Questions and responses:
How are you perceiving the future of content strategy? What issues do you currently see in the industry?
That’s a fantastic question—thank you!
Whether it’s spending time on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other content-strategy related forum, I’ve found that there exists a collective angst in our community.
“Who are we? How do we fit in to an organization?” is the rhetoric I often hear, and I consider it counterproductive to the essence of what content strategy is.
I say, look to the content strategists, UX writers, content designers, categorization specialists, IA specialists, and ask them if there is a precise way to be a content strategist—the answer will most likely be a NO.
Content strategy is such a diverse profession, full of nuanced skill sets. If we determine that our skills’ validity is rooted in having a title people can grasp and understand, we have hurt not only the very premise by which our community was built, but the potential of it.
After spending time as a product content strategy intern at Airbnb, I learned a thing or two from the 40-something team that comprised the content strategy department—what makes our work valid and useful isn’t the similarity of our outcomes or attempting to fit an industry mold; in fact, it is the personal processes and methodologies that we use to guide our work which makes us strong content strategists.
Sure, there are aspects of our profession which should stay consistent, like being detailed writers and editors, knowing how and when to communicate—but those are basic and expected skill sets. What proceeds those basic qualities are largely up to you and the various objectives and needs of your company.