Two of my favorite topics to dig into and break down are digital and content strategy. So I jumped at the chance to answer an association exec’s question on ASAE’s Collaborate community about how associations are defining content strategy vs. digital strategy vs. content marketing.

Digital Strategy, Content Strategy, and Content Marketing

I was glad to see the exec making the distinction between these three terms since their meanings can cause confusion. Here’s how the client teams that work with DelCor are agreeing to use these terms.

Digital strategy is the framework an organization uses to set goals and make decisions about their collection of digital assets – for example, digital content like websites and e-newsletters, as well as financial, certification, and membership data. An association’s unique digital strategy guides decisions about the use of and goals for this data, and the tactics required to achieve those goals.

Content strategy is the framework used by an organization to set goals and make decisions about their content. Many organizations have a limited view of “content” and don’t see beyond their website. However, a growing number of organizations are starting to use the term “content” for their documents and other assets that might fall into a knowledge management framework as well. AIIM has a significant number of resources about enterprise content strategy and management.

Content marketing is the use of content to demonstrate knowledge, deliver value, and potentially solve someone’s problem. The goal of content marketing is to foster a further step of engagement by using content to help the prospective customer/member, in lieu of other forms of marketing or advertising. Our DelCor blog posts and white papers are examples of content marketing. Associations have HUGE opportunities for content marketing as part of their overall content strategy.

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, the upcoming ASAE Technology Conference has a Content Pathway that “will explore how to develop a content strategy, the business of content governance, distribution methods, managing audience expectations, and promoting engagement.”

Looking for more information? Checkout our whitepaper Master the Digital Experience with a Content Strategy. 

Flickr photo by Sean MacEntee