What Can Accounting Teach us about Measuring Content Value?

If content is an asset and should be treated as such in the enterprise, then the next question is: How do we capture and measure the value of content?

Some entertainment companies explicitly account for the value of original shows and licensed content on their balance sheets. But most other organizations have stopped short of concrete measurements. Instead they rely on the comparison of old and new content development processes or on a general sense that the New Way of producing information results in better content than the Old Way.

In this presentation, I provide an overview of content accounting, which will allow organizations to understand their content–accounting for both value as an asset and negative value when content is a liability. To measure content asset value, you must measure the number of assets, the value of each asset, and any value multipliers. Investment is required to produce each asset, so your goal should be to produce the ideal number of assets needed for your specific requirements. Too many assets reduces the value per asset. Too few assets means that you have gaps in your information delivery.

The value of each asset is affected by content characteristics, such as accuracy, relevance, longevity, quality, and more. Value multipliers include reuse, variants, multichannel content, and localization.

If we think about assets, we must also think about liabilities: content that is wrong, badly written, out-of-date, inappropriate, and more.

Content accounting lets us construct a model to measure the value of content over time, and to ensure that our investment in the content lifecycle is worthwhile.

Meet the Presenter

Sarah O’Keefe, Chief Executive Officer, founded Scriptorium Publishing to work at the intersection of content, technology, and publishing.

Today, she leads an organization known for expertise in solving business-critical content problems with a special focus on product and technical content.

Sarah identifies and assesses new trends and their effects on the industry. Her analysis is widely followed on Scriptorium’s blog and in other publications. As an experienced public speaker, she is in demand at conferences worldwide.

In 2016, MindTouch named her as an “unparalleled” content strategy influencer.

Sarah holds a BA from Duke University and is bilingual in English and German.

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