About this workshop:
As a leader in a students’ union, you’re undoubtedly tasked with leading the team that will create and implement your students’ union’s content strategy and content marketing strategies.
But the concept of content strategy is still emerging. It may not be something that you’ve had experience in leading yourself. Allowing yourself the time and curiosity to explore this developing discipline is testament to your leadership.
So, how do you lead content strategy in your students’ union? How do you know what good looks like, and what needs to be considered? And how do you know what skills, roles, and resources you’ll need to create the vision and make it a reality?
In this lunch-and-learn style session, you’ll come together with senior-level peers to discuss content strategy from the leadership perspective. You will leave feeling confident and empowered in leading the team responsible for content in your students’ union.
What we will cover:
What content strategy really is, and how and why definitions vary
Our 10-part content maturity scale, and how leaders can use it with teams
Content operations, and how to lead a high performing content operation
Understanding the plethora of confusing, and often ill-defined, terminology from the worlds of content and user experience so that you can confidently talk the talk
Powerful questions to ask of your students’ union and your team to have them advance your approach to content strategy and management
Your questions, challenges, and concerns, with lots of time for sharing and discussing them with your peers.
Your facilitator
Your session will be facilitated by Simon Fairbanks, Senior Content Strategist at Pickle Jar Communications.
Simon has almost 14 years of experience in the Higher Education sector, having worked on four different campuses in a variety of recruitment, marketing, and students’ union roles.
He now works with schools, colleges, and universities on content strategy projects. He provides strategy, research, creative content, and training to help the education sector share its stories through digital communication channels.
As a published author, Simon is particularly interested in storytelling, and how content strategy can deliver stories with greater impact.
Consultancy experience
Clients who have benefited from Simon’s expertise include AHUA, Bangor University, City & Guilds, DiscoverUni, Emory University School of Medicine, London Higher, the Office for Students, Queen Margaret University, the University of Nottingham, UCL, United World Colleges, and Zurich International School.
Simon has spoken at several conferences about various elements of content strategy, such as creativity, fundraising, social media, accessibility, and time management.
Appearances include CASE Europe Annual Conference, CASE Social Media and Community Conference, CASE Regular Giving Conference, ContentEd, and Utterly Content.
Students’ union experience
During, and between, his undergraduate and postgraduate days, Simon worked and volunteered in the students’ union movement.
Simon had several roles at the University of Birmingham Guild of Students:
Trustee
Sabbatical officer
Non-sabbatical officer
Part-time staff member
RAG vice-president
NUS delegate
Simon also had a full-time staff role at the University of Nottingham Students’ Union.
Who should attend:
This workshop is specifically for - and limited to - those in senior leadership roles within students’ unions.
It is particularly for those who have responsibility - or an element of responsibility - for marketing, communications, digital, and web activity.
We primarily define those as:
CEOs
Heads
Directors
Managers
We will host a separate roundtable for Sabbatical Officers later in the year, subject to demand.
For other roles within your students’ union, we highly recommend these alternatives:
Online training through the ContentEd school
Bespoke training, workshops and coaching from Pickle Jar Communications
You might also be interested in:
Coaching for aspiring leaders in higher education marketing and communications, 8-week course, beginning Wednesday 8 May 2021
This event has limited places. It is invite-only for senior leaders, as detailed above. If you’re interested in attending, please express an interest below. We’ll be in touch nearer the time regarding your attendance.