Content
“Next Generation success opens up when you start treating your content and services as valuable company assets”
“How can I prepare for the future if it comes to content creation ? ”
“In publishing, art, and communication, content is the information and experiences that are directed toward an end-user or audience.[1] Content is “something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing or any of various arts”.[2] Content can be delivered via many different media including the Internet, cinema, television, radio, smartphones, audio CDs, books, e-books, magazines, and live events, such as speeches, conferences, and stage performances.”
In communications content can be divided into 4 categories, that either adhere to a certain level of emotional or rational need state or action related need in terms of fulfilling an awareness purpose or strong purchase/conversion related need.
Depending on these states the actual shape en information presentation or richness may vary. A similar result can occur for different persona’s or target audiences. Understanding these states can contribute to an efficient content production strategy and obviously easier prioritisation in this proces.
frontend vs backend content
In many occasions speaking about content is largely focussing on the actual communication message this content needs te get across for the human target. In the various channel disciplines, from text to photo, video and derived advertising formats, very specific methods and input for production have been created over the years. Interestingly enough purely focussing on the actual image or view ability and power to convey this message to the recipient.
In todays selection process the internet has evolved to a significant contributor not to mention the biggest influencer for product/offer selection. Therefore SERP-ranking (search engine result page ranking) has grown in importance significantly. This trend has in many occasions fully gone by for the existing content channel production companies. With a result of lacking output deliverable titles and meta descriptions, which should further support the web proposition. We feel that this knowledge still today offers an opportunity to differentiate in the market, so by getting your production agencies instructed with the right output deliverable assignments you should be starting your competitive differentiation.
Content and mobile first behaviour
As we’ve seen the rise of mobile the past years (with not only exceptions that go to 84% and up off overall platform traffic), we have to take that into consideration also within our content strategy and execution.
When it comes to making information available on mobile devices two central behavioural patterns qualify for usage due to their frequent usage by the majority of mobile visitors.
By applying that best-practice your platform will be able to offer information to its visitors in a quick and user-friendly manner. satisfying customer needs and limiting bounce rates.
Speed, Ease, Relevance
Using the two interaction patterns cards and text input for search, you can make sure that your audience gets the information they need in the quickest and most convenient way possible. To ensure the fulfilment of their needs are the priority you need to make sure that „Form follows function“ or „Accessibility before aesthetics“. Meaning your service should be as inclusive, legible and as readable as possible, even if it means to sacrifice elegance.
Indexation is changing
The growth that we’ve seen on purpose and usage of the internet not only has an influence on the consuming side. In order to truly be as relevant and close to the search query possible, search engines also have a need to adopt to changing market environments. In the early days when you could sustain with outstanding text and some images, today you’ll need much more than that. Its no longer about the formats, mobile support, security and ability to share have become a standard. While being in a artificial and ubiquitous sphere now, allowing to be fully personalised and contextualised is a next phase. This obviously also forces the indexation crawler to again be smarter and look differently. More and more looking at patterns and overlaps or synergies of content and services and presented as closely together as possible.
translating content into customer journeys
Building a web presence for many years has been dominated by topics around content creation and SEO. The past years a new phenomenon made its appearance ; Customer Journeys. A lot of different definitions and just as much methods how to built them have been created. Often almost forgetting its real purpose. The reason for moving this direction is to further customise the experience (potential) customers have with your brand or organisation. So its all about recognising certain customer groups (persona’s) and service them content specifically aimed at them based upon certain positions and circumstances they have in their buying process.
Recognising and creating different persona types is an important starting point in defining the outlines for the messaging you would like to convey. Insights not limited to their points of interest from an information perspective is important, but also the communication channels of their preference have a significant impact on your content needs. The most forgotten element within the construction of customer journeys is the time/place and role of a particular call-to-action. Without this, proper result and monitoring of engagement becomes impossible. As different personas may require different content, different channels (with their specific content requirements) and different call-to-action, this is a multi-dimensional activity that requires thorough management and monitoring to ensure solid Return-on-investment.
It also requires a different way of looking at content. By using content snippets (short content elements) and describing a logic that connects these snippets together, vistors can be seduced to consume more information. More does not necessarily mean more content but can also mean a certain frequency of the same message. This approach will make the information stick better in the visitors mind and allows you to move more efficiently to a way of conversion or engagement.
One of the most “forgotten” elements in customer journey executions is the actual behaviour or action you would like to see happening as a result of the information consumption. These call-to-actions not only contribute to the fulfilment of a visitor need, it in particular is a gateway to a following journey. Communications online should be circulair oriented which means that you serve information piece-by-piece, this also often divided over several session and sometimes different devices. All aiming at a breakthrough action like a purchase or reach out for help.
There is no such thing as a first-time-right customer journey or experience. Measuring behaviour is very important. By defining in detail goals for each content snippet, but also monitoring the detailed results they show, a foundation for improvement is at your disposal.