An
important distinction for un-initiated: this is not about meta-tags and search engine optimisation. It is about marking (oh, well, tagging, then...) content on the site (and its accompanying search and browse functionalities) so it makes sense to visitors. Working recently on re-launching a big entertainment site made me realise that this is a planning job, actually, but not the one that is obvious to many. Read on... How to describe meta-data? Here's an example: you go to a site such as Play.com and would like to buy a DVD for a rainy night in (or music to listen to when you drive, or ... you get the idea). But, you can't search by those criteria. You can search by genre, artist's (or director's) name, title or price. But, no moods. Or precious moments.
This is due to the way how product items were 'described' when they were inputed into the system. This 'description' of the category(ies) the product will belong to is known as 'meta-data'. More often than not, it is the realm of the IT department and deemed as only one technical phase in the cataloguing process. It is also more likely than not to be controlled by the wholesaler (who is supplying the actuall retail site with goods). Maybe even based in Jersey, for tax reasons.
The beauty of well-done meta-data is that it is so intuitive and human. It goes down particularly well with so called 'hunter' and 'explorer' audiences, people who are coming to the site with not a specific product in mind (e.g. title), but with a need that is defined by a specific ocassion or a broader category (for 'hunters'), or who are just browsing (such as 'explorers').
However, to be able to 'meta-data' correctly, one needs to know the audiences and their needs - as well as ocassions - quite well. And it's a planning job. So, one quite unexpected consequence of this wonderful, but significantly underused tool, is that planners now have a chance to extend the definion of digital planning. To reframe the current IT mindset surrounding meta-data into something resembling what traditional planners have been doing so well for so long: cleaning windows between brands and their audiences, so they can see each other much better. Or, to extend the metaphor further, turning windows into mirrors, so that the brand reflection matches that of a customer.
Imagine the briefs to creatives: find the best meta-dating (another silly digital marketing verb?) for the 'assisted browsing' structure for the given site and given audiences. A campaign unto itself, with a possibility to be turned into a differentiating tool. That can even be patented in the States!
Looking forward to finding more music for trainspotting on various sites in the near future...
