Setting a context for a content strategy vocabulary

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March 30, 2012 · 

 

The problem with building a glossary is that the definitions need to exist within a context. In my last post, I alluded to the ubiquitous term “template”, which has different meanings within different contexts, and Noz pointed out the word “format”, which has the same problem. The content strategy field is developing its own context, and this framework is offered as a starting point from which we can build a common vocabulary. Consider this a starter kit toward the glossary that Noz and I will post, likely in a neutral spot where we can accommodate multiple contributors.

The framework used here can be depicted as:


 
Content design
The cumulative effect of activities that form strategic approach to content, to achieve a business or social goal. This includes the decisions from both the content architecture and content development sides. (A Wikipedia definition for design is “…a roadmap or a strategic approach for someone to achieve a unique expectation. It defines the specifications, plans, parameters, costs, activities, processes and how and what to do within legal, political, social, environmental, safety and economic constraints in achieving that objective.”

Content architecture
The construction of content to allow content to function within a technological framework. Content architcture is the cumulative effect of activities and decisions in specifying the implementation of content types, content flows, and content models.


 
Content type
A set of building blocks that create semantic context for a specific unit of content, describing a technical structure and associated behaviours of those elements that allows reliable processing by computers.


 
Content flow
The representation of the elements of a content type into the various outputs within a presentation, plus the technical specifications that allow the implementation of business rules. Assumes the technical specifications are described from the perspective of the content type within some sort of content management system.


 
Content model
A representation of the aggregation of all the content types used in a specific project, plus the technical specifications that allow the implementation of business rules. Assumes the technical specifications are described from the perspective of the presentation within some sort of content management system.



 
Content development
The construction of content to allow content to function within an editorial framework. Content development is the cumulative effect of activities and decisions in specifying the implementation of editorial quality, editorial structures, and content genres.

Content genre
A set of building blocks that create social context for a specific unit of content, describing an editorial structure.

Content genres signify predictable reading flow. Examples of content genres are procedures, white papers, case studies, agendas, minutes, business cards. Readers predice that a business card has a name, position, company name, company address, and one or more telephone numbers.

Editorial structure
A socially-enforced structuring of elements with a unit of content.

The structure is social because there are no technology constraints to enforce the structure; there is a social agreement to use elements in a particular way. For example, writers may agree that business card elements should always appear in a particular order: name, position, company name, company address, the direct number for a landline, followed by a mobile telephone number.

Editorial standards
Editorial standards refers to the quality standards of the content.

Editorial standards can include mechanisms such as style guides, branding guidelines, or writing conventions, such as writing for accessibility or search engine optimization. Editorial standards are generally enforced by policy, though can be enforced through technology such as spell-checkers and content quality software.

Use Professional or User-Generated Video? New Survey Says ‘Both.’

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By Christine Dunn | Published: March 30, 2012

The use of videos in content marketing is growing as more companies try to incorporate visual elements in their content marketing campaigns instead of relying solely on text-based initiatives. Oftentimes, businesses weigh the option of user-generated videos over professionally produced ones. A new study by comScore and EXPO found that the best method is to combine both.

The study analyzed an actual video campaign that included a professionally made “how to” video and a user-generated product video that was created and submitted by an actual product user.


“What we found was strong evidence of incremental benefit with exposure to both forms of media,” Frank Findley, Vice President, Research and Development at comScore, said in a statement.

“Professionally produced content and product videos drove strikingly higher lifts when used together than when either was used individually. While marketers may already be familiar with the effectiveness of professional video content alone, these results suggest that even greater returns can be had by combining their use with authentic, user-generated content.”

Professional videos are important tools in helping viewers understand the importance of the key messages presented by a company or brand. Consumers were more apt to understand the described benefits and features of the products in professionally produced content, the comScore/EXPO study found.

User-generated videos, on the other hand, are easier to relate to, perceived as being unbiased, and were considered more believable about verifying specific product claims, such as superiority and convenience. They generate an emotional intensity about a product, and in doing so help drive communication about a company’s key messages.

Filling in the Gaps

“When used together, all of the perceived gaps get filled in and consumers become more confident in their purchase decision, resulting in better sales effectiveness,” said Jessica Thorpe, Vice President of Marketing at EXPO.

The first group of consumers participated in a veiled exercise in order to determine the sales effectiveness of the professionally produced content, the user-generated content, and both together.
The study found that the professional videos generated a 24.7 point lift in Share of Choice for the featured product and a 16 point lift for the brand’s total line. User-generated videos drove an 18.7 point lift in Share of Choice for the featured product compared to a 10 point lift for the brand’s total line. When exposed to both professional content and user-generated product videos, lift in Share of Choice for the featured product jumped to 35.3 points for the featured product and 28 points for the brand’s total line. This demonstrates the powerful combination when used together, the study said.

Lifts in Share of Choice After Veiled Exposure to Video Content March 2012 Total U.S. Source: comScore, Inc.
	Professionally-Produced	User-Generated	PP & UG Together
Featured Product	+24.7	+18.7	+35.3
Brand’s Total Line	+16.0	+10.0	+28.0

A second group of consumers participated in a cued exposure exercise and were surveyed after being directly exposed to the content. On its own, the professional video content resulted in a higher percentage of respondents understanding the importance of the key message presented than user-generated content. The user-generated product videos were more successful at producing emotional intensity.

When exposed to both types of videos, the combined increases were greater than for either of the individual media exposures.

Percent of Audience Exhibiting Specified Responses to Video Content March 2012 Total U.S. Source: comScore, Inc.
	Professionally-Produced	User-Generated	PP & UG Together
Emotional intensity	77%	84%	85%
Key message communication	55%	60%	65%
Easy to relate to	79%	83%	87%
Importance of key message	84%	80%	89%

comScore and EXPO will be conducting a webinar on Tuesday, April 3rd at 2 p.m. EDT to further explain the methodology and results of the study.
Video image via Shutterstock.

How to Use Opinions to Create Powerful Content

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By Carl Friesen | Published: March 30, 2012

They’re a staple of courtroom dramas everywhere — expert witnesses. These are individuals whose professional opinion is so valued that it can help sway, or even decide, the outcome of a court case. Clearly, informed opinion from appropriately qualified people has value in our society.

It’s something that also has value from a content marketing perspective. Opinion-oriented content can be fun to read, as well as informative, so it collects eyeballs. It can be a tremendously valuable source of information for anyone in decision-making mode — such as someone deciding on a new car, trying to find a lawyer specializing in intellectual property, or looking for guidance on how to vote.

It positions the author as a thought leader; someone who is invested enough in the topic to have a viewpoint and take a stand. It’s most useful if it’s a skilled individual who’s the “product” being marketed, making it ideal for marketing professional services.

Even better: Opinion content can be in written form, or in video, a podcast, or any other medium.
Take, for example, a mining engineer client I’ll call Hussein, who believes that mining companies must do more to manage the environmental effects of their mines after they’re closed. Water leaching through the mine waste and through the mine itself can pick up contaminants such as acids and metals, causing huge issues for ecosystems downstream.

Let’s look at ways opinion content can help Hussein show his expertise to members of the mining industry — potential clients for his skills in managing the water impacts of mining.

Stand-alone opinions

In working with Hussein, the first form of content I created was an article for a mining industry trade magazine. I interviewed Hussein about the issues he wanted to speak about, and studied the text of a keynote speech he had recently given at a conference on mine closure to gather enough information to (ghost) write an article for his byline.

This is an example of what I call stand-alone content in that this article wasn’t based on a previous development (as would be the case with “Review” or “Comment” content, described below).
Also, it was stand-alone in that there wasn’t a specific news hook or other event to hang the article on — like a mine whose tailings dam had burst recently, flooding contaminants downstream, for example. So, I had to put in some words up front, explaining why the issue is important to the industry’s financial and legal future.

For stand-alone content, it’s always best if you can find a news hook, so that when you include the right keywords and phrases, your content will get a ride on that event. For example, if your company offers solutions for cruise ship safety issues, now might be a good time to generate some opinion content on that, given recent news stories on cruise ship problems.
How to structure stand-alone content:

• Explain the issue you’re commenting on, and why it’s important to the content user.
• Give your viewpoint.
• Explain the reasons you support that viewpoint, acknowledging and dealing with counter-arguments.
• Along the way, you must state why your opinion matters — offer information on your relevant experience, your qualifications, or what your familiarity with the issues is based on.

Reviews

Content that analyzes or reviews recently-released books, movies, music albums, and the like has a long history. Now, we often see reviews of software, information technology, video games, social networking platforms, and other products that are written by traditional journalists, as well as by bloggers. But anyone can write a review, including subject-matter experts like Hussein.

A review draws strength from a content point of view in that it’s “news” (at least while the subject of the review is new). It can get a search engine boost just from being associated with a hot or trending topic (for example, the new iPad, or the first line of OLED television sets that hit the market).
A review positions the writer as being up to date with developments in her or his field.

In Hussein’s case, I might consider writing a review of a new technology for removing contaminants from water flowing out of a closed mine, or maybe a review of new mine closure legislation, such as that in the state of Western Australia.

Review-oriented content needs to cover these points (not necessarily in this order):

• A description of the product
• Comparison with its predecessor, and competing products
• What’s new about it
• Analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the product
• Potential applications of the product — as well as where its use should be avoided

Comments

If stand-alone opinion content has its origins in op-ed articles in newspapers, and reviews go back to literary book reviews, comments are rooted in letters to the editors of newspapers and magazines.
A comment is based on content generated by someone else. Like the review, it positions the author as being up to date with current developments — particularly if the comment is posted soon after the original article.

With the tendency for many online news media to have space for comments after each article, there has been a huge outpouring of this kind of content, much of it not worth the pixels and server space. A quick look through some entertainment-oriented sites like “OMG” will find thought-free gems such as “I think J-Lo looks fat in that dress.”

So, where to comment? Choose venues that are:

• Monitored to keep out the spam, name-calling, and personal attacks
• Frequented by the kinds of people you want to reach
• Able to generate content on which you can usefully comment

Of the three types of content, the comment is likely to be the shortest — maybe just a few sentences. So just like composing an effective tweet on Twitter, an effective comment must say a lot, but should do so in as few words as possible. Most importantly, though, is that the comment must include the author’s name (otherwise, what’s the point?) and give her or his credentials. A comment on J-Lo’s fashion choices by someone signing off as “Snooki” would presumably have less weight than that of the editor of “Vogue.” Similarly, mining engineer Hussein might reasonably comment on an article on mine closure in a publication, website, blog, or other medium.

Comments are a quick and easy way to stay top of mind for the people you want to reach. But when contributing this type of content, be sure to protect your brand by posting only thoughtful, informative comments.

What I call “value-added tweeting” falls into the comment category. Rather than just an RT, your tweet should add your comments to the information being passed along — remembering to give credit to the original source of the information you are re-tweeting (using an “@sourcesname” attribution).

Review content needs to include these elements:

• The reviewer’s opinion on the content being reviewed
• Recommendations that the reader might take
• Qualifications of the reviewer (briefly!) indicating why the reviewer’s opinion matters

Opinion content needs to be done with care, in that there is a good chance that someone will disagree with your opinion. Hussein needs to be careful about being too critical of the industry in which he makes his living. He can help protect himself and his reputation by backing up his views with facts, acknowledging opinions different from his own, and creating his comments using a positive tone. This way, he acts as an expert witness of sorts, contributing to the base of knowledge on mine closure. He’s also able to add to the discussion, helping keep the “social” in “social media.”

Easter shoppers will hop to their smartphones, tablets in 2012

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By Fiona Swerdlow, Head of Research, Shop.org | Published: March 29, 2012

As I mentioned recently, Easter announces that the annual spring gift giving season is truly upon us. This year, BIGinsight found in its latest consumer survey for NRF that 82.3% of online consumers plan to celebrate Easter – a number that has continued to inch up since 2007 (79.5%). Consumers intend to shop across channels, with almost 9 out of 10 online Easter shoppers buying food and candy, two-thirds expect to buy gifts, and approximately half will be in the market for greeting cards and clothing, followed by flowers and decorations. The combined net average forecast spend per online consumer celebrating Easter this year is $150.70, a nice start to Quarter 2.

So where should retailers focus their attention to capture the attention of online consumers?

Almost one in five (18.7%) of those consumers celebrating Easter will be going online for some part of their Easter shopping this year, a good leap even from last year (14.8%). In line with online shopping trends, online consumers will be spreading their Easter shopping activities over the web, across smartphones and tablet devices and – the omnichannel shoppers that they are – in traditional brick and mortar stores such as discount stores (63.5%), department stores (42.6%), and specialty stores (25.4%). Cross-channel marketing and promotions (such as promoting in-store specials online and via mobile, matching in-store specials online, offering access to customer ratings and reviews in the store, and so on) will appeal to consumers who move quickly and effortlessly from one customer touchpoint to the next.

Approximately half of online consumers who own a smartphone and/or tablet device will be reaching for those as part of the shopping process. Smartphone owners will use their device to research products and compare prices (28.8%) and look up retailer information such as location, store hours, etc. (22.3%). They will also use their smartphone to redeem coupons (17%) and to purchase products (14.4%). It’s a great opportunity to make sure your mobile-optimized site is working seamlessly; that the retailer info is clear and easily accessible from the first screen the consumer sees; and you are clearly communicating your messages about Easter and spring offerings, both textually and visually.

Similarly, over a third of online consumers who own tablet devices will use those to research products and compare prices (38.4%), find retailer information (28.4%), purchase products (27%) and redeem coupons (18.9%). See how your tablet presence measures up – and where you can fine tune – using the advice of Resource Interactive’s Stephen Burke who gave these primary tablet device design principles: make the tablet shopping experience engaging, share-able, shoppable, and extendable.

Extending the Experience Beyond the Device

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by Tim R. Todish

Over the last few years, the popularity of UX has grown by leaps and bounds. Companies have come to realize the importance of offering engaging experiences to their users, lest they risk losing them to competitors that have invested time and money into improving their product and service experiences.

An interesting side effect of this enhanced focus on UX is that it has helped make users more sophisticated. This, however, can be a double-edged sword; as users become more sophisticated their expectations also increase, and UX professionals must find new ways to meet these elevated expectations. One way to achieve this is to extend the experience beyond the device.

Most of the time when we think about UX, we are thinking within the confines of the digital world. What I'm suggesting, however, is that there are ways to extend the user's experience from the digital world into the real world. This is by no means an earth-shattering revelation; businesses have been working hard at offering exceptional offline experiences for decades. The explosion of the web and, more recently, mobile devices has given businesses an exciting channel to expand the experience.

This holistic approach can create very powerful experiences, which in turn can build tremendous brand loyalty. Imagine the enjoyment you get when using an application or a website that has a carefully crafted, wonderful experience. Now imagine you've just received the product you ordered via that app or site, and the same attention to detail has been paid to the presentation and experience of receiving and unboxing that item. How much more likely would you be to tell your friends about your experience? The next time you need that product or a similar one, where are you going to go?

Extending the experience can pay huge dividends in attracting and retaining customers, and some companies are already embracing this practice and providing inspiration for UX practitioners to use in their work.

In-Store Experience: Apple

It should come as no surprise that when talking about experience Apple jumps to the top of the list. For years, Apple has blazed the trail of UX with its hardware and software. So it made sense that when they opened their physical stores, that their focus on aesthetics and experience would continue. If you’ve ever been in an Apple store, you know what I mean—they're beautiful. It wasn't enough for Apple to simply have beautiful stores, though; they wanted shoppers to have a beautiful experience as well. They've done this in multiple ways, but perhaps the most interesting is their approach to the most dreaded of all shopping tasks: checking out.

When you walk into an Apple store, there’s an army of blue shirts there to assist you—nothing revolutionary here. But these folks are more than just your typical sales staff. They are armed with specially outfitted iPhones that can process transactions on the spot. Your blue shirt helps find the product, checks you out, and you’re out the door without ever waiting in line.

Suppose you just want to purchase some accessories for your iPad. You don't really need to ask any questions, which is good because all the blue shirts are busy anyway. Apple’s got you covered there, too. Fire up the Apple Store app on your iDevice and use the new EasyPay option. Just scan your product, pay with your iTunes account, and leave—again, no waiting!

How does it apply?

Apple gets it. Find the biggest pain points in a process and reduce or remove them. As you are conducting your research, keep an eye out for processes, bottlenecks, etc. that get in the way of users’ goals. After you’ve identified these issues, develop innovative ways to reduce or eliminate them. Try to find ways that you can empower your users to complete tasks that they are currently unable to do on their own. One surefire way to deliver a great experience to your users is to help make them more efficient in their work.

Packaging and Delivery: Warby Parker

Buying eyeglasses can be a daunting task. You have to pick just the right frames to fit your face and match your style. This is nearly impossible to do by just looking at pictures of frames on a website.
Warby Parker realized this was a problem and came up with their Home Try-On Program. With this program, you select five frames from their site and they send them to you free of charge to try on at home. You’ve got five days to try on the different frames and solicit feedback from your family and friends. If they aren’t any help, you can upload pictures of yourself sporting the various frames to the Warby Parker Facebook page and they’ll help you choose the ones that look best. At the end of the five days, you simply ship the frames back using the included, prepaid shipping label. Didn’t find anything you like? Order five more.

This experience is great in that it solves the problem of trying to find the right frames online in a simple and elegant way. It also one-ups the traditional eyeglass store by giving you multiple options to take home and take your time to decide. No more pressure of being in the store, surrounded by hundreds of frames while trying to make an on-the-spot decision.

One of the things Warby Parker prides itself on is offering designer frames at low prices. The bargain prices don't mean they skimp on the experience, however. When your new frames arrive they come in an attractive package with a thank-you card. They also include a quality case and microfiber cleaning cloth at no additional charge. Warby Parker definitely sees the value in going the extra mile to deliver a memorable experience with their products. And their customers seem to have noticed; Warby Parker has experienced tremendous growth in the two years they've been operating, which goes to show that if you take the time to focus on the experience, you will be rewarded for it.

How does it apply?

Warby Parker took a difficult task that seemed almost impossible to do online, and made it not only possible via their website, but also enjoyable. If you’re working on a project that involves a process or task that people find difficult—especially in the real world—try to find ways not just to duplicate it with your app, but to also improve it and take some of the pain out of it. Leverage the benefits that technology can provide to create a better overall experience.

The second thing we can learn from Warby Parker is that the experience shouldn’t end with the sale, and that surprising users by going that extra mile can be extremely powerful. Look for ways to provide value beyond what users expect. Maybe you can offer an in-store discount with the purchase of your app, or follow up with some swag mailed to people who sign up for your service. The opportunities are vast; be creative and be generous. It is likely that your investment will pay off.

Customer Service: Zappos

This final example is anecdotal, but I believe it is indicative of Zappos' approach to customer service as a whole. I was looking for some new shoes, so I thought I'd give Zappos a try. After a few minutes of searching, I couldn't find anything I was looking for. I took my frustrations to the Twitterverse lamenting how I couldn't find a thing on the new Zappos website. Shortly thereafter I received a reply from Zappos asking what I was looking for. We exchanged a few tweets and within an hour or so I was purchasing a new pair of shoes from their site. This was about three years ago and almost every pair of shoes I’ve purchased since has come from Zappos.

Zappos’ shopping experience is nice, but it's nothing special. The thing that brings me back is that initial experience of the one-on-one assistance I received when I was having trouble. It can be hard to get that level of assistance from an employee in a brick-and-mortar store, let alone from someone thousands of miles away via a third-party web service.

Like the companies in the other examples, Zappos gets it. They understand the importance of creating a great experience for their customers and they are benefitting from it.

How does it apply?

This one is straightforward: deliver great customer service. Use all the tools at your disposal to deliver great customer service. Go out of your way to deliver great customer service. Companies live and die by their customers. Deliver great experiences by way of great customer service and you’re well on your way to success.

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There are many avenues for extending the experience beyond the device. From traditional venues like brick-and-mortar stores, to the virtual world of Twitter, there are a multitude of ways to deliver compelling experiences to users. Right now, extending the experience beyond the device is a good way to differentiate from the competition. As users continue to evolve, however, they will come to expect experiences to continue beyond the device. The companies that can realize this and deliver will succeed. Why not be on the cutting edge of that movement?