Sally Bagshaw, a content strategist from Australia, is the
Down Under version of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. Her
excitement about content is like riding a rocket ship to a new
destination. Sally’s view and
predictions of content are always spot on, and she gives us a revealing glimpse
into the future of content in this interview.
Sally comes from a communications background, but always had
an affinity for the technical ‘bits’ of content. She says, “I’m a bit of a word
nerd and quickly fell into the online space in 2001, and never looked back. I
had an interest in the technical components of websites and content, so I was
naturally drawn toward online copywriting, web redevelopment projects, CMS implementations
and then finally became an IT project manager.”
During her stint as an IT project manager, Sally realized
she needed to return to her creative roots. That’s when Sally started Snappy Sentences, her copywriting and
content strategy consultancy. As she built the company, it was important for
her to use content strategy as the lead, rather than “sloshing in content
strategy as part of a writing project.” (Sally uses many charming words like ‘sloshing’).
While many of us are still grappling with the content
spotlight, Sally is already thinking about what is coming around the bend. She
comments on three major trends she says to look out for in content:
- Why ‘The Great Schism’ is still painful
- Connected Content
- Speak geek a bit better
Why ‘The Great
Schism’ is still painful
When linguists try to track down the history of the term
‘The Great Schism’, they will find this blog post and have their ‘aha’ moment. Because,
Sally and I coined this term during our Google Hangout chat. (Linguists, you’ll
have to do more research to find out what a Google Hangout is.)
The Great Schism refers to what happened about 10 years ago
in organizations the world over: Marketing said to IT, “We’re taking back the web,
because even though it’s a technology platform, dammit, it’s a communications
tool.” And, alas, like the Targaryens, we’re still fighting for who gets to sit
on the Iron Throne.
Sally says, “It still amazes me that there’s a gap between
traditional marketing communications professionals and web marketing
professionals. Why is there such a strong line in the sand between off-line and
online? There’s still an us and them mentality—content is content—there
shouldn’t be a difference in what you produce for the web and what you produce
for off the web.”
I have a sign in my kitchen that reminds my children (well
the ones that can read, anyway), “If you want to be treated differently, act
differently.” If content is going to move in the direction it needs to, then
there absolutely must be a paradigm shift in the way businesses approach
content. This brings us to Sally’s next prediction…
What is Connected
Content?
Sally comments on the future of content, “To do really cool
stuff with content we need to connect all
the content across a business. We need to stop talking about the website with
its web content as something separate to core business. It’s not. It’s how we
communicate with our clients and customers; it’s how we meet our business
goals. It should be treated as an important part of the engine, not an optional
extra.” That signals that paradigm shift in thinking that all businesses must
embrace if they want to keep up.
Sally predicts, “In the future, every touchpoint customers
have with a business will be connected—from the website to the call centre, to
the interactive kiosk in-store. The future is connected content—the seamless
delivery of a content—regardless of whether you’re selling a product, a
service, or a government agency who needs to deliver data.”
As content strategists, many of us are grappling with the
BIG data challenge. Sally thinks the government initiatives of open
data—encouraging different data sources to do new things— is an exciting one,
and a smart way to use this information. She says, “We will be inspired by how
different people and communities use our content. Great ideas will start
bubbling to the surface.” We’ll be looking at products and services that are so
intertwined with our daily life that uses content in all sorts of new ways.
Which is why she challenges content strategists the world over (except for
Rachel Lovinger, cause she kind of has this nailed), to speak geek better.
How do we speak geek
a bit better?
With a chuckle, Sally reminds me of when we started talking
about the Internet fridge and we were all like, ‘Wah?” But, indeed, when
thought through more carefully, who wouldn’t want a computer to tell them what
to make for dinner and what’s in their fridge? (Those kids, even the ones who
can’t read, expect dinner every night.)
Sally says, “The idea that connecting all of our daily lives
through content is an exciting one. We cannot be so afraid of technology and
where it’s going to take us (rocket ride!). Therefore, as content strategists
we need to learn to speak geek a little bit better to have those conversations
that will enable content to connect with all those touchpoints and inform our
daily lives in meaningful use patterns.” (Clearly, she already speaks geek.)
Sally adds in her optimistic tone, “We haven’t run out of
ideas of how content can help us.”
Interested in being interviewed for Confessions of a Content
Strategist? You’ve got some hard acts to
follow, but let us know!
