Storming the Castle

@nozurbina @lavacon

How to Reach Those Who Control and Power and Purse

Strings

Storming the Castle: How to Reach Those Who Control and Power and

Purse Strings

noz.urbina@urbinaconsulting.com

@nozurbina / @thecsbook

urbinaconsulting.com

(Originally presented as a LavaCon Conference keynote while working for Mekon ltd.)

@nozurbina @LavaCon

Me (Noz Urbina, Urbina Consulting)

Content strategist & modeller

Consultant/trainer

Author

urbinaconsulting.com/events

89 3929 31 x8824g

UC.com 2015

You

You have a (great) idea for how to improve something content-related. Which requires:

@nozurbina @lavacon

Our mission overview

@nozurbina @lavacon

Climb the mountain,

storm the castle

...and get back with the treasure

Our mission tasks

@nozurbina @lavacon

Doing your research and choosing your team

Planning and equipment

Getting back down

Storming the castle

Climbing

What is the treasure?

@nozurbina @lavacon

What is the treasure?

@nozurbina @lavacon

If you’re not clear on what it is that you want, and why, you will

fail

Doing your research

@nozurbina @lavacon

Doing your research

@nozurbina @lavacon

? ???

?

?? ?

There are many ways to storm a castle…

Doing your research

@nozurbina @lavacon

“It is only one who is thoroughly

acquainted with the evils of war

that can thoroughly

understand the profitable way of carrying it on.”

– Sun Tzu

Validate what you think you want

– Audience

– Requirements

– ROI

@nozurbina @lavacon

“The general... whose only

thought is to protect his

country and do good service... is the jewel of the

kingdom.” – Sun Tzu

Find out how you’ll know when you have it

– Success metrics

– Audit

Doing your research

@nozurbina @lavacon

“Bravery without forethought,

causes you to fight blindly and

desperately like a mad bull.”– Sun Tzu

Find out if it’s even remotely possible

– Current corporate climate

– Other big spends/initiatives

Doing your research

Organisational Goals

User goalsYour goals

Sexual

Chocolate

Pitfalls

Thinking people care about

contentbit.ly/notking

All ideas and no tech

Not realising it’s sales a

pitch

All ideas and no tech

Not realising it’s sales a

pitch

Choosing your team

@nozurbina @lavacon

Choosing your team

Strategist

Doer

Technologist

Presenter

Copyright NBC Studios

Pitfalls

Know thyself

Availability

Too big / too many cooks

Dead weight

Too dispersed

Vision

Lack of key perspective

s

Planning and equipment

@nozurbina @lavacon

Castle map

Support

Es

“Sell”“Make”

ProductMgmt.Dev

SupportDocs & Training

Pre-Sales Eng.

Field App Eng.

S&M

Persuade

Org chart bingo$$$

Influencer

++

+- ?

x

n

-

ForAgainstNeutralUndecided Unknown

Irrelevant

+-xn

?

+

? ?

++

“Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle,

but in defeating

without ever fighting.”– Sun Tzu

Audience to benefits / needs map

Your idea

Quality (QM)•Errata Sheet Process•Doc Guidelines•Process alignment•…

Legal & Patent•Trademarks•Disclaimer•IP Protection•…

Communication•Corporate Design•Document distribution (e.g. via Internet)•…

Sales & Marketing•Document release•Requirement capturing•Localization•… R&D

•Document creation•Design automation•Tool support service•Template service•…

IT•Tool evaluation•Tool implementation•Process / Tool support•…

The 4Ps• Who’s

affected• Changes

to work

• Required Tools and support

• Credibility• Authority• Alignment

PeopleProces

s

Platform

Position

Pitfalls

Scope too big

Too fast

Insufficiently aligned /

researched

The climb itself

@nozurbina @lavacon

Castle map

Support

Es

“Sell”“Make”

ProductMgmt.Dev

SupportDocs & Training

Pre-Sales Eng.

Field App Eng.

S&M

Persuade

“There are only two methods of

attack:direct and indirect; yet in combination these give rise toan endless series of manoeuvres.”

– Sun Tzu

Castle map

Support

Es

“Sell”“Make”

ProductMgmt.Dev

SupportDocs & Training

Pre-Sales Eng.

Field App Eng.

S&M

Persuade

Castle map

Support

Es

“Sell”“Make”

ProductMgmt.Dev

SupportDocs & Training

Pre-Sales Eng.

Field App Eng.

S&M

Persuade

VPs

"Sell"

"Make"

ProductMgmt

Dev

Support

Docs &Train

Pre Sales Eng.

FieldAppEng.

S&M

Castle map with BUs (acquired)

VPs

"Sell""Make"

ProductMgmtDev

SupportDocs &Train

Pre Sales Eng.

FieldAppEng.

S&M

VPs

"Sell"

"Make

"

Product

Mgmt

S&M

Support

Docs &

Train

Pre

Sales

Eng.

Field

App

Eng.

S&M

Es

VPs

"Sell"

"Make"

ProductMgmt

Dev

Support

Docs &Train

Pre Sales Eng.

FieldAppEng.

S&M

Castle map with BUs (acquired)

VPs

"Sell""Make"

ProductMgmtDev

SupportDocs &Train

Pre Sales Eng.

FieldAppEng.

S&M

VPs

"Sell"

"Make

"

Product

Mgmt

S&M

Support

Docs &

Train

Pre

Sales

Eng.

Field

App

Eng.

S&M

Es

“...senior management is on board...middle managers do not all fully understand the

content initiatives and therefore do not carry

them forward with their staffs.”

– UC Survey Respondant

Pitfalls

Missing key buy-in

Getting communication balance

right

Cookie cutter pitching

No sense of urgency

Pitfalls

Missing key buy-in

Getting communication balance

right

Cookie cutter pitching

No sense of urgency

38%

38% don’t know what

their company is doing or

why!

[Realistic/Cookie]

Justifying that I'll be able to continue creating content

while also researching/implem

enting new tools and strategies.

– UC Survey Respondent

[Urgency]

Decision-makers who don't make

decisions or communicate... by sharing updates,

requesting updates, or attending

meetings to make decisions

– UC Survey Respondent

The climb itself

@nozurbina @lavacon

Pitfalls

Thinking savings is always

motivational

Thinking content’s king

Playing the magician

Being a controversy whore

Lack of standards / references (credibility)

Unclear. Not concise.Not visual.

______’s (Content) StrategyCorporate Strategy• Be most innovative

provider of solutions into key markets:– ...– ...– ...

Content Strategy• Treat information

as a business asset– “Innovative”:

knowledge that’s easily shared & accessed

– “Solution”: content integrated into product offering

Sample tool selection short list“Killer” Requirements

CCMSs References CMS Compatibility /

Flexibility

Multi-platform

Standard Support

Roadmap

xxx

xxx

xxx

xxx

Pitch checklist

Itemised budget and ROI over time

5 Year TCO

Key milestones / Escape points

Risk matrix and mitigation plan

Market references

“What if we do nothing”?

Contextual alignment

CONTEXTUALISING THE PITCH

Some useful ideas

Content StrategyEnabling,

Product data &

Technical Content

Persuasive,

Sales & Marketing Content

Content Strategy is Cross-silo

Development efficiency &

significant cost avoidance

Unified Framework for ContentDelivery, Measurement and

Improvement

Brand Equity, regional markets

& revenue channels

BusinessGoals

Org

UsersYou

“Content providers are too siloed: MarComm, TechComm, Web Design, Product Support, and Training and

have different reporting structures.” – Survey

Un-aware

Recognize

Educate

Compare

Select

Configure

Support / Train

Use

Unified picture of a customer

?

Un-aware

Recognize

Educate

Compare

Select

Configure

Support / Train

Use

Unified picture of a customer

?

Un-aware

Recognize

Educate

Compare

Select

Configure

Support / Train

Use

Unified picture of a customer

? ?

“Companies don’t know what they know... they

don’t have a strategy that focuses around the

customer and the data and using them in a

proactive way.”

– Bill Payne, Vice President, CRM and industries

http://ibm.co/10UFHHx

Getting back down

@nozurbina @lavacon

Pitfalls

You won’t get everything:

prepare for the half-win

Fight for some more time:

managers often rush what they don’t (fully)

understand

GET BASELINESMETRICS:

So you can prove ROI

Wash, rinse, repeat:

Getting budget is the beginning of the fun

Happy storming!

noz.urbina@urbinaconsulting.com@nozurbina / @thecsbookUrbinaconsulting.com/blog

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