 12:00 AMDue: Sunday, 20 September 2020, 12:00 AMStudents mustMark as done
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Opened: Thursday, 10 September 2020, 12:00 AMDue: Thursday, 1 October 2020, 12:00 AMStudents mustMark as done
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Opened: Wednesday, 23 September 2020, 12:00 AMDue: Tuesday, 20 October 2020, 12:00 AMStudents mustMark as done
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If you feel content strategy is a role that you'd like to explore further, and maybe consider as a profession, this step will help prep you for what to expect in the role, and how to prepare for it.
Watch:
1. How to gather experience and build a portfolio
2. How to prepare for and perform well in an interview
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Once you've understood what the discipline entails, what content strategist do, and how to prepare for this role, this final step will offer tips, tricks and best practices for how best to excel in this role in the real world.
Focus on the three P's for success
1) Purpose
2) Practice
3) People
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Opened: Thursday, 15 October 2020, 12:00 AMClosed: Sunday, 25 October 2020, 12:00 AMStudents mustMark as done
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