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Indiana University
IU Brand
Content strategy

Content with purpose

Indiana University’s brand lives in the stories we tell and the words, visuals, and experiences we create. The Enterprise Content Strategy keeps that content clear, consistent, and audience-focused, giving practitioners a shared framework to produce work that is relevant, high-quality, and unmistakably IU. Whether communications or marketing is your full-time role or just part of your work, use these resources as support as you create or manage content.

Use the Enterprise Content Strategy Playbook
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Content strategy & why it matters

Content strategy is IU’s system for making content purposeful, usable, and relevant for each audience. It governs not just writing, but also design, photography, video, graphics, and interactive experiences. It also gives us shared standards and processes so every communication—whether a website, brochure, video, or social post—is planned, measured, and maintained for impact.

The practice of content strategy also represents a culture shift for IU. It drives us to make decisions based on best practices, data, and university-wide standards—rather than personal preferences or past experiences. Content informs while also:

  • Driving outcomes by helping prospective students choose IU, supporting current students in their journey, and strengthening alumni and donor engagement
  • Extending IU’s influence by showcasing research, faculty expertise, and innovation that shape Indiana and the world
  • Building trust at scale by ensuring audiences know every IU story reflects the same credibility and conviction
  • Strengthening collaboration by giving schools and units common models, language, and tools to work more efficiently together
  • Creating lasting equity by embedding accessibility and inclusivity into every communication from the start

The goal isn't to produce more content. It's to advance IU's reputation and the work of every unit by creating the right content for the right audience in the right channel at the right time.

Messaging vs. content strategy vs. content expression

  • Messaging: What we say
    • IU's core themes and ideas
    • Provides the foundation for words and visuals across all units
  • Content strategy: Why and how we say it
    • The system for planning, structuring, and delivering the IU brand
    • Ensures all content—words, design, video, photography, graphics—is purposeful, user-focused, and sustainable
  • Content expression: How audiences experience it
    • The words, visuals, and design elements that bring IU's brand to life
    • Includes copy, photography, graphics, layouts, video, and digital experiences

See messaging examples in context and learn about our voice and tone >>

Content framework

IU’s enterprise content strategy connects the dots for everyone who creates or manages content. It provides four shared dimensions that guide our work and gives practitioners—from seasoned communicators to occasional contributors—a clear way to plan and evaluate content.

  1. Purpose: Why we create content (to meet audience needs) and how we measure it
  2. Standards: How we make decisions about content quality, usability, and relevance
  3. Process: How we create, publish, measure, and maintain content
  4. Structure: How we organize content for findability and reusability

The Playbook

The Enterprise Content Strategy Playbook is a one-stop guide to putting our content framework into action. It combines strategy with hands-on tools, giving you everything you need to plan, create, and maintain branded content.

Whether you’re new to IU content or a seasoned communicator, the Playbook is your go-to resource for building content that’s consistent, engaging, and unmistakably IU.

Open the Playbook