How content design detectives can solve the mystery of a misfiring strategy

Think of content designers as private detectives brought in to solve a series of mysteries at an organisation. 

 

You’ve got a busy client who wants to resolve the puzzle of their misfiring content strategy. But they don’t have the time or resources to do it.

 

They’re feeling the heat. So they turn to the maverick, fedora-wearing detective (that’s us) for results.

 

At first the client is not convinced by the detective’s methods. But gradually, they begin to see  there’s method in the madness.

 

Here’s what the content detective does to solve the case:

 

1) Establish the facts

First, like any good private investigator, we establish the facts. What does our client need to do? What needs solving? Who do we need to talk to? 

 

Before we can provide a solution we need to get to the heart of the problem. 

 

2) Study the evidence

Next we take out our magnifying glass and study the clues. What evidence has come to light so far? What does it say about the organisation’s strategy? Can we gain any insights from it? 

 

Don’t expect the clouds of mystery to clear just yet. 

 

But don’t worry too much either. “You gotta look on the bright side, even if there ain’t one,” said Dashiell Hammett, author of The Maltese Falcon.

 

3) Look for new leads and clues

Often there are still vital missing clues. We need more evidence! This means collecting new data – which means painstaking research, talking to the right people and asking difficult questions. 

 

But that’s okay – we’re used to it in this line of work.

 

“Sometimes when you are getting nowhere, you have to give the wasps’ nest a wallop,” says Detective Philip Marlowe.

 

4) Test our assumptions

OK, we’ve got the evidence and we’ve got the insights. Now we need to test out our ideas in a methodical way. We have to ask ourselves: Do we really know what we think we know? 

 

Don’t be afraid of false trails and bad ideas. Good design, like detective work, is a process of iteration and elimination.

 

5) Begin implementing a strategy for success

We’ve gone down different paths and encountered a bunch of red herrings and dead ends. But we’ve also identified the main pain points and we’re close to getting answers on how to resolve them in the most intuitive way.

 

It’s time to put our plan into action.

 

But, wait! Not so fast, detective!

 

6) Endure the central ordeal

In every fictional hero’s journey, there comes a moment when forces conspire against the completion of the task at hand. In our case, this is often when resistance grows among stakeholders towards the “unconventional” methods of our (genial, but stubborn) private investigator. 

 

The content detective must draw on all their experience and expertise to overcome this challenge. They must show that results are just around the corner (if the client will only trust in their methods!)

 

As my colleague Padma Gillen says in his excellent article Content transformation 2: the return of the walking dead : 

 

“It’s not enough just to know how to do something. It’s not even enough to do it. You have to bring the doubters and the worriers along with you if you’re going to be working with a group of people.” 

 

7) Solve the case

With the organisation fully on board, we can work towards the desired happy ending. 

 

With the resolution of any mystery, there are always a few necessary hiccups along the way. 

 

But, using our investigative and analytical skills (together with a healthy understanding of human psychology), we can find a way to solve the mystery of any misfiring content strategy. 

 

No matter how puzzling. 

 

 “To every problem there is a most simple solution.” Agatha Christie

 

Got a content strategy mystery that needs solving?

Llibertat are experts at identifying what’s holding your organisation back and how to transform your digital strategy. Get in touch for a chat to see how we can help.