Building and supporting your content strategy team - Confab 2018

What makes a content strategy practice successful—not just at the individual level, but at the team level? If you are working as a manager or a project lead, how can you empower content strategists to do their best work?

Learn how to advocate for a thorough, quality-minded approach to your team's work. Understand how to help your team feel confident and supported, so they can share their expertise and extend their influence throughout an organization.

Transcript

1. Building and supporting your content strategy team MARISSA PHILLIPS / MAY 2018 / CONFAB
4. Empower your team
5. Set the foundation: Your team needs a mission, values, and a strong voice.
6. Set the foundation: Your team needs a mission, values, and a strong voice. Create frameworks: Clarify roles, build out your style guide, and share best practices.
7. Set the foundation: Your team needs a mission, values, and a strong voice. Create frameworks: Clarify roles, build out your style guide, and share best practices. Tell your story: Educate partners, stay top of mind, and create community.
8. Set the foundation
9. Set the foundation Articulate your mission Decide what your values are Define your voice
10. Describe us in three words What’s our mission and what do we stand for?
11. Describe us in three words What’s going well? What’s our mission and what do we stand for?
12. Describe us in three words What’s going well? What’s not working? What’s our mission and what do we stand for?
13. What’s going well? What’s not working? What makes us stand out? Describe us in three words What’s our mission and what do we stand for?
14. What’s going well? What’s not working? What makes us stand out? Describe us in three words What’s our biggest opportunity? What’s our mission and what do we stand for?
15. What’s going well? What’s not working? What makes us stand out? Describe us in three words What’s our biggest opportunity? What’s our mission and what do we stand for? What will we accomplish next year?
18. Be a guide Use a consistent voice to guide and support people through their experiences. Be real Honest, open, and genuine language strengthens relationships and sets the tone for real-world interactions. Be inclusive The words we use account for diversity in people’s situations, languages, and abilities. Team values
20. Voice
21. Heartfelt Curious Inspiring
25. Straightforward Inclusive Thoughtful Spirited
26. Straightforward Inclusive Thoughtful Spirited
27. Empowering Inclusive Thoughtful Spirited
28. Let’s get you ready to host. Show off your space You got this! Empowering
29. …you can still browse the site …you can always sign up again Leave the door open for everyone Inclusive
30. …we have some ideas for your trip to London Provide relevant info when people can actually use it Thoughtful
31. Treat your taste buds… Be lighthearted, expressive, and fun Spirited
32. Create frameworks
33. Create frameworks Clarify your role Build out your style guide Share best practices
34. What do people expect from me? How am I measured? What should I focus on? Where do I go from here? What does it mean to be a leader on this team?
35. Skills UI Writing Leadership Content Strategy Communication Design & UX Collaboration Product Influence Growth Mindset
36. Growth Senior Mid Career Developing Early Career Narrow scope May need editing Developing design intuition
37. Growth Senior Mid Career Developing Early Career Independence, larger projects More content strategy Solid partnerships
38. Growth Senior Mid Career Developing Early Career Defining content strategy needs and deliverables Mentoring Becoming a leader
39. Growth Senior Mid Career Developing Early Career Leading projects and team initiatives Sought out for design and product thinking
40. Actively participating Contributing to team resources Mentoring and supporting Sharing templates and knowledge Leadership Leading trainings and planning events Building our practice and maintaining our culture
41. How are you contributing to the practice of content strategy at this company?
42. 1. Content Strategy 2. Design Organization 3. Products/Projects 4. Company Teams
43. Team priorities Localization Culture Training Recruiting Standards Craft
44. Our Team in 2018 Build a brand Be the experts on content Focus on strategy
45. How we want to be seen Inclusive Bold Shape the conversation Care about quality Holistic Empathetic Problem-solvers Business impact Build the brand: crafting an elevator pitch
46. What they said “Focus on what’s different…” “Sell yourselves more.” “It doesn’t say much. It’s what you’d write on any generic resume.” “What surprises me most is they all feel a little like marketing speak. How would you describe this to a friend or a parent?” Build the brand: crafting an elevator pitch
47. We’re experts on what to say and when to say it. We develop a point of view by understanding the needs of Airbnb and the people who use it. Then we shape product experiences with content – from style guidelines to button text – that’s consistent, inclusive, and impactful. Build the brand: crafting an elevator pitch
48. Be the experts on content: publishing our content standards
50. Be the experts on content: publishing our content standards
51. Focus on strategy: our first content strategy sprint Start with content
52. Focus on strategy: our first content strategy sprint What’s Airbnb? We have homes and experiences over the world! OK…but is it safe?
53. Focus on strategy: our first content strategy sprint Guest Messaging Framework Value propositions Answers to fundamental questions like, What’s Airbnb and is it safe? Key messages and terms
54. To really focus on strategy, we needed to equip our managers.
55. Our approach Growing and scaling our team Strong managing team You should get a consistent experience from every manager on the team. Focus on fewer things Instead of straddling teams, lets align with our cross-functional peers and go deep in one product area. Shared context Your manager should be close to your work and your product team. Proactive communication with partners Make sure people know who their CS POCs are. Clear growth paths Individual contributors have a path besides managing - they can become leads. Managers have a clear path, too. More stability Stay with your team long enough to develop expertise in your area. Managing Philosophy & Structure
56. • Process • Prioritization • Time management • Saying no • Building strong partnerships • Creating templates Best practices
57. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates
58. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates Content strategy critique
60. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates
61. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates Control your calendar Give yourself uninterrupted blocks of time. Take time on Mondays to adjust priorities for the week.
62. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates Avoid meeting overload Ask yourself if you really need to be there. If you’re working during a meeting, it’s not a good use of time.
63. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates Block out your days Try to have all your meetings for a given project on the same day - that way you avoid context switching.
64. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates Take breaks Go outside and take a walk, catch up with someone over coffee, or find other ways to recharge.
65. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates No, but… I can get it to you at a later date I have a template you can use I can ask our support content strategist I can provide guidelines and edit I can consult for an hour I’ll check with our central content team
66. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates The Central Content Support Team Who we are We’re a small group of content strategists dedicated to helping our embedded team members do their best strategic thinking by taking on work they can’t cover and stepping in to service unsupported product teams with all their content needs. What we can help with - UX content - Email - Editorial - Brand and copywriting - and more!
67. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates
68. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates Know your POC Figure out how each of you likes to work. Involve us early We can be more strategic if we’re there for the kick-off. Give us time to explore Sometimes we need to go off our own to write. Share concrete feedback Start with the problem or issue, and offer specific suggestions. Build trust Rely on us as core members of your team, and recognize contributions. Collaborating with content strategists
69. Process Prioritization Time management Saying no Partnerships Templates
70. Tell your story
71. Tell your story Educate partners Stay top of mind Create community
72. Creating a Language of Belonging
86. Set the foundation: Your team needs a mission, values, and a strong voice. Create frameworks: Clarify roles, build out your style guide, and share best practices. Tell your story: Educate partners, stay top of mind, and create community.
88. Thank you! marissa.phillips@airbnb.com