In today’s world of digital marketing, content really is king. I’m sure most of you have heard this many times over, but most misinterpret what this really means. It’s not filling web pages with endless scrolls of 10 point type; no one will read that much online. It’s about understanding your medium and how your audience consumes content within that medium.
Online visitors skim and scour copy, they forage blocks of text for information relevant to them. So when we create content for use online we must always remember that it’s not what we think should be online, it’s what the user wants online. After all, we don’t create websites for ourselves, we create them for users and their experience is paramount.
Always Be Engaging
The Internet today is a two way street. Consumers expect and appreciate the ability to connect with brands and companies online. Unlike traditional broadcast and print media, consumers want to engage in a conversation with you, so make sure your content is accessible and promotes user engagement. Implementing sharing, bookmarking and commenting are simple ways to create engagement with your content.
Also, you should try and develop content that encourages engagement from users. Ask questions, solicit feedback and opinions, this will empower users and increase the popularity of your content. Make your brand accessible and remember that user feedback is important. Use it to improve your brand and digital marketing efforts.
Things to remember when developing web content.
Keep SEO in mind when writing for the web. Search engines love to scour copy, so incorporating keywords into your copy will help users find you. Remember not everyone enters your site through the front door.
Visitors scan web pages for information, so organize your content in a way that helps them find the most relevant information on your page. Effective use of H1 tags, lists and callouts will draw their attention to your key messages. Reading on a monitor is more difficult than reading on paper, so your writing should be clear and lean.
The back button is only mouse click away, so be engaging. Visitors respond to content they can relate to. Ensure your copy gives them a reason to read on and never lose sight of who your audience is.
Make user direction clear, don’t leave them guessing. Use the copy and design to make it clear what users should do next.
Write with the intent of generating buzz, feedback and comments.
I’m always looking for great ideas and feedback so let me know your web content development rules of thumb. If you disagree, leave me a comment and let’s chat.
So most of you reading this probably spend most of your time following really interesting big thinkers on Twitter. Or perhaps you follow trend setters and link posters. Well once and a while you’ve got run your fingers through party end of the twitter mullet.
That’s right mullet except this one has a lot of business up front and not enough party in the back. Well you just need to dig a little and you’ll discover where the party’s at. So here are my favourite (I’m Canadian) tweeters to follow for a laugh.
Some of my lovely and talented wife’s work was recently featured in the New York Times. They only featured two pieces of a very extensive identity system ranging from business cards to water bottle labels.
So I’ve been trying to collect Holiday cards from Agencies and Companies from all over. I’ve always enjoyed seeing these cards especially from Agencies. Good agencies are always trying to push their creative boundaries every year.
Of course 2009 and it’s economic slump has forced a lot of agencies to scale back. Well Mother London flipped it on its head this year and decided to give its Holiday Card budget to one recipient. Check out the video to see how it all pans out.
My wife Genevieve recently entered a poster design contest at Don’t Panic. Love Spain, Hate Bullfighting, The League Against Cruel Sports wants to take that message to the tour operators, holiday companies and establishments that promote bullfighting to let them know that tourists in Britain and the Spanish locals want no part in this “so-called” tradition. They asked designers and artists to come up with a design that promotes the ‘Love Spain, Hate Bullfighting’ message.
Bullfighting Free - Dont Panic Design Contest
She was selected as one of the top 20 finalists based on an online vote. Her work was printed and shown in galleries in both London and Spain simultaneously. Although her entry was not selected by the panel of judges as the winner, I’m proud to say that Ameliea’s Magazine who attended the event singled her entry out:
The powder blue and blood red palette is subtle yet effective, with your attention draw immediately to the strong form of a bull’s head shaped as a heart in the centre of the page. The poster is beautifully symmetrical, with simplified lines and shapes to describe the bull’s features.
Microsodt has created a series of videos teaching you how to hold a launch party for Windows 7. These videos are so bad I don’t know if it is possible to parody them. They’ve disabled comments on the videos, so much for encouraging engagement.
I came across this while walking to the train station in downtown Toronto. I must say someone, or possibly a few people were asleep at the wheel on this one. One thing to note, three days and it’s still out in public view.
