Getting Started with Intelligent Content

This week #ContentChat was joined by Carrie Hane (@carriehd) for a conversation around getting started with intelligent content.

Q1: What is intelligent content?

A1a:  Intelligent content is content that is structured to optimize performance with technology. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A1b: It is structurally rich, semantically categorized, automatically discoverable, reusable, reconfigurable, & adaptable. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A1 Content that has logic behind it – how it’s connected to gather data? #contentchat

— SqueezeCMM (@SqueezeCMM) November 21, 2016

a1 Structured content that is categorized so that it may be found, engaged with & shared #contentchat https://t.co/yWD2FtKgrw

— Debi Norton (@BRAVOMedia1) November 21, 2016

A1: To me, intelligent #contentmarketing is created to strategically serve across multiple channels, flexibly w/ automation. #contentchat

— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) November 21, 2016

A1. Content that is automatically discoverable, reusable, reconfigurable and adaptable #ContentChat @SFerika

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

A1. Intelligent content must be structurally and semantically rich #ContentChat @SFerika @HubSpot

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

There are many words that technically describe intelligent content, but the most imp. (IMO) is value and filling a purpose. #contentchat

— Samantha McCain, APR (@samemac) November 21, 2016

A1 Intelligent content is structurally rich and semantically aware = more adaptable and discoverable #contentchat

— Phil Siarri (@philsiarri) November 21, 2016

A1 It’s discoverable, reusable, reconfigurable and adaptable. It’s content that helps you and your customers get the job done. #contentchat

— Kathy Kopacz MS (@kkopacz1) November 21, 2016

Q2: Why should an organization deploy an intelligent content approach?

A2a: An intelligent content approach results in better experiences and more efficient content management. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A2. When done right, it can be used to optimize your content in an effective, strategic way #ContentChat @Sferika @SpinSucks

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

A2b: To reuse, remix, restyle content anywhere. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A2c: To create (and update) content once and publish everywhere. This is the efficiency aspect. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A2d: So it’s ready for whatever technology, system, or device is waiting for you next year (or beyond). #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A2: Intelligent content (in/outside the org) reduces duplication, refinding, and plays a huge role in knowledge mgmt. #contentchat @SFerika

— Jess Hutton (@JessLHutton) November 21, 2016

A2e: To be more easily found on search engines. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A2f: The reasons to deploy an intelligent content approach are seemingly endless. A better question is “why aren’t you?” #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A2 Way better ROI, takes less effort to reach desired audience and readapt #contentchat

— Phil Siarri (@philsiarri) November 21, 2016

A2. To be known for consistently creating high value content. Comes back to the old ideas of timely, relevant and meaningful. #contentchat

— Rachel Formaro (@rachelformaro) November 21, 2016

A2 : Why not? It optimizes user experiences and encourages engagement! #contentchat https://t.co/Q3Hey8bHAJ

— HeyOrca! (@HeyOrca) November 21, 2016

A2) Economies of scale make it economically prudent to utilize intelligent content #contentchat

— Scott Johnson (@iScottJohnson) November 21, 2016

A2: It forces you to be more deliberate and strategic as a brand, which increases potential for success. #ContentChat

— Rachel Macklin (@rmacklinrecruit) November 21, 2016

A2) Intelligent content = working smarter. Create content that your audience will gain value from across several platforms #ContentChat

— Jason Schemmel (@JasonSchemmel) November 21, 2016

@NightclubGenius Creative will only get you so far. The “intelligent” part helps it get found and used. @SpinSucks #contentchat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

@carriehd I think a big reason content teams hesitate is a perception that it’s costly to implement, which brings us to Q3. #ContentChat

— Erika Heald (@SFerika) November 21, 2016

A2. With better results comes a better opportunity to negotiate budgets for content internally #ContentChat @SFerika @SpinSucks

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

A2 If you implement intelligent content best practices, it can reach a broader audience and have a longer shelf life. #contentchat

— Kathy Kopacz MS (@kkopacz1) November 21, 2016

A2: Intelligent #content boosts efficiency by writing once, leveraging many places. Limits rework, & helps us stay on message. #contentchat

— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) November 21, 2016

Q3: Can anyone implement an intelligent content approach? Or is there a significant minimum level of investment in technology?

A3. Depends on the level in which you want your content to perform. Best practices will need to rely on more technology #ContentChat

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

A3a: Small, static websites that don’t connect to other technologies don’t need an intelligent content approach. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A3b: As for technology, your CMS needs to allow structured content and not be page-centric. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A3b: As for technology, your CMS needs to allow structured content and not be page-centric. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A3 It takes quality human capital, in other words : smart, educated people = investment. But ROI tends to be great 😉 #contentchat

— Phil Siarri (@philsiarri) November 21, 2016

A3: I say yes, but may be heavily predictive and dependent on external changes/advancements. But why not be prepared? #contentchat @SFerika

— Jess Hutton (@JessLHutton) November 21, 2016

Structured content is content that is broken up into chunks or fields. Not necessarily web pages. #contentchat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A3c: Content doesn’t just live in one system though. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A3d: Once you begin to use this approach, you’ll want to connect other technologies, so they need to be able to work together. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A3e: I’d say there needs to be a different way of looking at investment in technology – not necessarily a different level. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q4: How does intelligent content vary from the type of content most of us are currently creating? Does team makeup differ?

A4a: It isn’t just a single blob of content shoved into a body field of a CMS or automated marketing tool. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A4b: It is completely separated from presentation so that it can be incorporated into any interface. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A4c: Instead of a title and body, it has a set of fields that essentially turn content into data for you anywhere, by anyone. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A4d: You’ll need to have a MarTech person or content strategist who can translate between business side and tech side. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A4e: Ideally there is a centralized team – or at least someone in charge of content. A Chief Content Officer, perhaps. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A4f: For intelligent content to work, you can’t create and publish content in silos. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A4) The team absolutely factors. Different minds coming from different perspectives will produce different content. #Diversity #ContentChat

— Jason Schemmel (@JasonSchemmel) November 21, 2016

A4 You don’t structure and use semantics exactly the same say from one medium to another , for ex: white paper vs videos #contentchat

— Phil Siarri (@philsiarri) November 21, 2016

A4 I think the answer to this question is the nexus where technology meets creativity when it comes to content creation. #contentchat

— Derek Pillie (@dpillie) November 21, 2016

A4. Collaboration and communication between multiple departments will increase more than usual #ContentChat @Sferika @SpinSucks

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

A4 We’ve found it helpful to have brown bag sessions where a developer will walk through changes in tech aspects of markup. #contentchat

— Derek Pillie (@dpillie) November 21, 2016

Agreed. Not all writers find it easy to adapt to writing within a template or with platform-independency a key factor. #ContentChat https://t.co/8WwWebBqmU

— Erika Heald (@SFerika) November 21, 2016

@carriehd @kkopacz1 It’s definitely a different way of thinking when it comes to structuring content! -Ashley #ContentChat

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

A4 For our #IntelligentContent, it involves multiple folks from various depts working in coordination. #ContentChat

— Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) November 21, 2016

A4 Intelligent content is automatically discoverable, reusable, reconfigurable, and adaptable. Discoverable in terms of SEO #contentchat

— Kathy Kopacz MS (@kkopacz1) November 21, 2016

A4-b This chat brings back memories when I was battling old school CMSs on the job,I certainly don’t miss publishing nodes 😉 #contentchat

— Phil Siarri (@philsiarri) November 21, 2016

A4 #IntelligentContent REQUIRES collaboration ACROSS depts/teams for it to be effective. #ContentChat

— Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) November 21, 2016

Q5: What are some of the challenges/difficulties in implementing intelligent content?

A5. In a lot of ways, you have to be able to think like a digital marketer, not just a communicator #ContentChat @Sferika @SpinSucks

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

Q5a: It does require dedicated resources to be sure the technology can support the content. It can’t happen in a vacuum. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A5 Your biggest challenge is going to be the software you work with, if your CMS can’t hack it, then you may be up the creek. #contentchat

— Derek Pillie (@dpillie) November 21, 2016

Q5b: It’s a shift of mindset at all levels of an org. You must rethink how you create, manage, and connect content. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q5c: Implementing intelligent content means investing in a continuous cycle of create, publish, measure, iterate. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q5d: You might not see quick wins, but once they start coming in, they can be huge. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A5: Understanding the right technologies to utilize and building/training a team that can use them effectively. #ContentChat

— Rachel Macklin (@rmacklinrecruit) November 21, 2016

A5. Connecting technologies/environments internally won’t be easy if it’s not already done #ContentChat @Sferika @SpinSucks

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

A5 Intelligent content addresses a key content marketing challenge. Inconsistency. Inconsistency damages customer experience. #contentchat

— Kathy Kopacz MS (@kkopacz1) November 21, 2016

A5 B/C #IntelligentContent creation requires we work/play together, it forces unlikely partnerships that can be challenging #contentchat

— Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) November 21, 2016

A5 My dept’s need for input on #IntelligentContent, may not your priority, so learning how to collaborate is key. #contentchat

— Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) November 21, 2016

@carriehd Do you see the data side as a separate department that holds marketing accountable or are they two halves of a whole? #contentchat

— Derek Pillie (@dpillie) November 21, 2016

@dpillie I don’t like to think in terms of departments. But someone needs to be in charge of data and hold creators accountable #contentchat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A5: It makes content creation more complex, & not all content fits easily/naturally into the forced format required. #contentchat

— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) November 21, 2016

Agree with this. Many of my best writers have struggled w/content promo+distribution, let alone this sort of structure. #ContentChat https://t.co/7mZlGKf0Bh

— Erika Heald (@SFerika) November 21, 2016

A5 Knowledge sharing= Content producers, taxonomists, IT,etc… don’t always play nice, speak and share. #contentchat

— Phil Siarri (@philsiarri) November 21, 2016

A5b: Between ‘intelligent’ content & the impact of #SEO keeping content human-first & personal becomes more difficult. #contentchat

— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) November 21, 2016

A5 Changes writing into a more deliberate form. Less free and more constricted/designed. #contentchat

— Joshua Aaron 🌴☀ (@SoCalSMM) November 21, 2016

Q6: What are some examples of companies who have adopted an intelligent content approach?

Q6a: I don’t have first-hand knowledge of how, but I hear these companies mentioned: Dell, Coca-Cola, Kraft, Home Depot, GE #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q6b: Also some big non-profits and associations like American Cancer Society and the Consumer Electronics Association. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q6c: Basically, all the big brands have to be doing this in some way or they wouldn’t thrive. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q6d: Perhaps the biggest and most public example is the British Government: GOV.UK. #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A6. Fitbit does a good job siloing based on product – you’ll notice this everywhere online for them! #ContentChat

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

A6: I think @MailChimp has a great #intelligentcontent model for their users, but also internally. #contentchat @carriehd @SFerika

— Jess Hutton (@JessLHutton) November 21, 2016

A6 I used to work for an online education company, that sector has learned to do a good job of #IntelligentContent. #contentchat

— Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) November 21, 2016

A6 @Flipboard. Mutliple blogs & publish on so many channels & keep content intelligent. https://t.co/84H9MRC8uV #ContentChat #FlipBlogger

— Terry Porter (@TPorter2) November 21, 2016

A6b: My fave example, though, is @NPR (from @karenmcgrane‘s talks: https://t.co/0BrklAN0Wv ) #contentchat @carriehd @SFerika

— Jess Hutton (@JessLHutton) November 21, 2016

A6. Sometimes it’s hard to notice companies using #intelligentContent – that’s whey they are doing it right #ContentChat @Sferika @SpinSucks

— Record Nations (@record_nations) November 21, 2016

A6 @NikonUSA are sometimes mentioned as proponents / users of intelligent content https://t.co/Hs0zu7rfG0 #contentchat

— Phil Siarri (@philsiarri) November 21, 2016

A6c: Specifically this slide, for those of you who need visuals: https://t.co/TYGbtQAYda @NPR @karenmcgrane @carriehd @SFerika

— Jess Hutton (@JessLHutton) November 21, 2016

Q6: @Kapost and @HubSpot do great jobs on the front-end. #contentchat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q7: What are some tools and resources for someone who wants to start implementing intelligent content?

Q7a: There’s my blog, which covers lots of these aspects: https://t.co/JoWBest8hT #ContentChat #shamelessselfpromotion

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q7b: There’s the Intelligent Content conference https://t.co/8PQ0k2SsE8 #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q7c: @ARockley’s book Managing Enterprise Content #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

Q7d: @contentscience’s Content Science Review https://t.co/cbLfNKDWcW #ContentChat

— Carrie Hane (@carriehd) November 21, 2016

A7a: @lynda has really wonderful courses on how to create content including #blogs, #podcasts, #video, and #photography. #contentchat

— D2 Media Solutions (@D2MediaSLN) November 21, 2016

A7 My friends at @CMIContent have covered this topic quite a bit #contentchat

— Phil Siarri (@philsiarri) November 21, 2016