As we build and refine our curriculum, we look for a variety of learning resources like books, articles, presentations, tutorials, and podcasts. We love resources that explain concepts with real-world examples. Real-world examples will help our students understand how we apply the tools and techniques we learn.

Margot Bloomstein writes many articles on content strategy. She also wrote a book, Content Strategy at Work. In her writing, Margot often includes real-world examples that illustrate her approach to content strategy.

In her article, “Incorporating Content Strategy into Your Information Architecture,” Margot explains how REALTOR.org uses content strategy to guide redesigns and ongoing updates to their site. REALTOR.org, the online home of the National Association of Realtors©, publishes an array of content for realtors like real estate investment, housing statistics, and continuing education.

Content requires maintenance. Over time, it may need to be replaced with up-to-date content. Every time REALTOR.org updates a site section, they start with a content audit to see whether their existing content is still relevant.

Margot illustrates quantitative and qualitative content audits by describing REALTOR.org’s process:

While the headcount of a quantitative audit can determine what’s there, only a qualitative assessment can help you determine how good it is, whether you need to update it, and in what ways.

To learn more about how REALTOR.org uses content strategy in their process, read the entire article. The article is an excerpt of Margot’s book, Content Strategy at Work.

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Do you want to learn more about content strategy and UX design? You’ll learn how to plan, create, and maintain content as a Center Centre student. View our full program or apply today.

We recently explained how we use Erin Kissane’s book, The Elements of Content Strategy, to refine our Copywriting and Content Strategy course curriculum. We use books to build our curriculum, but we also use other sources like podcasts, articles, tutorials, and webinars. We track the sources we use to build the curriculum so students can use the same resources for their learning. We’re building a diverse collection of learning resources to support the different ways students learn.

I’m a regular listener of CTRL+CLICK CAST podcast. In the episode “Content-First Design,” the hosts have a lively discussion with Steph Hay, a content strategist at Capital One.

I enjoyed this podcast so much that I listened to it three times. Steph explains how she applies content strategy to everything she does.

Steph listens to customer stories during user research at Capital One. She listens not only for the customers’ pain points and needs but for the words that they use when they talk about their finances. If the customer says “money,” the team infuses terms like “money” in their content instead of industry terms like “funds."

Lea and Emily, the podcast’s hosts, asked Steph, “What do you think makes a great content strategist?” Steph says great content strategists exhibit these behaviors:

• They’re incredibly focused on finding the language that connects people.
• They’re not attached at all to writing a certain way.
• They’re not territorial of the language because they know that the customer owns the language.

To learn more about how Steph infuses content strategy into her work, listen to the entire interview.

Apply to be a student

Do you want to learn more about content strategy and UX design? You’ll learn about content-first design and much more as a Center Centre student. View our full program or apply today.