I had a unique perspective since Sundays are the day I’m responsible directly for online content updates – which feed mobile – user submissions and the conversations that occur on social channels for brands associated with a local newspaper and television station.

I first learned that President Barack Obama would give a major national security address via Twitter shortly after watching the Tampa Bay Lighting defeated the Washington Capitals in overtime, 3-2. (As a Penguins fan who knew the night was going to get any better).

I turned on CNN and the first thing Wolf Blitzer said was that the announcement would not be on Libya. My gut reaction was bin Laden is dead, which makes it a relevant story for just about every American, and that was soon confirmed.

My first thoughts from a local news perspective likely aren’t surprising. Information is spread on social networks faster and with more emotion than any news site. Some go as far as calling it a people-first approach.

I immediately turned to Facebook and Twitter. My thinking from a local perspective was simple: What outlet allows me to reach the best audience and add the most value? It helps that our followings are strong. The TV branded Facebook page has more than 19,300 fans and the newspaper brand has more than 7,500. Twitter followers are 5,400 and 3,400, respectively.

It started simple with a social update that Obama will give a major address on national security and answering questions from people wanting to know what’s happening. The second update was the confirmation and opportunity to interact with others on the news while giving access to more opportunities to consume information as it happened.

At this point, once the news was confirmed and I had access to an Associated Press update I then posted a story, photo and links on the two news sites.  That was immediately followed with a social push asking for our local community’s reaction and offering a place they could talk to one another.

And the night and early morning hours progressed in similar manner between content updates and conversational opportunities on social channels.

My coverage wasn’t perfect by any means, and I know of at least three opportunities I missed.

Here are some of the things I learned. What did you learn?

• I read every comment on Facebook and every response on Twitter to direct questions that I posed. It helped me learn the next move and what content updates may be useful.
• The audience on Facebook and Twitter changes so much hour-by-hour that the amount of responses and engagement stayed consistent.
• I could feel people’s emotion via the comments on social networks, which was a better gauge than any online metrics could provide.
• People from the local community were more apt to click on link to value-added and analytical information than the latest news update.

By the numbers

• 13 Facebook updates
• 437 Facebook comments
• 1,223 likes
• 17 Twitter updates
• 28 Twitter responses

Have you ever mapped a content strategy for your tweets as an organization? After thinking about it more I, embarrassingly, have to say no, and I should have.

Whether real or perceived, I’m been labeled as a web content guy and more often than not I’ve taken that as a quazi insult. It seemed too limiting. I’ve sold web advertising. I’ve been a newspaper reporter. I study digital audience trends and pursue tactics to reach and engage more. I’ve helped run two news websites. I’ve introduced new tools. I embrace technology, incomplete ideas and take risks.

But the more I get into it, the more I’m convinced that, yes, I’m a web content guy and damn proud to be one. I also have a lot to learn.

Kristina Halvorson, who leads the conversation on content strategy for the web, keeps saying – and I’m buying it – that content strategy is the next big thing.

It’s a way of thinking that has direct impact on the way we do business. And the way we do business must include a clear focus on how we create, deliver, and govern our content.

My role is content planning for digital products at a media company in Iowa – the delivery part mentioned above. I have a basic philosophy and implemented tactics that have lead to developing content plans for products such as a parenting niche and a news site.

Six pages into Halvorson’s book and it’s clear I’ve missed two important factors in content planning: identifying the key business objective and user goal for each piece of content.

Let’s not gloss over content strategy by focusing solely on what we should be doing; let’s also focus on the why and how. – Halvorson

I’m not through with my research to form more conclusions yet. But I’m now taking part in the conversation. It’s already opened me to a new way of thinking which will mean new tasks for me to perform on the next content plan I build, which will lead to a better content strategy.

What’s clear is that media companies can be better overall, especially given societies trends in consumption and attention, not to mention the new business opportunities that arise via smarter choices in content streams and resource allocation.

Content strategy demands that you stop considering content as a product you can create, launch, and forget about. Content isn’t something you can just ‘go get.’ It forces us to consider content a business asset, not a commodity. It also means changing who/what typically drives the bus on our web projects: today, it’s UX and/or design. A great web project team includes a content strategist from day one. Everyone knows where the “content buck” stops! – Halvorson

As a content guy I’ve likely taken a too narrow approach to decisions. Tactics weren’t really strategies but rather short-term solutions with no real communication as to the how and why. That too changes right now.

What’s the intersection between your expertise (as it relates to your products) and the informational/entertainment needs of your customers? – Joe Pulizzi

Worth reading

Lords of strategy – Sarah Cliffe

Building The Ultimate Website Content Map Pt.1 – Scott Ellis

Brands as Publishers – Where’s Your Content Strategy? – Joe Pulizzi