In this 3-question interview, Conny tells us about the best content advice ever, content performance measurement and a favorite content tool.
1) What is the best advice you’ve ever been given when it comes to content?
When Daniel Jacobson (@daniel_jacobson) first coined the term COPE (Create Once, Publish Everywhere) in 2009, he opened my eyes to the potential of this new, digital world we live in. Instead of creating original content for each of the many platforms, he advocates for the separation of content from the display to ensure modularity and portability. I have since adopted this philosophy, and create many communication pieces out of a given “base text.” This copy is then transposed into posts for social media, press releases, blog posts etc. which makes content creation quicker and more effective.
2) How is the performance of your content measured/evaluated at your school?
At Kennedy Library, we’re using different metrics to track content performance. For websites, Google Analytics gives us a good idea of our users’ behavior, from page views, time on page to page depth or traffic sources. On social media, we mainly measure engagement, i.e. likes, mentions, shares or comments. Applying UX strategies, we try to optimize all content for SEO to secure organic traffic and good rankings through keyword discoverability. We can also determine the impact of our outreach based on philanthropic gifts the library received.
3) What is your favorite content tool?
The Hemingway App has been indispensable for my work, especially as the library is planning a website content overhaul. The online tool helps to demonstrate readability to stakeholders, i.e. we can demonstrate how understandable any piece of writing is to our audience. The Hemingway App is free, and makes it easy to identify sentence structures or words that are too complicated for the readers. It also signifies the use of passive vs. active voice, which helps to create more engaging content.
A conference focusing on higher ed content?
The Higher Ed Content Conference is a must-attend event for higher ed content professionals and teams looking for new ideas and best practices.
Read below what a few of your higher ed colleagues who attended the past editions of the Higher Ed Content Conference say about the experience.