More than 20 years ago…although it feels like 100…websites began transforming brand communication with customers with a new medium to concentrate marketing, customer service efforts, technical support, corporate image and more.
In the process, there were a lot of trends that got a little out of hand: creating landing pages for each product or season, lush site designs in Flash format and recently the maelstrom of popular memes with little or no relationship with brands.
Formats and platforms were acquiring more value than the message itself, which is why over the years, the digital discussion returned to the phrase “Content is King”.
But it is not the content as an isolated marketing strategy (like “inbound marketing”, for example), but and even more basic, underlying premise: content must be king in everything the user consumes and experiences across the different channels of the brand.
To ensure that our content captivates as a whole and captures the attention, loyalty and preference of the user (who effectively make the brand), we can follow the values of the schematic designed by Peter Morville, author of Information Architecture for the World, which maps user experience.
There are 7 qualities that captivating content should always pursue; from the pop-up messages on the site, to posts on social networks to ads on search engines.
- Valuable: It's not about getting on all emerging trends in social networks, but producing unique and interesting content that the user won’t find everywhere.
- Useful: If a post on Facebook does not promote consumption, communicate the values and characteristics of the brand or generate a sense of identity for the audience, then it is not useful for the user or for brand building.
- Usable: The format and the platform we choose to deliver content is paramount. A mobile site with elements too small for tablets, for example, becomes an obstacle for tablet users in accessing the content, no matter how valuable it may be.
- Desirable: Identify the values and interests of the user to address these issues in blog posts, video production or infographics for networks will ensure that content is consumed and shared with ease, rather than provide the user with content that is difficult to comprehend.
- Reachable: In addition to considering friendly and memorable terms in the nomenclatures and navigation tabs of our sites, we must devise ways to categorize our content on social networks, for example, albums for audiovisual, hashtags for periodic sections, etc.
- Credible: it not only strengthens the brand when quoting sources when publishing flattering reviews, but it shows consistency on the website and the importance the brand places on customer service and responding with email support.
Accessible: When we identify the information users look for more frequently, we must ensure that that can find that information wherever they are. A tutorial on installation or assembly should not be only in a downloadable PDF from desktop sites, but in a video on Facebook or in an email of thanks after purchasing.
What differentiates a navigable site from an ordinary one, a social profile that generates return on investment from one that does, or newsletter that directs visitors to the site from one that goes unnoticed, is considering all these features as we plan, produce and create our content.
Because, as in every monarchy, like it or not, content is still king.
Andrea Herrera is Digital Strategist Mijo! Brands, a leading digital agency with offices in CDMX and Puerto Vallarta.