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.
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…
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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
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
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
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
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.