A few weeks ago, we sent a survey out to top digital agencies and design firms—companies we consider to be smart thinkers, trailblazers or just plain awesome. Results are in, and we wanted to share them with you. Shout out to all who responded.

Current Content Needs

• 82% selected content strategy as a current need, followed by ongoing content development at 65% and social media measurement/strategy a close third at 61%.

Staff or Vendors

• 29% have content strategists/content developers on staff. 35% use a mix of freelance/contract and in-house talent. 31% use a third-party vendor or contract strategists.

Content Schmategist

• For those not using content strategists, 42% thought writers could/should handle this function. 29% were concerned about finding a content strategist with relevant domain experience. And 15% weren’t sure how content strategy would improve their work.

Agency Report Card

• Overall, 41% thought there was room for improvement regarding content strategy in their organization. 35% found they were able to meet client requests. 12% admitted they were behind the 8-ball.

Where CSs Need to Improve

• 59% wished content strategists had a better understanding of business. 35% felt content strategists should have a better handle on UX.

What a Little CS Will Get You

• A comprehensive content strategy plan was selected by 71% as a content strategist’s primary deliverable. 29% weren’t sure what a comprehensive content strategy looked like. 53% selected a CMS assessment as a content strategist’s responsibility.

To Whom it May Concern

• Of the companies we surveyed, hiring content strategists is primarily handled by Creative, with Project Management a close second.

Other Content Needs

• 86% selected ongoing content (audio, video, editorial) as an upcoming need. 58% needed content for large websites. 71% have eNewsletter content needs around the corner.

Interesting to Note

• SEO was only mentioned twice in the (*=other) category.
• Mobile content was only mentioned once.
• The iPad was not mentioned at all.

This survey reinforces our thinking that content strategy and content development should be always be linked. Additionally content strategy as a practice is not just about copy writing but encompasses a much broader skill-set. Questions about this survey, or other industry trends you like us to hunt down? — trends@eatmedia.net

—Ian

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 at 2:31 pm and is filed under Content Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.