Max Johns

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    In 2009 Max Johns left the software world and became the first web-only content writer at National Australia Bank (NAB) in Melbourne.

    Since then he’s worked on both the editorial and strategic sides of content for NAB’s websites, Internet Banking, apps, chatbot, blogs, microsites, social media channels, and more. In that time NAB’s customer satisfaction rating among Australia’s “Big 4″ banks has gone from 4th to 1st.

    When not helping NAB’s 40,000 employees piece together their web presence, he spends his work hours mentoring aspiring writers and contributing heavily to NAB’s Yammer community. In his spare time Max maintains a nascent blog at www.contentistheweb.com and tweets as @MxDEJ.

     

     

    About Max’s session

     

    The Mess We’re (Not) in: Content Strategy in the Corporate Environment

    The corporate web has grown organically. It’s gone unchecked for too long. But behind the mess (and its many causes) are some rules and patterns. These form an accidental “content pseudo-strategy”, and a starting point. By knowing what to keep from that, introducing a user focus, and making sure that you’re guided by the company’s corporate strategy, you can create a content strategy able to survive the corporate world. Corporate content strategy must be simple, surprise-proof, and acknowledge the almost unmeasurable amount of content the company publishes.

    Many large companies still have a “web last” publishing model, even with online footprints that spread well beyond a website or nine. Our content maintenance plans need to survive even when people don’t care and jobs change every day. And while content strategists aren’t naturally attracted to the corporate world, we’re desperately needed. This talk explains what we can (and can’t) achieve there, and shares lessons that Max has learnt while trying to wrangle a major Australian bank’s web presence into some sort of order.

    What you will learn:

    - Why some some basic premises of good content strategy just don’t work in the corporate context.
    - How the people behind the massive online presence of National Australia Bank manage the responsibility.
    - How it is possible, and why it is necessary, for content strategy and corporate strategy to align. Until they do, there’s no way the CEO will ever appreciate what we do.