Many factors are contributing to the under utilization of content produced by B2B enterprises. Chief among them are findability, relevance, and quality. This article details how the right metadata strategy can make a brand’s content findable and relevant.
The overarching goal of a metadata strategy should be to transform a random collection of content into a constellation of content. A single piece of content may be an important asset but to derive the maximum mileage the asset should become part of the larger content ecosystem of an enterprise. This is where a well-thought-out metadata strategy will prove its worth.
For without metadata, the content ecosystem of an enterprise will be replete with random pieces of content having no connections with each other. In such instances, metadata will be the common language that brings order and creates a content constellation.
Content that is interconnected with the help of metadata allows prospects to explore in an enriched manner. In addition, metadata adds a layer of meaning as each content asset becomes a part of a larger whole. Furthermore, it helps an enterprise articulate its story in a more meaningful manner.
One of the essential elements of metadata management is a flat taxonomy. For enterprises having internal and external taxonomies, the way forward would be to begin by uniting them. This will help to inventory and audit and tie together all the content with analytics and performance data. Further, it would simplify the content tagging process by making it easier for users to decide on the metadata to tag the content. Therefore, flat taxonomies, having a top-level category as a topic and then a list of terms, simplify the tagging process for content owners and expedite the sharing and usage of content across the enterprise.
Another critical element would be to develop a customer-facing taxonomy — a taxonomy that addresses customer challenges. Additionally, a metadata structure that organizes its products and product lines for internal search and one that focuses on customer challenges for external search would be beneficial.
An important element of the metadata strategy would be to connect metadata to analytics data. Ideally, taxonomies and tags used on the website should be mapped into the web analytics system so that analyzing performance metrics for a topic category becomes straightforward. Another element would be to document the metadata strategy. This will help others in the enterprise to understand the strategy and support it. It would also be relevant to maintain an inventory of the taxonomy and a change log. All these elements will help enterprises run successful metadata strategies.
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