Ok, I need to rant, but maybe once I'm done, I'll feel better.
A content strategist is not a "clever Internet marketer." Nor are they an "excellent Web copywriter." Or any of the other bizarre labels we seem to be getting.
There are, on my last count, 4 types of content strategists:
1. Technical documentation specialists who can help you with an enterprise content strategy that makes use of a content documentation tool. They like things like meta data, workflow guidelines and governance issues.
2. Content marketing geniuses can help you in your planning and creation of content. They also will help you think of ways to deliver and publish your content, and can give you advice about governance and archiving. But they are focused on creating relationships with customers through the content itself--the words, pictures, videos, etc. They are former journalists, copywriters, digital communication specialists and marketing experts.
3. Editorial experts who will help you think through a news desk, editorial team and guidelines for how, when, what and who to publish to and for. They usually have backgrounds in journalism, writing, communications and the like.
4. Marketers who don't necessarily create content strategies, but implement them and follow them, adding to the particulars of their own team. They probably bring in content marketers so they can round out an excellent content team.
Content Strategies are Repeatable Cycles
Content strategies are supposed to be repeatable cycles for planning, creating, publishing and governing your content. That means they function like a washing machine; for each content type you run through the strategy, you should be able to follow the same steps and framework that work to get you to your goals, which are:
1. Aligning your business strategy with your content
2. Helping your customers accomplish their goals
So stop calling us "sophisticated Internet marketings" or "Web-savvy writers." We are rock stars and we've got our own moves.
