ABNY11 Week2 - Content

A Brand New You:

Content & Character
‘Content is King’
- Bill Gates

© Jade Tang | Term Two, Semester Two | Week 2

A Brand New You: The importance of Content/Character
Bachelor of Design | Year Two Elective
http://abny2011.tumblr.com/

“Content is King”
- Bill Gates

--
Content is King by Bill Gates (1/3/1996)
http://www.craigbailey.net/content-is-king-by-bill-gates/



“Steve Jobs Tim Cook”
- King of Content

--
The Coronation of Steve Jobs, King of Content (26/1/2010)
http://theappleblog.com/2010/01/26/the-coronation-of-steve-jobs-king-of-content/



On the Internet
content is king
and always will be.
This is because the Internet is the information superhighway...



Content is King:
How can you help your readers know whether your site can really help them?
Do you need a web designer/developer to make it happen?
Why is writing content for the web different?

• Web Design: Scannability
• Practical Application
• Self-Directed Design
• Writing for the Web



Content is King:
• Web Design: Scannability
Would it interest you to know that most web users don’t come to your site to
appreciate the attractiveness of the design? That’s not to say that an attractive
web design isn’t important... It is.

However, the majority of site visits happens because the consumer was motivated
to look at your site. The web is based on small resolution sizes. The words read
online aren’t even as clear as newsprint. The pictures are often low resolution and
a computer screen can often try the best of vision... Even with a Mac.



Content is King:
• Practical Application
One of the most cost effective applications this information can produce is
that you may not need a website filled with all the toys such as Java Script
or Flash design. These tools add spice to your website, but can often detract
or even annoy visitors who are simply looking for information they expect
to find on your website.

A well ordered website can reap incredible rewards. Effective bullet points,
keywords or phrases accented in bold type and an easy to navigate page may
have a greater impact.



Content is King:
• Self-Directed Design
If you know what will help make your site better you can self-direct the
development of the site through template rich designs that allow you total control
over the text in an easy to use environment that does not require the use of
complicated code or extended training seminars to use.

If you can utilise the tools available to make your site user friendly and highly
scannable you will likely find you can achieve your own success in web design.



Content is King:
• Writing for the Web
Content writing for web pages is not the same as writing for any other type of
content. Thoughts must be compact and content must be scannable.

This means when you write for the web you must help your reader find the subject
they are most interested in using a sub-heading or indexing system that allows a
quick scan to determine if your web page contains the information they need.



If content is King,
then what is Design?

[Brainstorm]



Design is
Queen.



“If content is King, design is Queen”
• Quality content should be the focus of any website.
• It is necessary for search engines but more especially end users.
• A solid design isn’t complete without content of equal quality.

However, design remains an essential part for any website, which is why:
content is King, design is Queen.



The Perfect Royal Marriage
It’s always great to have good content or design grace your website.
When they’re married, however, they become much more powerful
than the sum of their parts.

- Content is King
- Design is Queen

http://www.papertastebuds.com/?p=1125



• Design, a loving queen and wife, does what she can for her husband. In the
perfect web kingdom she takes care of many things that most of the villagers
(visitors) never even think about, from the infrastructure to general beautifying.
The kingdom (site) looks great, certainly, but there’s a purpose behind her
decorating. The roads (navigation) are orderly and well-marked. Nobody ever
has to stop to think twice about which road to take to arrive at their destination.
She even uses a grid* system for the kingdom’s infrastructure! Design knows
that visitors from afar will want to speak to her husband and facilitates this
process. On occasion a visitor will specifically thank her for her work, but she is
satisfied knowing that foreigners have an easy and safe time in her kingdom.

--
*http://960.gs/



• Content, for his part, takes care of most of the grunt work. He is well-groomed
and dressed, but not extravagant. When visitors come, he does his best to
keep them engaged and informed. He is formal and professional. Sometimes,
however, he is forced to shout at them to get their attention. Other times, a
whisper is just as effective. He is grateful for everything his wife does.

When they’re both happy, so are the visitors. They can easily reach
their King and the kingdom’s appearance is oddly comforting.



Design separated from Content
Unfortunately, however, the marriage weakens. Maybe the king has been flirting
with a new Design, instead of just realigning with his current Design.

Where does this metaphor
put services like
99designs?

http://99designs.com/



Design separated from Content
Design without Content finds herself without purpose, tries to make
everything look beautiful, but ends up having to resort to placing
“Kingdom in Construction” signs about the entrance.

She is distressed to find that no foreigners care how beautiful her signs are
without having Content around.



Content without design
Content sometimes tries to find a Design that is not so high-maintenance
(expensive), and finds himself disappointed at every turn.

Without a quality Design, foreigners struggle to even find Content.



“If content is king, then design
has to be the shiny robe and
crown that the king wears.”
It’s what makes the king look good and it helps the king portray the
positive image that he is after. If he came out to hold court in house
slippers, a dirty, stained tank top and old shorts, who would really
take him serious? Your website design is the same way and should
be treated like it was the icing on the cake for your king content.

--
If Content is Really King, Then What is Design?
http://designbump.com/originals/if-content-really-king-then-what-design



Never judge a book by its cover
People don’t follow that rule - ever. So, what are people thinking when
they come to your website for the first time? Are they impressed with
the design like people who visit Tutorial91 or Web Designer Wall2 or are
they looking at it like just another run of the mill site?

Remember the “make money online” sites?

1 Tutorial9: http://www.tutorial9.net/
2 Web Designer Wall: http://www.webdesignerwall.com/



Never judge a book by its cover
John Chow1 and Shoemoney2 had their sites duplicated so many times
people thought that is what it was supposed to look like.

Standing out, taking your time and getting a design that is worthwhile
and high quality will go a lot longer when you’re making that first
impression with your visitors. Attract their attention and then get them
to read your king content.

1 http://www.johnchow.com.
2 http://www.shoemoney.com.



A Brand New You:

Content & Character

[ Examples ]



Examples:
Google
http://www.google.com/



Examples:
Wikipedia
http://www.wikipedia.org/



Examples:
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/



Examples:
A List Apart An Event Apart
http://www.alistapart.com/ http://aneventapart.com/



Examples:
Jason Santa Maria:
http://jasonsantamaria.com/
Jeffrey Zeldman:
http://www.zeldman.com/

Happy Cog:
http://happycog.com/



Examples:
Content Heavy Websites
With Beautiful Layout
http://www.thedesigncubicle.com/2009/10/
content-heavy-websites-with-beautiful-
structure-layout-and-hierarchy/



A Brand New You:

Content & Character

[ Exercises ]
© Jade Tang | Term Two, Semester Two | Week 2: 5th October 2010

http://groups.google.co.nz/group/abrandnewyou2010

Exercises:
1. Brand Statement
2. Brand ID/Avatar
3. Content
Portfolio projects (3 minimum)
Introduction post



1. Brand Statement
Your bio, elevator pitch and any other descriptive text about you will
invariably start out with your personal brand statement.

So, before you write blog posts for the masses, before you apply for
those positions, before you even set up your LinkedIn profile there is
one thing you should do

– craft your very own personal brand statement.



What is a personal
Brand Statement?
Your statement is 1-2 sentences answering:
• What you are the best at (value),
• Who you serve (audience) and
• How you do it uniquely (USP).

It sums up your unique promise of value. Your personal brand
statement is distinctive to you and you alone. You could liken it with a
tagline, strapline or even a catchphrase that product brands will have.



... It’s not a Job Title
The personal brand statement is not a job title. A job title is what
others will try to classify you with, what employers and others want you
to be to fit you into a corporate setting. You deserve better than that.

Job Title vs Personal Brand Statement:

Job Title = What corporations want you to be, to fill their organisational hierarchy.
Personal Brand Statement = What you want to be in a single sentence that
answers two questions: what are you the best at and who do you serve (audience)



... It’s not your
Mission Statement
It’s also not your personal mission statement, career objectives
or even life purpose.

These are much more long-term concepts intended to guide
you through life and not aimed at marketing you to anybody.



A personal
Brand Statement is...
A personal brand statement is memorable,
punchy and solution oriented.

As opposed to simply saying “Bob is a boiler man”, why not “Bob
keeps families warm through bespoke heating installations”?



Why do you need a
Brand Statement?
How many times have you been asked what you do? Do you feel like people
really understand what you do or is it merely pleasantries? I bet you can tweak
what you say and leave a lasting impression with that person, an impression that
might just lead to business one day. When you don’t stand out, you will have to
compete against everyone else on price which isn’t a great situation to be in. To
be successful in today’s economy you have to specialise; you have to choose a
topic and master it.

Your statement will clarify exactly what you do, how you do it and for
whom. By communicating this, you and your target audience will know
exactly what you are capable of.



How do you write a
Brand Statement?
Look at your unique values and key attributes and you should
be able to develop a 1-2 sentence brand statement,
answering these questions:
• What value you provide (what problem do you solve)
• How you do it uniquely (your USPs)
• Whom you do it for (your target audience)

Remember to be clear on the value, don’t confuse anyone with any fluffy terms that don’t
mean anything. Furthermore, what makes you unique in one place may not be unique in
another, e.g. big cities will have lots of specialists and experts in certain fields, small towns
only one and that makes him or her unique to that location.



How do you write a
Brand Statement?
Remember:

• Target your audience
• Stay authentic
• Make it punchy and memorable
• Keep it reasonably short
• It is not cast in iron



How do you write a
Brand Statement?
• Target your audience
Whom are you aiming your services at?
A particular industry, geography, age demographic?
Try to stay somewhat focused on a sector of the market and don’t spread
yourself too thin.

The reason personal branding has become critical for business and career
success is that nobody wants to buy from the person that does everything
for everyone. Look at what target audience would benefit the most from your
services and zero in on this.



How do you write a
Brand Statement?
• Stay authentic
When writing a personal brand statement it’s easy to get carried away and
putting down what you’d like to be one day.

The old “fake it until you make it” approach does carry some merit but don’t
overdo it. Never call yourself a guru, ninja, samurai, expert or even thought
leader unless you truly are one.

Only your audience can determine whether you are an expert and you will know
if that is the case. The aim of your statement is to inform and inspire the reader,
not to scare them off with fancy titles.



How do you write a
Brand Statement?
• Make it punchy and memorable
Using technical or big words could alienate your target audience. You want a
seven year-old to understand and be able to repeat what you do.

Whenever you introduce yourself at a networking event, stay punchy and
memorable. Ideally you will want that person you were talking with to tell other
prospective customers what you do – this will cover a lot of ground, trust me.



How do you write a
Brand Statement?
• Keep it reasonably short

As they say, less is more.

Your ability to describe exactly what you do in one sentence says a lot about
your introspection and professional focus. In some cases you have to take up
two sentence but always aim for one.



How do you write a
Brand Statement?
• It is not cast in iron
You will soon find that you are going to tinker with your statement after it’s
written up.

It’s easy to change it but just don’t get carried away and change it every week.
On the flipside, some people will never look at it again. Even though it’s time
consuming, your personal brand statement should be revised at least once a
year to reflect changes and advancements in your professional career.

In order to be effective, it needs to stay current.



2. Brand ID/Avatar

[ VIDEO ] Gravatar: http://en.gravatar.com/



3. Content
Preparing quality content for your personal blog (online visual diary)

• Brand Statement
• Brand ID/Avatar
• Portfolio projects (3 minimum)
• Introduction post



A Brand New You:

Content & Character
[ Questions ]



ABNY11 Week2 - Content

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