building your content strategy - sundogbuilding your content strategy three keys to strategic...

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January, 2014

D EAN F RO S L I ETeam Lead - Writing and Content Strategist

BU I L D I NG YOUR CONT EN T S T RA T EG YTHR E E K E Y S TO S T RA T E G I C M E S SAG I N G

Content strategy can – and does – create order when your content has gone awry.

It creates an improved structure for emerging devices and platforms. It benefits your search engine optimization. It can guide your content management system (CMS) selection and setup. It helps you rally your internal stakeholders, helping them think beyondthe website launch. It improves your processes, saving valuable time with every request as you improve content quality.

Those benefits create the environment for effective content creation. Yet they cannot overcome content that isn’t audience-centered, sloppy key messaging, or appeals that simply don’t persuade.

Creating Effective Content Conversations

As Redish (2007) wrote, online content must be a conversation:

Similar to your real world interactions, your content conversations should revolve around dialogue and give-and-take. If your organization is too focused on itself, your audience will quickly back away. And if content is too audience-centered, you won’t accomplish your business objectives.

With this conversational approach in mind, consider your messaging strategy from a few key perspectives:

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In the following pages, we’ll explore each of these areas.

WHO: Identifying Your Audiencesand Their Needs

The better you understand your audiences, the more effective your messaging will be. As Redish (2007) said: “If you write your web content only on what you think your audiences are like, you will be writing from assumptions. If your assumptions are wrong, your content won’t work” (p.13). The critical elements are your audiences -- and their needs.

Begin with your audiences.Any strategic messaging effort should begin with an understanding of your audiences. Many organizations create fully-developed personas to define audiences, but are they necessary?

Before we go further, let’s define a persona. Detailed customer profiles, or personas, force teams to truly appreciate audience needs. A typical persona starts with a fictional name, and includes their relationships with the organization (if they have any) and their goals for a particular decision or purchase. It might incorporate demographic data, relevant lifestyle and personality characteristics.

Building Your Content Strategy: Three Keys To Strategic Messaging | Dean Froslie 2

“Think of your web content as your part of a conversation – not a rambling dialogue but a focused conversation started by a very busy person … think about what people come wanting to know and then about how to give them that information as concisely and clearly as possible” (p. 4-5).

WHO: Who’s your audience? What do they need?WHAT: What are your primary and secondary messages? How can you move audiences towards your desired organizational outcomes?HOW: How can you create persuasive content and truly engage your audiences?

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MailChimp has developed detailed user personas – and they’re displayed on posters throughout their offices. It’s all explained on their blog at http://blog.mailchimp.com/new-mailchimp-user-persona-research/.


The path to persona development often varies. In some cases at Sundog, we’ve extended a client’s fully-developed personas to include contextual needs and content objectives. For others, we’ve created personas for already-established audience segments. We’ve developed higher-level audience profiles for user experience needs. And for a recent project, we merged our audience insights with initial personas that our client developed.

But how much information should personas feature? Should we create personality-filled profiles to better develop the persona? Or do we take a less-is-more approach, focus on broader audience segments, and focus on essential goals, wants and needs?

It ultimately depends on the client, project and objectives. Here are several critical characteristics for any persona or audience definition effort:

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Personas must be detailed enough to easily distinguish your audience types. It’s unlikely that Persona Jane represents your entire prospect audience, for example. So multiple personas are probably necessary – as long as they reflect the unique characteristics of your audiences.

Personas must be detailed enough to fully understand individual audiences. While we don’t need to identify every aspect of Persona Jill’s decision-making, our profiles should include the essential factors that influence her inclinations, needs and choices.

Personas must be free of unnecessary details. It may seem fun to reference Persona Joe’s love of French cuisine, his state high jump championship and his golden retriever named Rusty. Yet if those details don’t further your understanding of his relationship to your product or service, they’re probably irrelevant. Personas aren’t creativewriting exercises.

Personas must include the desired behaviors/conversions. To deliver any value, our personas must identify the calls to action that are most meaningful and relevant for the organization and the individual.

Personas must be useful enough to reference all the time. If personas are created during discovery and forgotten for the rest of the project, their value will quickly fade.

Personas must be prioritized. Whether it’s a website redesign or a social media effort, your organization can’t be everything to everyone on every channel. Prioritize your efforts.

Personas should span all of your marketing efforts. We may develop personas as part of a particular project, but their core attributes shouldn’t be specific to a channel or tactic.

This content offers helpful links to polling places and election results. But it overlooks a critical (and basic) detail: when the polls open and close.

WHAT: Guiding Users To YourDesired Outcomes

With your audience evaluation completed, it’s time to begin crafting your content, right? Not so fast. Defining what – including your key messages and desired outcomes – will guide content creation and ensure it remains focused.

Determine your key messaging.Although online writing fundamentals make your content more palatable to users, your page-level content should be guided by higher-level strategic messaging. In her Content Strategy Summit presentation, Halvorson (2013) outlined a three-tier approach to messaging:

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Consider all of their potential needs.Phone numbers. Lunch menus. Maps and directions. Dealer locations. Parking options. Event times. Email addresses. Customer service. ATM locations. Mailing addresses. Warranty details.

In user experience and content strategy circles, this stuff is often a low priority. It seems mundane. It’s often relegated to tertiary navigation, footers or (worse yet) overlooked altogether. It becomes an afterthought as content is created and managed.

Yet it might be some of the most critical information on your site.

In his keynote at Confab 2013, Jared Spool offered a concise definition of content: “Content is what your user needs or wants right now.”

Spool pointed out that content could be a boarding pass – or even a return label. If it’s the top priority of your user, it should be central to your experience and your content. It may seem unexciting or unworthy to your organization, but user needs matter most.

Spool’s perspective aligns with Gracey’s (2013) great post on the hierarchy of information needs. In his Maslow-like pyramid, these information bits and reference points form the foundation. Yes, stories and blog posts and product features are important, but they don’t fulfill our users’ most basic needs:

So what does your user need or want right now? Don’t overlook the simple answers, even if they seem insignificant to you. They might be the key to their experience – and building their brand engagement.


“Organizations, especially those that hope to engage their audiences and build lasting relationships with them, generally want to “jump right to the stories” of their content and ignore the other stuff.”

One site-wide primary message that outlines what users should understand about your organization within a few seconds; this should identify what your organization can do for them (who you are, what you deliver, what they get)A handful (4-6) of secondary messages that guide what users should understand within a minute; they support the primary message by providing context for individual audiences, tasks and outcomesThe supporting features, benefits, facts, explanations, case studies and other details that strengthen your primary and secondary messages


With this messaging platform in place, you’ll be better positioned to create content supports your organization goals while delivering what users want or need.

MailChimp greets homepage visitors with a simple-yet-effective primary message, combined with a credibility appeal and call to action.

Guide your audiences to greater understanding.Much of the content marketing movement centers around educating and informing your audiences, rather than relying on traditional promotional or selling tactics. Yet the goal of nearly any messaging effort is to guide your audiences towards an actionable goal (buying your product, contributing to a cause, finding a dealer, etc.).

How can you find an effective balance between informing and selling? In The Art of Explanation, LeFever (2013) used an A-to-Z continuum as a guide to move your audiences towards greater understanding. It’s also a useful model for content strategy and user experience: Someone on the “A” end of the perspective needs to understand the “why” behind an idea, product or service, while someone at the “Z” end is more focused on “how.” Our goal is to move all customers towards “Z” on the continuum.

As an audience moves towards “Z” on the continuum, their questions and needs change – and the user experience and content and structure must support that shift.

Creating helpful “why” content is an excellent opportunity to differentiate your products and services. And if the content is unique and search-friendly, it can also elevate your rankings. As audiences move towards “Z,” their “how” needs may suggest an inclination to convert (buy, join, register, etc.). Your content should support these needs through more detailed specs, features and options.


REI’s Expert Advice area features “Why” content that likely appeals to audiences on the “A” end of the continuum.

This “How to Choose” article guides REI visitors in their purchase decision, ‘moving them along the continuum.

Within the product section, REI site visitors are given the usual product images, features, ratings and prices they expect at the “z” end of the continuum, combined with links to the “why” articles.

HOW: Crafting Effective,Audience-Focused Appeals

With your foundation for strategic messaging in place, you’re finally ready to begin creating content. Yet your content can quickly break down if it isn’t compelling and audience-focused. Remembering rhetoric – and your audience – can help you connect and inspire.

Rely on rhetoric.When we create content, it’s easy to be swept up by value propositions, brand standards, style guides, content types and industry jargon.

We can lose sight of another fundamental: crafting persuasive, audience-focused appeals.

Aristotle’s principles of persuasion remain relevant. They’re timeless – and they work. Fortunately, you don’t need to join a debate club to apply the basics. In the indispensable Elements of Content Strategy, Kissane (2011) wrote that “a good dose of rhetorical theory may be just what you need to get your brainin gear and create persuasive content” (p. 30). She reviews the basics:

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Rational Appeals: Use reasoning as the foundation (think facts, statistics, and data). These logical appeals rely on claims, evidence and warrants (which link your claim and evidence).Emotional Appeals: Rely on (ethical) emotional or motivational messaging that entices the senses. Jones (2011) noted that emotion can be conveyed through tone and style.Reputation-Based Appeals: Cite your organization’s (or your personal) credibility and experience. Jones (2011) outlined experience, success, reputation, endorsements, certification and longevity as possible credibility appeals.


With these types of appeals in mind, remember:

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Kissane made an important distinction: key messages usually outline what you want to say, while rhetoric identifies how to say it. When you consider both, your content will become more strategic and effective.

The Crutchfield product sections are filled with rational appeals: the usual stats, facts and figures that electronics enthusiasts expect.

Emotional appeals lead Crutchfield’s messaging to attract employees to its two primary facilities in Virginia.

For Crutchfield, credibility begins with its founder – and it’s a compelling message.

Match your appeal with your audience. If you create content for analytical minds (accountants or engineers, for example), lead with rational appeals. When it’s a delicate topic, or one that lends itself to storytelling, emotional appeals may make sense. If your organization’s track record separates you from the pack, focus on reputation-based appeals.

Let the appeal drive the medium. It’s easy to make blanket statements (“we need more video!”) without considering your key messages, audiences and appeals. Until those details are solidified, withhold judgment about whether your content should be in text, video, image, infographic or chalk art form. (And always use chalk art in moderation.)

Vary your appeals. An arsenal of facts and research may quickly overwhelm your audience, while nonstop emotional appeals may make your organization seem fluffy. Strive for a balance of appeals to maintain variety and interest.


Shift from organization-centric experiences to user-centric perspectives.Most organizations never run out of information to share with their prospects and customers. Features! Statistics! Case studies! Competitive advantages! Key messages!

As consumers, however, we quickly and easily tune out: The hype and promises don’t resonate. We can’t discern the value of features. We aren’t ready to apply or share or register or configure. Or we can’t even figure out what the product or service costs.

In her session at Confab, Hay (2013) concisely explained this dilemma that we face as content creators. Organizations often fall into the “we/me” orientation that focuses on who we are, and what we care about. If your content is filled with industry jargon, features without benefits, and organization-centric language, you’re probably too focused on your own interests.

A far more effective approach, according to Hay, is the “you” orientation: who your users are, and what they actually care about. This audience-focused approach builds trust, creates reasonable expectations and makes your content more “real.”

Jobson (2013) offered similar ideas in a post about improving your site’s “About” page. She pointed out what we (as users) expect when we assess an organization:

To better distinguish these orientations, consider these samples from several bank websites and Simple.com:

Sample content from several bank sites:

Sample content from Simple.com:

The top example is filled with “we/me” content: It’s more formal, corporate and distant, creating a sense that customers work with an institution rather than people. In contrast, the other samples features strong “you”-oriented content from Simple.com. Using a far more conversational, friendly and benefit-driven approach, Simple.com builds audience confidence and encourages them to read more.

Are you really concerned about all their achievements, their dreams and goals, and every award they have ever won? Or are you looking for proof that they can help you solve your problems? Reassurance that they aren’t going to rip you off? Evidence that they understand what you really need and care about helping you find it?

We make the process easy!

We are a diversified company that offers…

We have big solutions, big resources and big experience.

We add value to help drive your success.

Our bankers take a consultative approach…

Clients see [company] as their primary bank…

When your account helps you save and budget, it can also help you spend smarter. Simple’s Goals and Safe-to-Spend™ work together to empower your everyday financial decision-making.

Simple gives you tools to help yourself, while still making sure knowledgeable, friendly people are there to help when you need them.

You’ll never miss your bank branch—there’s so much you can do right from your computer, iPhone, or Android. Control of your account is in your hands, wherever you go.


Many potentially-delightful user experiences are marred by content that remains in “we/me” mode. How can you snap out of “we/me” mode? How can content to survive internal editing processes (and conflicting opinions) with its “you-ness” intact? Estes (2013) offered three essential guidelines to ensure user-centric language:

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These guidelines are essential as you adopt a “you” orientation – and create greater rapport with your audiences.

Moving Towards Delightful Content

The organizations cited here – REI, MailChimp, Crutchfield – have beloved brands and legions of dedicated customers. Their content helps create memorable experiences that galvanize customer loyalty.

Yet most organizations are simply trying to wrangle their content, build more consistency and address internal issues that lead to content breakdowns. As Spool (2013) noted in this Confab keynote, however, moving content from “frustrating” to “usable” isn’t enough. Spool put it more bluntly: “Not sucky” doesn’t equal “delightful.”

Creating quality content can seem like a daunting task, but the who, what and how fundamentals ensure a goal-oriented and user-focused approach: Understanding your audience. Defining primary and secondary messages. Moving audiences towards your desired organizational outcomes. Crafting content that’s engaging and persuasive.

Strategic messaging provides focus and guidance – and it moves us closer to delighting our audiences.

Focus on product/service benefits, rather than features. Without corresponding benefits, many feature names and branded terms have little meaning to users.

Ensure your audience is familiar with your business or industry jargon. Plain language and simple explanations usually prevail over jargon, especially if your audience isn’t familiar with your “insider” descriptions.

Create a conversational approach by speaking to your audience, not at them. This aligns exactly with Hay’s “you” approach by making content more accessible and personal.


References

Estes, J. (2013). User-centric vs. Maker-centric Language: 3 Essential Guidelines. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://www.nngroup.com/articles/user-centric-language/

Halvorson, K. (2013). “Better Content by Design.” Content Strategy Summit [Online Conference]. 17 September 2013.

Jobson, S. (2013). Get Rid of Your Lousy ‘About’ Page Once and for All. Retrieved November 20, 2013, from http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/12126/get-rid-of-your-lousy-about-page-once-and-for-all

Kissane, E. (2011). The Elements of Content Strategy. New York, NY: A Book Apart.

LeFever, L. (2013). The Art of Explanation. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Gracey, R.S. (2013). A Hierarchy of Information Needs. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://contentstrategynoob.com/a-hierarchy-of-information-needs/

Hay, S. (2013). “What Startups Can Teach Us About Content Strategy.” Confab 2013 [Conference]. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 5 June 2013.

Jones, C. (2011). Clout: The Art and Science of Influential Web Content. Berkeley, California: New Riders.

Kissane, E. (2011). The Elements of Content Strategy. New York: A Book Apart.

Redish, G. (2007). Letting Go of the Words. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufman Publishers.

Spool, J. (2013). “Experiencing Delightful Content.” Confab 2013 [Conference]. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 5 June 2013.

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