Content is king... but content strategies tend to do a little work - and stop just before they get to the good stuff: increasing conversion. This PPT asks us to move to the next level in content strategy - a level that solves for shareholders.

1. From Content Strategy to Persuasive Content Strategy Because Taxonomies & Content Audits Aren’t Enough for e-Commerce Today

2. What’s This?

3. It’s This… Without Content

4. (K, Then This One Should Be Easy.) What’s This?

5. What Is Content? “the text, graphics, video, and audio that make up an interactive experience” Kristina Halvorson Death to LoremIpsum and Other Adventures in Content

6. But What’s Content Really All About? Content is not just text. It is not just video. It’s not a choice between stock photos or UGC. It’s not this PPT saved to my desktop, presented to a group, viewed on SlideShare or embedded in my LinkedIn profile. Any employed content strategist (or copywriter!) will tell you that content is the key to increasing conversion on your site. And she’ll be right. And her boss will be happy because she’ll be selling more product.

7. And Is There Anything More Important Than Selling More Product? (Not sure? Ask your shareholders.)

8. The goal of a Web site is to change a set of beliefs and behaviors, driving target actions. The goal of Web content is, then, to change a set of beliefs and behaviors, driving target actions.

9. Now, For a While, We’ve Been Approaching Content Strategy in a Clinical, Academic Way…

11. Competitor content audits help us compare our content to the other guys… and expose gaps in content that we need to fill

12. Content scorecards help us measure our existing (& new!) content using heuristics so we can quantify improvements in content down the road

13. Content assessments allow us to determine if we’re meeting or missing the mark with our content

15. UGC mapping sees the content strategist working closely with the IA, ID, developers & site experience manager to plot out where users can create content

16. Standard Web writing principles, rules or philosophies shape the ‘how’ of content that is created

17. Editorial guidelines, like capitalization rules, ensure consistent copy display

19. We Need a Broader Approach to Content Strategy That Includes Influencing Users & Persuading Them to Buy.

20. Example: Let’s Sell Flowers The biz wants to sell lots o’ flowers The customer wants And shareholders want to make $$$

21. Now What? What Does the Content Strategist Do With That?

22. The [Traditional] Content Strategist Then… Refers to the content inventory to assess what’s available to sell & where it’s being sold on-site Refers to the competitor content audits to seek out opportunities Reviews the content assessment to see what’s good… and not Works with the ID (wireframe) to start slotting in content

23. Whoa, Nelly!

24. We Need to Sell to People. So We Need to Learn About Them, First.

25. Learn About Users 1st What are their motivations? What makes them want to buy? What keywords are they using to get to your site/page?—and which are converting most? What are their barriers to buying from you on your site? What do they need to make decisions more confidently? Are they in a rush to buy on your site… or are they browsing? Do they return to your site several times before buying? Are they familiar with your brand?—your products?—your services? Are they web savvy or NTTW? Are they social media users with higher UGC & rich media expectations? What are their behaviors on the page?—where do they click, what do they miss?

26. To Find Out, Use Tools Like… Where they’re clicking What they think Where they go What keywords are working

27. And Activities Like… Deeper drives & barriers If they can use it

28. Learning Is an Ongoing Process. But We Can at Least Get Started Now.

29. Example: Let’s Sell Flowers The biz wants to sell lots o’ flowers The customer wants And shareholders want to make $$$

31. Is placed at a “seducible moment”

33. Organize Content Persuasively Keep your drivers (barrier-destructors) in the same place on all your pages, like in the header.

34. Organize Content Persuasively: Home Lead with top-sellers to help users narrow their decisions faster, especially with 1000s of SKUs.

35. Organize Content Persuasively: Home Let them buy from the home page if they’re telling you that they’re busy and just want to order fast.

36. Organize Content Persuasively: Home Callout your top nav links in chunky buttons/boxes straight from the home page.

37. Organize Content Persuasively: Product Detail Give very specific details if users are skeptical about what they’ll get and there’s room for confusion.

38. Organize Content Persuasively: Product Detail Use social proof (e.g., user ratings) and tap into herd behavior to get users to decide faster & with more confidence.

39. Organize Content Persuasively: Product Detail Show exactly when the product will be able to be shipped/delivered on the product detail – before the cart where the info may cause users to abandon cart.

40. Organize Content Persuasively: Product Detail Show add-ons on the same page to apply slight pressure – so purchasing one isn’t an upsell but a given.

41. The More You Know About Your Users & Decision-Making Behaviors, The Better You Can Persuade with Content.

42. … But What About All the Other Content Types??? NOT EVERY CONTENT STRATEGY NEEDS MULTIMEDIA Only use content types that your users would want in order to make their purchasing decision faster & confidently.

44. Share the results with the biz

46. Long Story Short: Content Strategists Need to Get More Strategic About Content.

48. Is informed by voice of customer, user behaviors, etc.

49. Makes persuasive content priority-one

50. Is tested & tested againThe goal of Web contentis to change a set of beliefs and behaviors, driving target actions.

51. Joanna Wiebe | 19 OCT 09

52. Persuasion Scorecard