A Higher Ed Content Strategist Survival Guide

The following guest post was written by Lisa Maria Martin, a content strategist and information architect in higher ed. Lisa Maria will be speaking at Confab Higher Ed in Atlanta, GA this November. I’ve spent time in academia, and I’ve spent time in content strategy, but never before had I mixed the two. Then, last winter, I began working at a large, private university, handling content strategy and information architecture for websites … [Read more...]

Results: A Look at Content Strategy in Higher Education

Last month, we opened up our inaugural survey looking at content strategy in higher education. The goal of the survey was to gauge exactly how content strategy is practiced in higher ed. Thanks to 130 of you, we have a lot of information to help tell that story. Here, we present the results from the survey, with some commentary of our own—but we’d love to hear your thoughts and follow-up questions in the comments. Thank you again to … [Read more...]

Content Strategist Job Descriptions in Higher Ed

From conversations with our peers and an occasional scan of the job boards, we observe that more universities are beginning to hire content strategists. This is great news! It means that administrators and senior leaders are recognizing the value of their web content and the work required to manage it well—and hiring accordingly. But what should go into that job description? What are the key responsibilities and tasks we need to … [Read more...]

Portal Websites: The Great Content Divide

In the Star Trek universe, a "portal" is a doorway to another dimension, connecting two points in space-time. In higher ed, a portal is just as fantastic — an internal website intended to better target users, remove content clutter and improve content governance. Voila! Well, maybe. Portal websites aim to meet these goals by dividing content directed at external audiences (such as prospective students, parents and media) and internal … [Read more...]

Improv and Content Strategy

The following guest post was written by Amanda Costello, Lead Content Strategist at the University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development. Collaboration and listening are at the heart of both improv comedy and content strategy. You might have seen improv on stage or on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” In improv, while it doesn’t hurt to have a mind stuffed with trivia or an ear for a good pun, you must listen to your fellow … [Read more...]