What Do Content Strategy and “How I Met Your Mother” Have In Common?

It’s architecture. Content Strategy and Ted Mosby (The main character of How I Met Your Mother) have architecture in common. Sorry to introduce that so abruptly, but it felt appropriate to get that out there right away.

This concept is something that came to mind while attending the Confab conference in May. If you’re not familiar, Confab is a Content Strategy conference that brings together those working in content related roles throughout various industries and businesses.

As someone new to the Content Strategy role, it was a great opportunity to act like a sponge and soak in knowledge from the various mainstage and breakout sessions. An avid notetaker, I grabbed all sorts of snippets and ideas to tuck away for the future. However, there seemed to be a common thread that connected all the sessions together. You guessed it, architecture.

At first, it made me think of Art Vandelay. You know, George Constanza’s architect alter ego in the television show Seinfeld? Except, the problem is that George really wasn’t an architect. He was just claiming to be one. So then I turned to one of the other great sitcoms of all time, How I Met Your Mother.

A Content Strategist is an Architect Without the Drafting Board

The reason Ted Mosby is more applicable to content strategy than George Constanza is because he’s the real deal. The real McCoy. An actual (fictitious) architect. Ted doesn’t pretend, he really does have a passion for ensuring a building makes sense, looks good, and serves its purpose.

Sounds kind of like a content strategist if you’re asking me. Which of course you weren’t asking, but I promise this is all going to make sense soon.

Let’s dive into this comparison.

It wouldn’t make sense if you entered an office building right into a bathroom. Or a Hospital right into surgery. Or your front door at home goes into a closet. An architect thinks about the flow of people through a building and how they'll utilize the spaces.

The same can be said about websites. There is an architecture and flow to websites that often goes unseen. Sure, there’s the home page, but where do you go from there? Or maybe you came onto a website from an ad—do you just read it and leave? A strategic company would desire more from its website.

A Content Strategist:

• Helps set the direction of the website or landing page.
• Considers the goals of the company, as well as the desires of a potential customer.
• Gives purpose to hoards of materials, brochures, tech sheets, profiles and company information.

Honestly, if a content strategist did their job right, you won’t even see the underlying strategy behind the website. It will just make sense.

Content Strategists Are Guides Through the Buyer's Journey

Content Strategists are the unseen mentor. They guide the website visitor on a journey. Like Gandolf guided Frodo (Okay, okay, I’ll be done with the references), Content Strategists aim to make sure a user gets the right information at the right moment.

They know that a user needs to gain awareness, have interest, consider their options, have intent, and evaluate before finally making that final leap. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, booking a room, or purchasing a product, there’s always a variation of that journey.

Someone isn’t going to land on your site and just randomly decide to buy or interact. They need to be guided. When you walk into an airport for the first time, you don’t automatically understand where to go. An Architect needs the hallways and walkways to guide someone through ticketing, TSA and finally, to the gates.

Let Content Strategists Guide Your Next Project

Whether you’re building a new website, or are just wanting to boost your marketing, involve a Content Strategist. You wouldn’t build an office building without an architect, would you? At Click Rain, we have a team of content strategists and writers ready to help guide you and your customers on a journey. Let’s build something together.