• How old or generic your content is
• How many untrained people have traipsed through it
• The power struggles over content ownership
• Photos without alt tags

It’s likely that your content is a mess. The good news? You’re not alone.

The classic book on the subject, by Lisa Welchman, is called Managing Chaos for a reason. Most organizations start out governing their content ad hoc. Systems develop organically, the web advances, people move on, and suddenly, one day you have a mess.

The mess is causing everyday headaches for your team and costing your organization in SEO results and conversions. While the mess is part of the process, you can move through to a better way.

Clean it up in 2023. Everyone should take up the first two resolutions. Then, add at least one of the bonus tips for a solid action plan.

A simple and essential resolution: admit that you’re already governing content, whether you know it or not. If you’re governing by accident, it’s costing you—in headaches, SEO fails, and conversions.

What do we mean by governing web content? We mean decisions:

• What to publish
• When to review
• What to archive or move to the intranet
• What standards published content must meet
• How to get it done

If you have a public-facing website, you’ve made these decisions, whether you thought of it as governance or not; 2023 is the year to own it. Say it out loud, “This is how we govern content.”

Sign up to receive a report from our Higher Ed TALKS: State of Governance 2022 and get a priority invitation to the 2023 survey.

Related reading: What is Governance & Why Is It Important

We don’t mean stand on top of it and look around with pride. We mean map and measure it. If you have a mess, it helps to put some handles on it so you can get a grip in 2023. (If you don’t have a mess—woohoo! Congrats and move along; the rest of us have work to do.)

What kind of governance mess do you have?

In our practice, we see three types of snarled governance. The type usually arises around the flow of content through its ecosystem. Since one of the governing metaphors of content is that it is “like water,” match your mess to one of these bodies of water:

• Sprawling, shallow sea = large pool of untrained content contributors  
• Long, narrow mountain lake = small central pool of trained content contributors
• Sluggish river system = a network of content contributors in multiple offices

What problems does a wide, shallow sea cause?

The wide shallow sea causes the most problems. We see websites that don’t rank in organic searches, even in specialty areas, because the site fails basic SEO across its many pages. Each city-state on the site pursues its own strategy (what is the job of the website?), so user journeys break, and conversions never happen. Untrained contributors are the most likely to break accessibility, too, which leaves the institution vulnerable.

The mountain lake is great, right?

When you have a small, central team handling all content, your biggest challenges arise from the team’s overwhelming workload. Small teams manage by making all content evergreen (“I won’t have to touch that again for five years!”), over-relying on PDFs (which bring SEO, mobile UX, and accessibility challenges), and plastering the same primary conversion CTAs everywhere (failing to build a conversion journey).

Why is the content river sluggish?

Your medium-sized network of trained contributors can develop bottlenecks around individuals (the administrator who never gets around to reviewing content updates) or processes (a dozen workflows for publishing but none for archiving). Since each tributary is its own small team, any of them might fall prey to the small team challenges (over-evergreening, over-PDF-ing & over-CTA-ing). Finally, if training or reviewing standards fall away, this content ecosystem can quickly evolve into the wide, shallow sea.

Put your problems into words

It’s important to articulate the consequences of your special mess. This will vary from institution to institution. Here are some examples:

• “We publish great content but never archive. Our site’s SEO value has fallen, and our users complain about outdated content.”
• “Our site confuses users. They end up calling someone to figure out how to proceed. That ties up office staff and may cost conversions.”
• “Contributors don’t optimize images or add alt tags. Our site is slow, is getting dinged by search engines, and I expect a formal complaint about accessibility every day.”
• “We spend lots of money on digital ads, but once someone leaves the campaign landing page, they become lost and never convert.”

Need help identifying and articulating what’s going on in your content eco-system? Our high-level governance audit will bring you clarity on the question—email us to schedule a conversation.

Based on your mess-assessment, pick one of the three remaining options as the core of your 2023 Governance Action Plan.

You end up with a sprawling, shallow sea when you allow anyone with a voice in the institution to own and govern their own part of the website in their own way. To maintain a wide-input website well, you need your contributors to know and follow:

• Web content best practices (SEO, scan>read, etc.)
• Institutional standards (brand, voice, editorial, readability, accessibility)
• Conversion goals

Training is the first step, and standardizing is the tricky one. If the chair of department X thinks the readability or accessibility standards “dumb down” the content, the chair will flout them.

Taming the wide, shallow sea requires central leadership to take a stand for clear content governance (standards). The institution president is the ideal leader to frame this as a drive to maintain individual department rights while meeting the institution’s strategic goals. Some institutions may find a provost or other leader more effective with its contributor pool.

You might choose to “harmonize” more than standardize if you have a divided group contributing. Establish minimum thresholds as well as shared goals or horizons. Ask us about Writing for the Web trainings.

That narrow, mountain lake looks pretty, but its waters may be stagnant and unhealthy. For a website with a small, central team to thrive, you need to make sure the team has fresh input and well-regulated output:

• Input: Find out what stakeholders need the site to do (interviews, focus groups, seasonal chats, etc.).
• Input: Gather data on the user experience (focus groups, tree testing, heatmapping).
• Input: Have the team review each other’s areas to learn and share.
• Shift: Internal-facing content could move to an intranet for other teams to maintain.
• Output: Revise key user journey pages as a set, especially key journeys that cross your team’s silos. For example, a prospective student’s journey from academic program to campus life to admission.
• Output: Leverage your CMS to create more shared content blocks. Then the block on the honors program can have monthly updates that propagate across the site. (Breaking the blandness of evergreen everywhere without adding to the work overwhelm.)

Need quick, actionable insight into your user’s experience? Sign up for a journey audit.

That network of smart contributors across campus worked well once—at least in theory. For a website supported by a river of content makers to stay healthy, the river needs to flow in predictable and regular ways:

• Set up and enforce workflows in your CMS
• Collect data on how long your content takes to flow through the system
• Set alerts for content that has not been updated recently or that takes too long to flow through reviewers
• Create automated rules to unpublish aging content
• Create automated rules to move aging revisions on to the next level reviewer

Consider a CMS Workflow Audit & Consult to make the most of the tools you already have. Contact us today. 

While phrases such as “cancer patient” and “talk to your doctor” might seem innocuous, both can bear negative connotations. Describing the patient as their disease or assuming that they are already involved with the health system can upset or even alienate those who need your care most.

The words we choose could be the deciding factor for someone to get care with you, choose a competitor, or avoid care altogether. And, as the use of AI-assisted content creation grows, brands must infuse their messaging with human emotions to connect with people and stand out from other organizations.

It takes empathy and keen content skill to achieve the balance of helpful and relevant information with emotional sensitivity. We asked six healthcare content experts to share how they approach creating and reviewing person-focused content.

“We shouldn’t assume what people know or don’t know.” –

Robbie Schneider, Social Media Manager
Franciscan Health

When people visit our sites, we usually don’t know their circumstances—they could be newly diagnosed or seeking care for the first time.

For example, we have a large community of Burmese refugees in our city who are learning to navigate a new country, language, and healthcare system. We cannot assume they know how to find care and services.

The healthcare system is highly complex, even for those of us who work in that world. So, we intentionally select words that make it easier for patients to choose us and trust us with their care.

Robbie’s self-editing tip: “Make sure your work has a conversational feel by including more inviting phrasing. For example, swap some instances of ‘Schedule an appointment with your doctor’ with a warmer phrase like, ‘When you are ready to talk with a doctor, schedule an appointment.’ Look at your analytics to see whether these subtle changes make a difference in page engagement or conversions.”

“Choose directive, empathetic content.” – Lewis Clark, Jr., VP of Marketing, Media, and Public Relations, Deborah Heart and Lung Center

Healthcare is very digital, from telemedicine to advanced EMRs. But sometimes the experience falls apart when the “digital front door” meets reality. The “easy, streamlined scheduling process” you quipped about on your specialized care page might require a referral, pre-authorization, and a host of lab tests before you can see a specialist. When a person or their loved one is sick, that’s anything but easy and streamlined.

You can provide a more realistic content experience by dropping the buzzwords. Choose direct, empathetic phrasing—give visitors that “here’s what to do, and we’ve got your back” feeling.

To do that, you must first understand your audience’s concerns and questions. You can ask them directly through in-person touchpoints or via chatbot, email, phone, or mail survey. And you can glean some information from Google Trends, Moz, and other search tools.

Tailor your content to provide answers and reassurance—without too much fluff. While including accolades and data points is important, providing solid answers in your content should be the priority. Balance the urgency in your messaging with the person’s current desire—or crisis.

Lewis’s self-editing tip: “Ask someone from a different team to review your content. If they don’t understand or can’t determine the next step, take it back to the drawing board. I follow the Rule of Three: I like to get three sets of eyes on my work before I call it final because each reviewer brings a new perspective.”

“Seek alternatives for ‘battle’ language.” – Meredith Vehar, Creative Director, Communications Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

We encourage our writers to use person-first language to underscore that the disease is not the focus—the person is. For example, rather than writing about a breast cancer patient, share the story of a woman with breast cancer.  

“Battle” language is another type of phrasing we coach our teams to avoid—terms like “fighting” or “losing the battle with” cancer. When there is a winner, there is a loser, which may cast unfair negativity on those who die and simplify the multifaceted experiences of those who live. 

When I was in graduate school, I studied how patients identify with battle language. As part of the project, I asked patients how they specifically felt about the term “cancer survivor.” Some said the word “survivor” made them feel empowered, like they were winning. However, many said the term implies that dealing with cancer is done. They felt like they will always live with cancer, even if they are deemed cancer-free. Cancer, side effects, and treatments can profoundly change a person’s life. 

My sister died of metastatic breast cancer at 46. She called managing the disease “a dance.” It was something that happened to her, and something present in her life that she lived with for many years. She did not see herself as a valiant cancer warrior battling against her own body—she was a person with cancer who also had a beautiful, fulfilling life. 

Meredith’s self-editing tip: “Search your content for terms that carry a win/lose connotation. Instead of using those words, describe the true fears, pains, and suffering, as well as the triumphs, joys, and successes that center around the person’s lived experience. ”

Related reading: Our Empty Words

“Build rapport through storytelling.” – Lindsey Leesmann, MBA, Donor Relations Manager The University of Kansas Health System

Healthcare is something everyone experiences—it’s not just a need to fill. But it can be really scary to seek and get much-needed care. So, one of the most important jobs of a healthcare content creator is to make getting care less intimidating by building rapport through storytelling.

For example, we don’t say “Trust us!” in our content. Making such a direct please is a red flag to your audience—they should be able to trust inherently, and your stories should include supporting details that help them understand why you deserve their trust.

As an advancement content creator, I follow this methodology in my fundraising reports. Our stories don’t focus just on the science—we go behind the scenes of our patients’ and clinicians’ lives, telling the stories of where they were and where they are today.

Sometimes these stories are joyful; others are devastating. But both types illustrate real, emotional reasons for why it’s important to support the research and who will benefit from the donors’ generosity.

Lindsey’s self-editing tip: “Grammar check in Google Docs is my best friend. I search through every piece I write to find a passive voice, which often points to content that is not patient-centric. It helps me spot phrasing like, ‘The injection is given in the arm’ so I can change it to active voice, like, ‘You will get an injection in your arm.’”

Related reading: The Role of Storytelling in Post-Pandemic Marketing Strategy

“At the end of the day, content provides experiences.” – Tatiana Dietz, Executive Marketing Consultant, Prisma Health

My background is in hospitality, which served as a bridge to my consumer experience strategy role at Prisma Health. Many hospitals are very focused on the patient experience—we are working to focus also on the consumer experience and understanding what that means for the organization.

While all patients are consumers, not all consumers are currently our patients. And these people require different messaging based on their current and potential needs. Marketers group these messaging points into personas to inform the strategies for how we design content, images, and messaging.   

At the end of the day, content provides experiences—that hopefully create feelings of trust, safety, and positivity. We are a healthcare institution; providing timely, informed, and approachable health information is our goal. And if they choose to come to us for their vaccinations, diagnostic exams, or treatment, we’re thrilled to take care of them.

Tatiana’s self-editing tip: “Whether you’re writing a blog or designing a billboard, ask yourself this simple question: ‘Have you considered the consumer with this?’ If you haven’t homed in on the appropriate reading level, text-to-graphics ratio, and calls-to-action for your audience, your message won’t resonate with your audience—it might alienate them instead.”

“Meet people where they are.” – Morgan Smith, Manager, Health Care for the Homeless at Hennepin County Public Health Department

My team serves an unhoused population that deals with a range of concerns, from addiction to food insecurity and unmanaged chronic illness. That means our communication efforts must do double duty—growing relationships from rocky ground and connecting people with much-needed care.

That’s not so easy when many patients don’t have phones, let alone computers. We’ve found that going back to the basics of forming relationships—talking with people, listening, acknowledging their needs—helps bridge the gap between “What’s your story?” and “Here’s how we can help.”

In partnership with local community agencies, we’ve created welcoming events and offered incentives for getting care like vaccines. Sometimes we create printouts to hand out in the clinic or push to MyChart, which some of our patients use. To build trust, we must clearly express that we care about them as a whole person, and that sharing their story can help us provide meaningful, mindful care.

For example, we can’t simply prescribe medical equipment like a CPAP to someone who lives outside. But if they open up to us, we can find ways to help meet some immediate needs and hopefully connect them with ongoing care over time.

Morgan’s self-editing tip: “What we may think should be a patient’s health priority might not be even close to the top of their list of needs—and pushing opinions is the best way to get nowhere. Our prerogative should not be to tell them what we think they should know. It should be to meet them where they are, hear their story, and listen for ways we can help.”

What we say and how we say it are equally important. The words we choose could be the deciding factor in whether someone gets needed healthcare. Content creation in healthcare requires the empathy and skill to deconstruct common phrases and restate them in a way that puts people first.

Before you finalize your next content story, talk with a healthcare content strategist about how your audience might feel about common statements. Explore how someone who was recently diagnosed, is new to the U.S., or is concerned about a loved one might feel after engaging with your messaging.

Reframing common statements from a place of empathy can make the difference between someone choosing your institution or another center—or going without the care they need.

Want to talk through your content challenges? Schedule time with me today.

We’ve all been there. Overcomplicating content can take many forms:

• These 15 FAQs might look good in a dropdown menu. Especially the 4 we answered on another page and the 5 no one has asked since 2014.
• Let’s add three calls-to-action to this ad. That way, we can hit every potential audience.
• A short line of text would be best, but Stakeholder X likes long sentences. So, I’m writing this email like a novel.

Content usability is key performance indicator for a successful page, email, or blog. Crowded concepts are inefficient for your team and your audience: they elongate the writing process, slow down editing, and downgrade the user experience.

In short, trying to cover everything makes it tough to do anything—like completing conversions or proving return on your content investments.

Of course, not every piece will be easy to create, and not every easy path is best. But as these marketing experts shared at Content Marketing World 2022, simplifying your content and writing with clarity benefits your audience and business goals.

1. Focus Content to Clear Persona Factors

Personas should represent a narrow slice of your audience’s goals and reflect how your organization can help them achieve their goals. Focused content empathizes with the persona’s stage in the user journey and provides a path of least resistance to fulfill what they need.

Jill Grozalsky Roberson, Senior Director, Product Marketing of Sitecore, narrows down healthcare client personas—and the content her teams create—to cover three clear factors:

• As a —,
• I want to —,
• So I can —.

Solid content provides either the here-and-now solution or explicit next steps for the persona to achieve their goal. As Jill said at Content Marketing World, “The content experience is the customer experience.”

For maximum usability and conversions, declutter the conversion pathway and avoid extra content options that detract from the primary persona’s goal.

2. Answer one main question per piece

Google rewards simple, well-structured pages with higher search rankings. If you try to cover every possible persona question or next step on one page, Google—and human users—likely will deem your content irrelevant or unhelpful.

At Content Marketing World, I covered this “simple questions, simple answers” strategy with my co-presenters, Laura Hand, founder and CEO of Laura Loo Experience Design, and Sherry Bonelli, owner of early bird digital marketing.

To find the primary question your content should cover, keep asking “then what?” or “why?” until you can’t ask any further questions. The last level you can answer is the question on which to focus your content. Here’s an example of that progression from our pre-conference workshop session:

This strategy works for almost every type of content:

• Ad content
• Blog stories
• Emails, even e-newsletters
• Social content
• Webpages

Want to discuss simple, SEO-rich content creation? Schedule a call with me today.

3. Say ‘no’ to stakeholders…sometimes

Amanda Todorovich, Executive Director, Content Marketing at Cleveland Clinic, said it best in her keynote session: “I don’t care what the internal team wants to write about. What do the patients want to know?”

As usual, Amanda is right on the money. She knows that the best content strategies focus first on what the audience wants and needs—that’s why the Cleveland Clinic website is edging toward 1 billion site visitors in 2022.

Saying no internally doesn’t mean your content should become a brandless free-for-all with no stakeholder input. Amanda’s point is simple: Effective marketers don’t write content just to appease internal audiences.

We create helpful content that answers questions, offers straightforward next steps, and—either at the top or bottom of the funnel—aligns with your organization’s overarching goals.

4. Update your existing content

You don’t have to recreate the wheel for every gap in the editorial calendar or every new take on a topic. In fact, if you try to write new content for every change in guidelines or recommendations—or for every health awareness month—you’ll end up with dozens of pages that compete against themselves in search engine results.

In a four-person SEO panel led by Andy Crestodina of Orbit Media, Alli Berry, MBA, Senior Director of Content Marketing at The Arena Group, said updating content is a time-saving, search-boosting option for covering slightly new spins on evergreen topics.

Make text changes, add images or video, revise headlines…you get to keep the “link juice”—the authority factor from high-performing content that Google views as authoritative—if you update the content without changing the URL (or use proper 301 redirects if the URL must change).

Stamats highly recommends this strategy for blog and web content SEO. Showing Google that you have an authoritative, relevant page can organically boost your search rankings. And updating is almost always more efficient than starting from scratch.

Simple content reflects the ‘why’

Before you add another call-to-action, paragraph, or media embed to your content template, I challenge you to zoom out from the project and ask yourself, “Why am I creating this piece? What question is this content meant to answer?”

If you can’t answer within five seconds, you’re likely overcomplicating the piece.

When I feel stuck like this, I read each line or paragraph separately and think through how it relates to that primary question. If I can’t articulate it or it doesn’t fit, that content goes bye-bye.

Sometimes, the best way to get back to basics is to get another set of eyes on your content. Ask a friend or colleague who’s not part of your project to see if the content makes sense to them. Or schedule a quick call with me—I’m always happy to offer feedback and help translate complex strategy ideas into simple, user-friendly content.

Want to discuss simple, SEO-rich storytelling? Schedule a call with me today.

Related reading: Community-First Content Tips

Q & A Session with Nancy Patrick, Account Manager

In the vibrant world of marketing and higher education, the only constant is swift and continuous change.

Nancy Patrick recently celebrated 25 years of employment at Stamats and is well-acquainted with that change. Her tenacity, wide-ranging experience, life-long thirst for learning, and a healthy dose of humor are key ingredients helping her thrive and guide co-workers and clients to success.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Nancy to learn more about what inspires her to wake up and work hard, day after day.

What initially drew you into this industry, and what keeps you here?

I became immersed in the world of higher education early in life.

My mother was involved in higher ed, and I remember thinking how exciting it was and that I wanted to be part of it. And so — I did!

Once I got into the industry, I realized how rewarding it can be — and that kept me here.

I get to work with intelligent people who are passionate about making a difference. I am energized with stimulating conversation, day by day. The work we are entrusted to do has substance and it matters. I help people with goals to improve access and quality of education. This allows me to help shape young, eager minds.

This industry requires constant, on-going learning and adaptation. I’m invigorated by the remarkable opportunities it continues to present.

What would you consider one of the biggest changes at Stamats?

Simply that — change.

Stamats is always aware of industry changes. Over the years, we became thought leaders. We believe being nimble and flexible are key.

When I started at Stamats, we did print publications, brand work, and direct marketing. That was the medium of communication, at the time.

In the late 90s, we began dabbling in the digital space. Education was one of the first industries to jump into the world wide web, so it was natural that we also began shifting our focus into the digital space at that time. And we haven’t looked back!

What would you consider one of the biggest changes in higher education?

The internet!

It was new and beginning to make a splash in higher ed, marketing, and research. It changed the way coursework was delivered and even the definition of a “traditional student.” It is now common to return to school and shift career paths, at any point in one’s career.

Also, the cost of attendance has ballooned. This can lead people to work, save money, and go to college once they have a strong sense of what career path they want to pursue.

No matter what, higher education is still very valued and something no one can take from you.

Do you have a favorite office party memory to share?

In the early 2000s, we had annual holiday parties at the Cedar Rapids Country Club.

Employees and partners were invited. Most employees were local to Cedar Rapids, at that time. We got all dressed up, danced, enjoyed a fancy dinner.

Awards were given for sales and even some silly, spoof awards — just for fun. There were a lot of laughs, and it was a wonderful time!

What is the best piece of career advice you have given or received?

Advice Given: Don’t feel intimidated to ask for help.

Our employees are very intelligent and collaborative. A differentiator is that at Stamats, transparency and willingness to help transcends titles. All levels of employees are approachable and happy to help.

Advice Received: Proofread everything!

Once I sent a reply all when I didn’t mean to. Let’s just say that was a one-and-done mistake — and a valuable lesson.

What is one of your favorite memories at Stamats?

Gifts, gifts, gifts!

One Christmas, we had a coworker who wasn’t really a fan of the concept of holiday gift-giving. He went on vacation, and a group of us decided to have a bit of fun.

We gift-wrapped his entire office: computer tower, screens, mouse, front door, file cabinets, stapler, pens — everything! He had to break through a doorway of paper just to get in. Then he spent half the day unwrapping everything. Even though it didn’t change his opinion on gift-giving, I believe he appreciated our efforts.

What inspires you most about your career?

My career focuses on perpetual, cyclical learning.

I get to help those educators who make a life-long difference to their students. The satisfaction of working with co-workers and clients to set goals, implement strategies, and see them bloom to fruition is inspiring.

Learn to teach…and teach to learn.

If you told me 25 years ago that…

The advancements in our technology are accelerated, exciting, and at times — dangerous.

Twenty-five years ago, I didn’t imagine so much of this tech could happen in my lifetime. Yes, I saw it on the horizon. But instead, it’s here. Tech can be exhausting and sometimes I miss the simple life. But at the same time, it’s exhilarating. It will be interesting to find out what comes next.

[This interview has been edited and condensed.]

Stamats is a great place to work and we keep making it better. Our current opportunities offer positions in all areas of our company.

Related reading: The Positive Impact of Art in the Workplace

Governance is an agreed-upon strategy for updating, making decisions about, and creating new website content. In higher education, governance typically incorporates input from marketing/communications, faculty, staff, students, and groups, such as clubs or Greek organizations.

All parties have well-defined responsibilities and, as a group, they share accountability and action for updating their content, including text, layout, and calls-to-action.

Governance is critical to keeping your website working for you. To work toward successful content management, start by following these three steps.

1. Define a centralized strategy

Each person, department, and content-creating group must share a vision for the direction of the website content based on a common set of values. Details of your plan should include:

• How often you will update content?
• Who is responsible for which sections and pages?
• What images, layout options, and components are approved (or not)?

2. Provide proper training for all users

Writing for the web, making content accessible, and learning how to work in a content management system (CMS) are all special skill sets that can be taught. Before turning your content creators loose, make sure they understand the following basic governance principles:

• CMS templates: Users should understand what templates are approved on which pages. For example, many sites have a special design for Programs, Departments, and the homepage.
• Media: How to appropriately add videos, audio, and images to site pages. Make sure to include alt tags for accessibility.
• Migration: Moving content from the old site to the new one. See 10 migration best practices.
• Nested headers: To meet accessibility guidelines, hierarchy requires headings and subheadings. This helps visually impaired site visitors successfully navigate the site.
• Scannability: Use of subheadings, bulleted lists, and components to break up walls of text.
• Shared content components: Content that can be updated in one spot, with rippled changes throughout the site. For example, a “contact us” block that lives on multiple pages.
• Writing for the web: Users should understand best practices for writing appropriate headings, calls-to-action, linked text, URLs, and meta descriptions. All these features will affect how well users can find and use your site.

3. Set up a content publishing workflow

We can’t all have the final “say-so” for what content or images should be included on the website. Many organizations set up workflows in which there are specific levels of access based on a user’s role in the organization, skill with the CMS, and understanding of the institution’s brand and digital guidelines.

Many workflows involve three general levels of users:

• Administrators: These users have full site access and can upload, edit, and publish content sitewide, as well as manage permissions for other users.
• Superusers: They have similar access to Administrators, except they can’t manage other users’ permissions.
• Users: These individuals have access to change specific content or pages but generally cannot publish content.

Following workflows allows the central website team to keep the site content on brand without taking away all editing rights of the dispersed team. Email us today to discuss your governance strategy.

Related Reading: 4 PDF Accessibility Hacks

But all the blank pages can look intimidating – how are you supposed to move everything from your old site to the new one and make it look amazing at the same time?

Simplicity is in the details. And when it comes to content migration, there are a LOT of details. In general, the better you plan and work from the same strategy playbook as your content teammates, the smoother your site migration can be.

Stamats builds and migrates thousands of site pages each year for our healthcare, education, B2B, and retail partners. Here are our top 10 tips for making your content migration process as stress-free as possible.

1. Plan, Plan, Plan. And Plan Some More.

Before diving in with migrating content, your team will need to come together and plan out some migration strategies to make sure everyone is on the same page. It truly is a team effort! Make sure you have conversations on the following:

• Your institutional brand—Follow or start a guide for consistent formatting and usage (e.g., dates and times, updated logos, and branded language).
• Image Libraries—If you do not have enough images to fill your new site, plan some photo shoots before migration.
• Calls-to-action—List out the CTAs needed for different sections of your site.
• A PDF plan—If you currently have a lot of PDFs, determine how you will manage them. You can archive it with your digital librarian, turn them into a live webpage, completely remove them, or continue to upload on the new site. Due to PDFs not being easy to keep updated or accessible, we recommend downsizing the PDF library that will transfer to the new site.
• Assign task roles—You will need to divvy out roles for writing, gathering, optimizing images, and migrating content into the CMS, etc.
• Finalize your sitemap—Once you start migrating, rearranging your content hierarchy too much will cause many issues when pages are already built out in the CMS.

2. All Hail the Content Matrix!

Your website may have hundreds of pages—maybe thousands. That’s a lot of content to track, let alone move cohesively! Organization is key to keeping track of all the moving pieces in your project.

We never start a migration project without a shared content matrix (inventory). This document can be a Google Sheet, a SlickPlan document, or any type of content sorting tool you desire.

The matrix will serve as your Source of Truth for assigning pages to migrate (to internal and vendor partners), status of content writing and migration, rich media embeds, PDF and image optimization status, and more.

When properly populated, your matrix will help you track:

• Transition from old to new URLs (this is super important for creating your redirects list!).
• Page hierarchy and parent/child relationships (such as our Page ID numbering system).
• Future of each page. Will a page be deleted, moved as is, rewritten, or combined with other pages?
• Status of brand new content to be created.
• Content creation, approval, and migration status.

Pro tip: As you sort your current content in your new sitemap, assess it for necessary updates. Leave notes in your matrix regarding special consideration and edits for the new site. Your migration colleagues can reference your ideas and avoid rework.

Bonus pro tip: An awesome way to keep this spreadsheet useful even after officially launching your website is to include governance tracking. How often does a page’s content need updating? Who is in charge of updating it?

3. Name Your Images Consistently

Your team will upload a lot of images to the CMS. Adhering to a set naming convention will allow everyone to quickly find and place images. A few of our best practices include:

• Name all images of people as lastname-firstname.jpg (or whatever file extension you’re using)
  • Don’t include credentials such as M.D. or Ph.D. in the image title.
• Use hyphens to separate words, not underscores or periods.
• Keep all characters lowercase (no capitals).
• Start the file name with a priority identifier (such as its usage or site section) followed by a quick description. Examples: hero-banner-financial-aid.png or academics-biology-student.jpg.

4. Size Your Images Correctly

The last thing you want is for your new, shiny site to be slow. The biggest culprit of causing this is oversized images. Before you upload an image in the CMS, check the specifications and resize to fit these best practices:

• If you’re placing the image within the main content of the page, it should be no more than 450px in any direction unless the image is full-width. 
• If the image is going into a feature, use the exact image dimensions needed for that feature block (you should get this from your developer) to properly size the image for that feature. Not doing so can distort the feature and make it not match how it is supposed to look and function.
• No matter where the image is being placed, the file size for all images should be less than 100 KB.
• Programs like Photoshop are great for optimizing your images for size, but websites like Canva are also great tools.

Once you’ve planned and prepped everything you need for migration, it’s time to get into your CMS and start transferring content!

5. Optimize for Search Engines in 1..2..3!

A new website isn’t just about refreshing the design. It’s also a great opportunity to upgrade to your website content rankings on search engine results pages (SERP). If your old website did not have high search engine optimization rankings, improve it in three easy steps as you migrate content:

1. Use section headings strategically. Headings help break apart your information and make it easier for visitors to scan for the information they need. Ensure you’re selecting the CMS heading styling by clicking the Heading 1, Heading 2, or Heading 3 option instead of mimicking a heading by changing font sizes or bolding (the H tags in the code are needed for accessibility). Make sure you use these in the correct order as well.
2. Use keywords in headings, captions, and other elements. While you don’t want to flood your page with keywords (that will negatively impact your ranking!), make sure you have your keywords sprinkled throughout your content to help visitors find the right information and to help the page get indexed by search engines.
3. Input meta descriptions. These are brief descriptions of your page that show up in search engine results and help a visitor decide if they’re going to the right page. They are relatively short (150 characters max on many devices), so make it interesting to capture attention!

6. Make Your Content Accessible

Making your website content accessible (easy to read and use) is important for reaching as many audiences as possible. However, there are also legal implications (e.g., fines) if your site isn’t properly set up for those with language barriers, disabilities, poor internet connections, and even those using mobile devices.

Make sure you follow these best practices for accessibility:

• Make sure all images have alt text. Enter visually descriptive text that can help visitors know what the image is about if they are using screen readers or the image isn’t able to load due to slow internet connections.
  • Example: Two students walk through campus carrying books and laughing.
• Run your content through a Flesch Reading Score test to see how it ranks for readability. Best practice is to aim for an 8th-grade reading level by using short sentences and clear, conversational words.
• Avoid creating empty links – links with no text. If you link an image, make sure you add text to the link or that the image itself has alt text.

7. Make Sure Each Page Leads to a Relevant Next Step

Don’t lead your web visitors to a dead-end page. Think about the next logical step visitors should take and create a call-to-action (CTA) to help them get there. A page with no links within the content and challenging navigation (think mobile users) can cause site visitors to bounce out altogether.

Here are a few examples of mini-user journeys for CTAs:

• Are you a college working on your Tuition & Fees page?
  • Send prospective students over to Financial Aid next.
• Are you a healthcare organization updating your Patients & Visitors section?
  • Users may want to see Maps & Directions next.

8. Create Global Calls to Action

If you know that you will be linking to the same page or section multiple times throughout your site, it would be a good idea to set up some global CTAs before you start migrating. Depending on which CMS you’re using, you may have different options for setting these up either within a section or your site as a whole.

Global CTAs take 5-10 minutes to set up and will save you hours of rework by reusing it throughout the site. Global assets are also important, not just for CTAs, but for other blocks you will use multiple times: contact boxes, maps and directions, organization highlights, etc. Creating a library of global features will help save your team time throughout the migration process.

9. Insert Links into Your Content

Adding links within your content boosts SEO rankings and helps keep website visitors engaged and browsing more of your site. When transferring content (even if you’re not revamping it much), insert hyperlinks into words or phrases that are related to other pages on your site.

Here are some best practices to remember:

• Link meaningful phrases that describe destinations (i.e., never link context-free phrases like “click here” or “this page”).
• All cross-links to internal URLs should open in the current tab.
• Any PDFs or external links to websites that are not yours should open in a new tab.

10. Learn Just Enough Code to be Dangerous

Okay, we understand that HTML can be scary for non-developers. But knowing just a little bit of code to double-check before publishing a page can help prevent funky formatting problems on your live page.

All you need to know is CTRL + F (or Command + F on Mac) to scan for these factors that cause formatting issues:

• <span>: A span tag is a formatting tag that can change how your page looks. If you find any, remove the first <span> through the ending </span>.
• &nbsp or &#160: These depict an extra space (which one is used depends on which CMS your site uses). If there’s a double space, just remove these characters, or if it’s between two words, replace with a normal space (“ “).

Content migration is a team effort that requires extensive coordination. These 10 best practices will help your migration process stay organized and improve your content.

Need some help with your migration plan? Reach out to our team of experts today!

Read Next: 10 Key Elements to an Effective Homepage

Whether heartbreaking, hilarious, or horrifying—remember “Tiger King”?—the pandemic reinforced the role of storytelling as a strong and effective marketing approach.

The storytelling vibe was wildly apparent and welcome at NACCDO-PAMN 2022, the cancer conference’s first in-person meeting since 2019. Anecdotes flew through the event center as friends, colleagues, and clients caught up—some of whom were meeting face-to-face for the first time.

Storytelling was the pulse of nearly every session, from tips for talking with major donors about the results of their philanthropic gifts to preparing faculty for media interviews.

While nearly every presenter and attendee expressed enthusiasm about telling more and better stories, an underlying theme crept into nearly every discussion: “Our subject matter experts (SMEs) sometimes have a tough time understanding why marketing wants to tell their stories.”

There Are Two Issues to Unpack Here

But both are rectifiable with smart internal communications and strategic change management:

• Getting buy-in from SMEs about why their stories are amazing and should be shared
• Matching those stories to the needs and desires of your audience segments

Researchers, doctors, patients, donors—everyone has a story to tell, and there are varied levels of comfort in doing so, particularly on digital. These individuals might not understand the potential impacts of their stories on a prospective student, patient, or donor. An SME’s story can touch the right person at the right time and influence their decision to enroll, seek care, or give.

Storytelling connects the dots between internal passion and external needs. By properly framing your internal communications and bringing user experience data to the table, you can create a winning storytelling strategy that benefits your SMEs and the public—and ultimately, your strategic goals.

Frame Internal Story Requests with Context

Often, the internal voices with the best stories are the most hesitant to share. Not because they’re shy or too busy. When asked to share stories, researchers, clinicians, advisors, and faculty may seem shocked and reply with statements like:

• Who would be interested in this?
• I’m just doing my job—why is that a story?
• Isn’t this too complicated to share on the blog?

No times three. People love stories, and a good storytelling partner can help you turn even the most complex or “insider” topic into an accessible piece of content for any audience.

However, what’s typically true is that latent troubadours don’t understand the potential breadth and depth of their stories’ reach. They may not see the vision you have for a local story that has a chance to be picked up by national media. Or they might not think about the lasting search value of a story that seems less-than-newsworthy now but can serve as a cornerstone educational piece for years to come.

When you approach potential subject matter experts (SMEs) in your organization, start by asking them why they’re passionate about the topic at hand. If they can tell you why THEY care, you can identify the story nugget that might resonant most with your audience—and uncover a built-in angle to help the SME build their story.

The SME doesn’t have to “get” every bit of your marketing strategy. They just have to understand that they—and their stories—are important to your institution and to your external audiences. When that clicks, you’ll make a new friend who’s more willing to bring stories to you up front.

Conduct User Journeys from Each Audience Perspective

In most industries, the people producing your content are not the same as the people receiving it. However, healthcare and higher ed are a bit of an exception to the rule:

• Most people have had experiences—good or bad—with healthcare institutions, personally or on behalf of a loved one.
• Many people went to college or have teens or adult loved ones who are thinking of enrolling.

But we can’t assume that our experiences mirror everyone else’s. Socioeconomic, cultural, and familial factors weigh into decisions around who gets these audiences’ mindshare—and even how they use your website and other digital properties.

Conducting user journey experience assessments can help you understand the full scope of needs of your audience segments. Put yourself in the shoes of someone with specific needs or questions and navigate the site with these factors in mind. This exercise can help you uncover content gaps and opportunities to 1) tell your story in a more relevant capacity and 2) streamline pathways to connect users with information faster, resulting in a better experience.

Tools such as CrazyEgg can offer valuable, anonymous insights into how site visitors traverse your site. By using heatmaps to track KPIs such as scroll depth, clicks, engagement-related pausing on page, and most engaging calls-to-action, you can gather data to evoke buy-in amongst your internal teams to revise and restructure your content in ways that better meet the needs of your audience.

Build Stories that Reflect Internal Passions and User Journeys

The best stories can get lost in the shuffle without a proper strategy. Your role as the liaison between the SME and the public is to translate the SME’s passion using digital pathways that resonate with the audience.

Here’s an example. Say your SME is a researcher who has recently co-discovered an incredibly precise way to deliver radiation therapy to the lungs. Your role is to capture passion and function—her dedication to the work alongside its benefits for your audience(s)—and create a flowing narrative that:

• Answers the audience’s questions.
• Provides easy opportunities for the audience to engage.
• Gives clear next steps to act or gather more information.

You can achieve this type of storytelling without appearing like a marketing machine. A blog is a highly successful vehicle to communicate with audiences at all stages of a decision funnel. By adding scannable headlines and inline links to related content, the audience can scan to the section that matters to them and act now—or remember your institution when they need you.

Yet, you still benefit from the search engine optimization value of the entire piece for each audience segment. Include a personal byline from the SME—not the marketing person or the SME’s Department—for a subconscious personal touch that feels more like one-on-one conversation.

Most institutions don’t need a fancy new setup to better showcase stories. Your content management system likely includes underutilized visual tools such as callout features or accordions that can make content more engaging.

Switching up your storytelling style can be a challenging sell internally. Many people are naturally averse to change, particularly if they aren’t convinced they have stories worth telling.

Josiane Dubois, Internal Communications Specialist at Huntsman Cancer Institute, put this perfectly at her NACCDO-PAMN session: “Create a new table instead of joining an existing one.” Your stories don’t have to fit the “what we’ve always done” mold. In fact, sometimes those stories stand out most.

Have more questions about your content marketing strategy?  Schedule time with Mariah Obiedzinski Tang to learn how Stamats can help make your content work smarter for you.

Most of the content we seek online, especially around education or health care, is in the form of words, and should be. How can we deliver that content without drowning it in its own nothingness?

We know how: don’t deliver it as a wall of words. Break it up. We learned this lesson in print, almost a decade ago, in a different focus group.

As we worked on the viewbook for a private, liberal arts university, we did audience research that included a live focus group of a dozen high school juniors and seniors. We showed them two different opening spread layouts.

One was a very common, big impact layout: large, full-bleed photo on the left, with a beautifully typeset page of lovely prose on the right.

Large, 2-page layout, with full-bleed photo

The second layout broke the same content into small chunks, scattered across the two pages, with a large background image and small thumbnail images accompanying each chunk of text.

Layout with small chunks of text

You won’t be shocked to learn the second layout was the hands-down favorite. No one even gave the first one a second glance. “Too many words.”

The kicker? The word count on the two spreads was the same.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) is not a response to word count. It’s paragraph and line length, as well as the space around each. It’s whether the page or screen is scannable—and whether that scan delivers meaningful content through headlines, subheads, and photos.

You might be tempted to say that the design makes the words seem readable. Yet, it’s more complex than that. Although the word count and topics were consistent, the content changed. Each chunk needed a subhead that worked with the logic of all the other subheads. This changed the words. The feel of this page called for a different tone, a different pace for the language. As the language changed, the layout evolved, too. It was a dance between the two crafts, writing and designing.

Buena Vista University viewbook 2013

See the complete Buena Vista University viewbook

What can we take from this for our digital practice? We design components and the visual language of the site; we don’t layout pixel perfect pages. We type into WYSIWYG boxes in a CMS and dream about ways to make our pages of content look better. We are more siloed than ever, we writers and designers.

Our skills need each other. Design carries purpose with real words. Words become more readable when well presented. We must make the time and the space for them to work well together.

In real life, that means letting website editors try different blocks. Set up a sandbox where they can see what the five-paragraph story looks like if edited and broken across three cards. Get your digital assets (photos) organized and try for more interesting pairings of image and word. Every quarter, have a designer and writer review your highest exit page and see if they can guide visitors to a different action.

During website redesign projects, when everything is up in the air and moving too fast, Stamats strives to bring the two disciplines together, to allow them to talk to each other, literally. We call it model content and use-case layouts.

The magic happens in the difficult, nobody-has-time-for-this, non-metaphorical conversations among writers and designers about how many words you can or should fit on a card or what to do about the 12-word perfect headline.

For our words to carry water, to be worth reading, to be content, shape them for the space in which they will work.

Related reading: Accelerated Content Pathways

Is it time to update your homepage content or user experience? Schedule a free consultation now. 

*TL;DR = Too Long; Didn’t Read

Being the ever-efficient mom 😊, I said:

“Let’s look for colleges that have accelerated OT programs so we can work on college visits.”

Daughter: “There’s this website that lists them all.” Pulls up the website.

Scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll even faster.

Mom: “How do you even know what you are looking at?”

Daughter: “I’m looking at the state it is in and if it is a state university.” (She wants a private Christian school.)

Goes to a college website.

Scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll even faster.

Mom: “How do you even know if you want to go there when you scroll so fast?”

Daughter: “Well, I’m not going to read all this. I don’t read paragraphs. Look at this. Words, words, and more words. I just want short bullets first.”

Daughter continuing: “I’m not going to read stuff that I don’t even want to know.”

Mom: “Why do I even try to design websites then if this is all kids do?”

So, What Can We Do as Higher Education Specialists?

1. Make your differentiators clear. She knew she wanted “accelerated” and a “Christian school.” Whatever you think are your top three selling points must be very prominent.
2. Understand the difference between your program page—which is to hook them—versus the detailed department content that is further along in their journey.
3. Treat the program page like an interstate billboard in the ‘80s. Kids are driving by super fast. Your program page needs to get them to stop and visit. It doesn’t need to tell them the details.
4. Test in mobile—if your paragraph of content fills an entire phone screen, consider it blank. That content shouldn’t live on a program page as a top-of-the-funnel journey.

Want to discuss your website content strategy? Email us today.

In my 2021 Content Marketing World co-presentation with Marcia Francis Horner, Web Strategic Development Manager of The University of Kansas Health System, we tackled this burning question: Since we can empathize with Gen Z, how can we better communicate with them?

Marcia and I polled 50 Gen Zers we know and love, and we referenced the latest research into this generation’s social media, communication, and buying trends. Our research pointed to a marketing basic that is easy to forget when pursuing “business as usual.”

To better connect with Gen Z through content and at work, we need to understand the people this generation comprises—not just kids born after 1997 but parents, professionals, executives, community leaders, doctors. They’re poised to be the most educated generation, and they’re the most racially diverse generation in U.S. history, according to Pew Research.

And we must acknowledge their communication styles and respect their values without shoehorning ourselves into their channels and inboxes.

Here’s a quick list of takeaways from our presentation, “Marketing Urban Dictionary:
A Guide to Help Your Brand Communicate with Gen Z.”

1. Time is Valuable: Get Right to the Point.

Demonstrable value is the No. 1 reason Gen Z engages with a brand. Time is precious to them, and they will engage with long-form content that shows its worth in the first few seconds of audio/video (or 1-2 lines of text).

A Marketing Dive survey found that more than half of Gen Z teens stopped buying or using brands they deemed unethical, and one-third are skeptical of brands’ claims of supporting causes. Two-thirds are more likely to buy from brands that support charities they value.

Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with on-demand content technology, and thousands of channels clamor for their attention. They inherently can see through brand baloney, and they’ll bounce to a competitor if your content doesn’t prove valuable.

Present resources in a way that is fun, entertaining, and aligned to their priorities. We found that Gen Z prefers to engage with organizations that authentically advocate for mental, physical, and financial health; social and climate issues; and education.

Pro tip: In every piece of content you publish, show (don’t simply tell) the audience how your product or service can make life better or easier. Simple content changes—no development required—can make a big impact on how your content resonates with Gen Z.

2. Mind What You Say and Where You Say It.

Creating value-driven content is only half of the equation. Where you distribute your messaging is equally important. Gen Z is online almost constantly. Focus on four platforms to distribute your blog, audio/video, and infographic content:

• YouTube, which delivers infinite content on every topic imaginable. Long-form content works well here if it’s helpful or entertaining.
• TikTok is known for its algorithm, which customizes content to users’ preferences. Make content that is genuine, fun, and shareable.
• Instagram, a hashtag-focused platform for pairing striking visuals with storytelling content. Keep your posts short and to the point, and use Linktree or a similar tool to direct users to long-form content.
• Snapchat, another platform where users expect brands to be funny and clever—if you are also authentic. Keep in mind that content disappears after 24 hours.

Start with one platform and see what performs well until you have a solid understanding of which types of content your viewers prefer. Then experiment with repackaging one piece of content to fit each platform’s strengths. You can cross-post content from these platforms, as well as repurpose it on your website, to reach more relevant audience members. Talk with a Stamats digital strategist today.

Pro tip: At work, Gen Z colleagues may prefer to connect in a variety of ways, including chat messages (e.g., Slack, Skype), video calls, email, and meetings. They may be the most digitally savvy of us all, but that doesn’t mean they don’t value genuine connections, including face-to-face communication.

Bonus tip: When knowledge sharing, avoid phrasing that emotes a “back in my day” or “you’re so young” tone. Though you might be trying to be funny, these comments minimize Gen Z’s perspectives and experiences. Show them how you think a process should be handled instead of telling them how things “should” be.

3. Don’t Try to Sound Like Gen Z.

Like each generation before them, Gen Zers have their own slang that comes and goes. If you misuse their exclusive phrases, they won’t take you seriously. Here are a few common terms Gen Zers use, what they mean, and which to avoid in your marketing and professional communications:

• Alight, bet: It means, “Yes, I agree.” This phrase is relatable enough to Gen Z and Millennials, so you may be able to use it in your content.
• Pog champ, poggers: It means “exciting or joyous.” Do not use this phrase—you likely will come off as a try-hard and potentially alienate grammar-sensitive Gen Xers and Millennials. Appropriate substitutes include “Yay!” or “Oh, snap” or even “Neat!”
• Bussin’: It means “excellent.” Only use this term if your product is, in fact, bussin’—by Gen Z’s standards, not your own.
• Oof: It means “a reaction to someone’s minor misfortune.” If you have pre-established banter with another brand (such as Burger King vs. McDonald’s) or you’re already “cool” by Gen Z standards, you can use this term—but not maliciously. Gen Z appreciates sarcasm but does not approve of tearing down others.

Pro tip: If you aren’t sure how certain content might be received, ask your Gen Z colleagues, friends, and family members for feedback. Better yet, work with a focus group to ensure your intention is aligned with your audience. Message a Stamats researcher to discuss market research options

Who’s Doing Gen Z Communication Right?

Dropps: CEO Bares All & Addresses Sustainability

In a two-minute ad titled “The Naked Truth About Laundry,” Dropps CEO Jonathan Propper disrobes and speaks to the sustainability and safety of the company’s laundry pods—in a bathtub. He has also posted TikTok-style dancing videos on Instagram. The content is funny and self-effacing, eliciting a must-watch vibe. It shows the CEO’s willingness to experiment with a new platform without trying too hard.

UNM Hospital: TikTok-style Video Campaign

The University of New Mexico Hospital embarked on a 10-to-100 campaign to encourage 100% of hospital staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in 10 days.

Part of their campaign was a TikTok video recorded by a staff member’s 17-year-old daughter. The teen showed herself going to the appointment, getting her shot, and moving her arms around in a funny TikTok dance. They shared the video across social media and on their website. This firsthand account from a young person concerned for her family’s safety helped the university get closer to their vaccination goal.

Carson King: Owning up & Giving Back

In 2019, then 21-year-old Carson King appeared in ESPN’s Game Day with a homemade sign asking viewers to Venmo money for more Busch Light. He got a few hundred dollars, which he announced would go to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Thousands of dollars poured in, positioning King as a fundraising phenom.

But three years earlier, King had tweeted hurtful comments that turned up in a local news profile. Instead of striking back, King thwarted “cancel culture” by owning up to his mistakes and apologizing for his poor behavior. He has now turned his football sign into a campaign that has raised over $3M for kids with cancer.

Bottom Line: Be Mindful, Be Yourself

Gen Z is committed to living their values, and they expect the same from organizations that want their business. They see your company, college, or healthcare institution not as a “brand” but as a reflection of the humans running it.

To gain Gen Z’s trust and loyalty, you must earn it. Be real, be honest, and be flexible. Gen Z stands for a more honest and transparent marketing future, and all of us can get behind that.

Ready to rethink your Gen Z communication strategies? Request a consultation with Stamats today.