Digital Content Strategy Expansion Pack

From conception to execution, level up your abilities to pitch, plan and produce digital content experiences that perform. Designed for agency teams and independent content professionals who create on behalf of clients.

It's no secret that we're culturally at a crossroads with digital content, with jaded audiences, unstable platforms and the rise of generative AI. But online content experiences can still make a major impact on brand and business, as long as the agencies adapt to what clients need.

If you're still building digital content the same way you were five or ten years ago, your methods and assumptions likely need a refresher. The Digital Content Strategy Expansion Pack supports independent content professionals and digital agencies of all sizes in building better digital content experiences with replicable processes, while still enabling the fast-paced creative experimentation that drew us to digital channels in the first place.

  • Develop a compelling vision for digital content. Content impact happens both at the brand strategy and tactical levels. Learn how to develop content projects for maximum impact, rather than small incremental gains.
  • Skill up together. Designed for teams to learn alongside their peers, the Expansion Pack encourages collaboration and institutional knowledge-building rather than relying on individual expertise.
  • Get connected. Both agencies and independent content professionals will be listed in The Content Technologist's preferred vendor directory and will have access to each other's expertise.
  • Create replicable methods. Get frameworks and templates that can be seamlessly woven into your agency's existing processes.
  • Deliver better client results. From website redesigns to creative app development, learn how to anticipate and measure successful content performance without breaking your client's budget.
  • Improve profitability. Understand how to scope and pitch content projects so they're consistently on-time and on-budget without exhausting internal resources.

The Expansion Pack invites agencies and self-employed professionals to learn with their peers, while examining our assumptions about digital audiences and what brings results for clients. In seven modules over the course of 2024, your team will revisit everything they know about creating digital content experiences and set new standards for building exceptional digital projects.

What's in the Expansion Pack?

Breaking down a year-long program

Consultant and award-winning content strategist Deborah Carver and The Content Technologist team will be joined by special guests and frequent collaborators who are actively working at the forefront of digital content to develop workshops, templates, and new ways of thinking about our digital ecosystems that work for experts, by experts.

Intentionally designed to meet digital agencies where they're at, both leadership and practitioners are to participate in a tiered experience that cumulatively builds collective strategic understanding while highlighting specific tactics and services you can provide for clients.

What / who / where: The Expansion Pack is a year-long educational program comprising seven half-day virtual workshops, seven weeklong email deep-dive courses, one-to-one consultant facetime with leadership.

Digital agencies that have been in operation for 5 years or more and create robust organic digital content experiences for clients are invited to apply.

Independent content professionals who have been in business for more than a year and work with multiple clients are also invited to apply.

Added benefits include free access to and featured participation in The Content Technologist's monthly salon events. A variety of templates and methodologies will be distributed in each unit that your team can use to improve content strategy services, and all content will be available for access after presented.

When: Workshops will be scattered throughout 2024, positioned at times when digital agencies tend to have less ongoing work. All materials will be available in the Expansion Pack archive after first presented, so if you miss a day, you still have access to all the information.

Delivered in English and time zone–optimized for the Americas.

Why: Because you want to provide a compelling content vision for clients that you can execute successfuly.

Because understanding SEO, UX, social media, tech, and production as completely separate disciplines doesn't work for contemporary digital content production.

Because consistent digital content strategy advice—especially the kind that's backed by evidence—is hard to come by.

Because we want to keep online ecosystems current and thriving, using the growing number of excellent media and web tools that make online creativity.

Because we believe in quality digital experiences.

Seven-unit content strategy curriculum

The Expansion Pack curriculum encompasses seven discrete units, which align with The Content Technologist's signature methodology (and our new navigation/content pillars!).

1. Strategy: Sharpen your agency's data-driven content strategy approach and methodology

Module topics

  • Conducting a killer competitive analysis and positioning research
  • Researching behavior for audience-first content strategies
  • Creating strategy presentations that inspire clients to action
  • Email course: Using data in content strategy: How to own your numbers

2. Administration: Confidently sell and succeed at facilitating complex digital content projects on behalf of clients

Module topics

  • Developing requirements documentation for digital strategy
  • Choosing content management systems, email service providers, marketing automation, and other systems
  • Facilitating clients through content strategy: What best-in-class visioning and execution look like?
  • Email course: Developing requirements documentation for digital content

3. Production: Improve content production workflow, whether you're producing content in-house or working with partners of all stripes

Module topics

  • Collaboration and digital production: How to bring tech, design, and content together
  • Determining information architecture throughout the digital experience
  • Asset creation and management: Developing digitally optimized content at scale
  • Email course: Creating content templates that scale

4. Distribution: Understand what actually works to bring audiences to content in our changing algorithmic age

Module topics

  • Understanding algorithmic signals and ranking factors in search and social
  • Developing a sustainable content distribution strategy that supports business goals
  • Hashtag research and strategy for advanced campaigns
  • Email course: How to evaluate search, social and other digital content distribution channels 

5. Style: Differentiate the content you create for clients through pattern libraries, brand style guides, and storytelling

Module topics

  • The element of surprise: Making storytelling, narrative and brand voice choices that attract audiences
  • Consistency: Developing style documentation that doesn’t make you feel like a stickler
  • Developing pattern libraries for content design
  • Email course: Balancing accessibility and style for better brand connection

6. Measurement: Demonstrate to your clients that you've succeeded in providing them with brilliant content and helping their bottom line

Module topics:

  • Turning words into numbers: Listening for measurement strategy cues in stakeholder interviews
  • How to measure digital content like a professional: the four-step framework
  • Beyond anomalies: Identifying targets, setting goals, and communicating them with clients
  • Email course: Creating great reports and dashboards

7. Trends: Examine the trending topics that bubble to the surface in 2024 — whatever they happen to be

Module topics

  • What do trend adoption cycles actually look like for digital content?
  • What kinds of trends have a place in long-term content strategy?
  • How can we use content trends to learn more about what audiences want?
  • Email course: What were the major content trends of 2024, and what was the impact they had on our audiences?

Pricing and participation for agencies

Want to join the agency cohort? (Independents can scroll down for more details.)

Participating agencies should be:

  • Operating as an agency for at least five years
  • Currently offering services in brand or content strategy, digital content development or digital experience creation — web and app development, social media content, digital media and measurement, SEO and performance content, UX, etc.
  • Interested in creating more replicable content strategy processes for clients
  • Comfortable with working alongside other peer teams to learn best practices (we're not competitors here, just all working to make digital experiences better across the board)

Pricing begins at $995/month for a year-long program.

Want to reserve your spot in the 2024 cohort? Complete the form below, and we'll be in touch.

Pricing and participation info for independent content professionals

Want to get connected to forward-thinking digital agencies and build a more profitable freelance business?

Independent content strategists should be:

  • Operating as an independent professional for at least one year, serving at least three clients each year
  • Currently offering services in brand or content strategy, digital content production, SEO and social media services, or other digital content-based disciplines
  • Interested in creating more replicable content strategy processes for clients and working with leading agencies
  • Comfortable with working alongside other peers to learn best practices (we're not competitors here, just all working to make digital experiences better across the board)

Pricing begins at $250/month for a year-long program.