Requirement 1: content has to be useful
A few days ago, my husband sat at the computer looking unhappy. He had to renew his driving licence, and was working his way through his home countryâs traffic authority website. Even though he was getting annoyed, the website had his full attention, as it was extremely useful.
*Driving licence renewal on the California Department of Motor Vehicles website. Source: Department of Motor Vehicles California, accessed May 2018 *What can we learn from this? However chaotic and boring the content, if itâs useful we spend time on it. Thatâs why in content strategy we say usefulness is the be-all and end-all of any content. And speaking of content: When we say content we mean text, images and videos): content is anything that conveys meaning. At Liip we split useful content into two areas: 1. It solves pain. 2. It delivers gains. We then use this to develop the content.
Content Strategy Recommendations
No empty marketing texts, no blah-blah-blah. Reward all visitors to your website with content that has true substance.
Requirement 2: content must be understandable
In the past, consuming content meant reading books, studying newspapers or watching films. We had some peace, and the medium was large in scale. Today, consuming content means looking at something on a 7x10cm screen whilst on the train with your shopping between your knees and the man next to youâs dog sat on your feet. This means for content strategists: make content that a child could follow. I test all of mine on my neighbourâs kid. Heâs 12. He looked at this article, for example. He doesnât read any bits that donât have pictures (so the many examples in this text are thanks to him).
Content Strategy Recommendations
- Start your content with something that triggers positive emotions so that visitors are inspired to continue.
- Split your content up so that itâs easy to follow. Use visual goodies such as images, videos, quotations, info boxes and so on to keep your readers interested.
- The big finish is the buy button, suggesting âand now you can also buy all of this great stuff!â
- Also important: teasers for further content, to show our visitors what other things they can find on our website.
Requirement 3: content must offer a sense of belonging
There are endless competitors for every product and every service. Take the example of deodorant. Itâs just deodorant, but every deodorant brand now has its own particular attitude to life. For example, my neighbourâs kid I mentioned before uses Axe, as he once told me (what exciting topics of conversation we have). But he didnât know why Axe is his deodorant of choice. Axeâs marketing strategists however do have an idea. They actually have had it for over 30 years when they first started positioning their product as âIrresistible.
â and have had it for more than 30 years, because thatâs how long they have been focusing on the brand value of âirresistibleâ. For example, in 1985 it launched the claim that it was ‘the smell that drives women crazy'. Just the effect that a teenager wants to have on the female sex. Sports fans instead go for Rexona, and those who prefer the sensitive touch choose Dove. Whichever you would choose â a clear positioning helps you and all other consumers to identify with a company, and to choose its products.
Content Strategy Recommendations
Find your tonality [link to other text] to draw in and unite your customers.
Requirement 4: have a go at entertainment
Or in other words, donât bore your visitors. In content strategy we work with two sizes: 1. micro delightment, 2. macro excitement.
Freitag.châs website does not use dry facts to explain how its bags work â every product video is a mini work of art. They offer surprise and delight, and sometimes even some PR potential. Freitag has mastered the art of micro delightment, and entertains users just where it is important: at the point of sale.
The other side of this is large campaigns, or macro excitement. These often target large-scale awareness, such as for example Nike’s Breaking2 campaign. Nike launched this costly attempt and documented the worldâs best runners trying to run a marathon in under two hours. An expensive undertaking, but with a high ROI: the teaser alone got 6.6 million views, 13 million live stream viewers and 400,000 mentions using the hashtag #breaking2. Any content strategist enviously says: nice!
Content Strategy Recommendations
Make the extra effort to add a touch of entertainment to your content. Your visitors will thank you by staying on your website for longer and happily coming back.
Requirement 5: become part of your customersâ world
Nike knows how it works: The Nike’s Breaking2 campaign takes us to a running training configurator where anyone interested in running their own marathon can create a training plan. So, of course, I did. Although I only did a half marathon, Nike was my constant companion for four months. Whatâs more, I also managed to persuade my dad to join in â and Nike also became part of his life. Nikeâs content provided me with real added value, which was attractive and logically structured making it easy to follow. Nike stands for athletic performance â something I can identify with. Nike has wormed its way into my daily life with real added value provided in an entertaining way. I buy products from them, which is exactly what Nike wanted to achieve.
Content Strategy Recommendations
Become a part of your customerâs world and you have won the battle, as thatâs when we show blind faith in a brand â and recommend it to our friends, free of charge.
Learning
Good content is time-consuming, but really does have something to offer â satisfied and convinced customers who keep on coming back. Even if our customers just start out as observers, the conclusion is clear: ROI several times over.
Checklist
ጠRequirement 5: are you part of your customersâ world?
Think about how to become part of their everyday lives.
ጠRequirement 4: are you entertaining your customers with exciting content?
People who are captivated by a website will stay longer and come back sooner.
ጠRequirement 3: are you creating a unique experience?
Determine your brandâs unique character so that visitors can identify with it.
ጠRequirement 2: are your content pages cleanly laid out?
Make sure that visitors can follow and understand you.
ጠRequirement 1: are you providing real substance for your visitors?
Solve your usersâ real problems and provide them with added value.
The experts behind this article
Thanks to Christoph and Jenny for content and copy assistance, to Jan and Jérémie for the images. This article would not have been possible without you!