Great chapter from SapientNitro's Insights 2013 study called The Future of Content Experience and how to design for it

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Written by Kevin Nichols, Director and Practice Lead, Content Strategy, Boston

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Someday very soon, shopping for website or mobile site, and via any
your daughter’s birthday present will type of physical communication
look like this: (internal or external to your business)
Defining Content within your brand, company or
You are at an electronics store communication ecosystem. This
First, let’s be specific about what looking for a tablet. You see one model includes communication at every
we mean by “content.” you like, pick up the box and scan customer touchpoint, as well as the
its bar code with your phone. Your data captured about those customers.
Ask 10 different people to define phone immediately retrieves product In many ways, content is the
content, and you’ll end up with 10 information based on what it knows manifestation of a brand that isn’t
different perspectives. Usually the you prefer to see; in this case, that brand’s actual products or
definitions involve the many types comparative products and prices. services. Think about that for a minute:
of content—audio, text, video and In addition to its products and services,
images—what is read to a customer You quickly compare other tablets a brand is actually its content.
from a support call center by swiping your phone against other
representative or what a car models—never touching the screen— Content creates a customer’s
dealer picks up from their auto and decide one model and brand is experience with brand. As such,
manufacturer to share with perfect. You take a picture of the you need that experience to be
customers (or mechanics). But tablet with your glasses, send it to your successful—it’s a brand asset that
this approach merely defines phone with a simple voice command requires much effort to grow, evolve
content by format; it is much more and text the image to your daughter and produce value. When used
than that. So let’s try a with a “happy birthday” message. properly, content can become a major
broader, more useful definition part of a brand’s life force. And it
that can encompass them all: While you scan your phone over makes a customer’s connection to
a checkout counter to finalize the your brand seamless and engaging.
In the digital landscape, content is: purchase, you ask your cell whether
you left the lights on at home—some- The Future of Content
• created by someone to thing you just remembered. Your phone With over 10 billion indexed
communicate an idea, assures you that the lights are off. webpages, 1 million mobile apps
and seemingly endless amounts
• recorded and stored Most people assume that incredible of user-generated content, we’re
electronically, and technologies work together in this drowning in information. Many
birthday-shopping scene, but it’s organizations have little insight into
• consumed by or shared actually content that connects all how much content they possess, what
with others. the elements to create the overall to do with it or, most importantly,
experience. Several different business how to meet their customers’ content
units in several different companies consumption needs.
have, somewhere along the
line, decided to invest in robust and Over the next five years, we can
compel- ling content processes and expect these challenges to grow
strategies. significantly. People will be over-
So… What Is This loaded with content and, although
“Content Experience”? their consumption patterns may
Content includes any material that evolve, their need to get what they
you publish on your organization’s want when they want it won’t change.
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Businesses will encounter even greater For instance, a search engine will
challenges to get consumers relevant, automatically filter through 10,000
meaningful and timely content. search results to give you what it
knows you want to see.
Are businesses getting the right
Consumer expectations will drive
content experiences to their
intelligent content solutions; they More and more regulations over the
customers? A Havas Media report
want real-time information delivered use, collection and sale of consumer
surveyed 14 countries and 50,000
at a variety of different moments and data will unfold. Last year, the
consumers in November 2011 and
events. Personalization will be a Privacy, Technology and the Law
found that “70% of people would
critical component—like automatic Senate Judiciary Committee was
not care if brands ceased to exist.”1
traffic alerts as a customer drives formed, which monitors data
Though many variables contribute
into a city. For example, a woman mining, ensures consumer
to consumers’ perceptions of
researches a product at home, then information transparency and
brands, content experience
goes to the store and swipes her phone suggests new laws to protect
plays a large role. And consumer
at a kiosk. She’s greeted by name and consumer privacy. Issues like cyber-
cynicism presents a huge
the customer representative has all of bullying and increases in plagiarism
opportunity for businesses
her relevant information. So her and misuse of intellectual property
to differentiate themselves
in-store experience is personally will further
through honest, constructive and
connected to her needs, regardless focus on questions of technology and
consequential content.
of platform. Later, on her birthday, ethics. All of these factors will impact
she receives an offer and, after that, what businesses can and cannot
updates about the product warranty. do with consumer information and
will create new companies in social
In the next few years, many types of media, search and other venues that
advancements will evolve the format, promise “mining-free” and “cookie- Content Experience
medium and consumption of content. free” experiences. as a Brand Asset
Wearable technology (eyewear that New players in social media will
captures video, for example), mobile emerge as “degrees of separation”
as a universal remote and wallet, and technology increases. Already
voice command technology will all be companies such as Hachi are helping Customer
integrated into our everyday lives. As introduce folks to people they think
the virtual reality of gaming they should know. Social media will
goes mainstream, consumer demand leverage semantic technology to Trust
for immersive content (like 3D and create even more sophisticated With
360-degree video) will spill into other networking opportunities. Brand
parts of their lives and continue to Knowledge-sharing sites will
advance. 3D printing will be just continue to emerge, such as Quora,
another feature on a printer. Semantic which allows users to ask any Product or Content
technology will evolve given the sheer question and receive accurate, clear Service
amount of data businesses have on answers from authoritative sources.
consumers’ behaviors, creating a Social shopping will become a
whole new market around technology reality for mainstream consumers as
that can predict specific consumer customers automatically share
behavior and respond to it. purchases with friends and solicit
their feedback. Finally, peer-to-peer,
1
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w .h v sm d .co /2 1 /1 /m a in fu n s-h v s-m d -la ch s-g b l-re lts/
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user-generated content sites for tangibly measured value; an effective
brand and product evaluation will content experience translates into
create more ways to authenticate higher conversion rates, stronger
customer reviews and increase the customer loyalty and a more
integrity of responses. consistent brand experience across
all brand channels, from a product
Success in the Future package to a customer call center,
These present and future challenges from Facebook to a mobile app to
offer unique opportunities. the company website. This reality
Understanding holistic content may seem like a no-brainer, but even
today after all of the “content is king”
talk, many businesses don’t put their
money behind this concept.
Though many variables contribute to consumers’ Timely, meaningful and relevant
perception of brands, content experience plays content creates a successful
customer experience and as such,
a large role. And consumer cynicism presents a requires investment to empower its
huge opportunity for businesses to differentiate full potential. To engender this
practice, a business must measure
themselves through honest, constructive and evaluate all areas where content
and consequential content. lives—internally and externally—
extending well beyond just web
analytics. A strong metrics and
measurement strategy will help
strategy—connecting timely, relevant future evolution. It also facilitates
content to the right user at the right another important principle: Just as an
time—will only get businesses so organization cares for its institutional
far. Content strategists understand the financial portfolio, content requires
types of content experiences constant “seeding and feeding.”
consumers need, and then determine
operational and governance processes The second rule of thumb is that
to create and maintain those businesses must understand that
experiences. Businesses must act investing in content strategy is only
upon what content strategy requires useful if they also invest in creating
and make an investment of time, the content itself. Why develop a
money and resources in what we beautiful website or mobile experience
outline below. sans a robust new content experience
to support it and a publication model to
The first rule of thumb is that ensure continued relevance? Content is
businesses that deliver successful not inexpensive, so figuring out the type
content experiences in the future of content experiences you should
will do so because they recognize create must be directed by a long-term
content as a strategic brand and roadmap and strategy.
business asset. Content has a
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Just as brands make significant future success. This model, pictured
investments in marketing collateral on the following page, drives
and campaigns, they should sustainability. As a business creates
reprioritize content that serves content, it continuously evaluates its
customer needs: support efficacy and then optimizes or
content, white papers, thought archives it. This process is repeatable,
leadership and decision tools to extensible and agile. These steps
assist the customer in finding the are predicated on a solid metrics
right product, just to name a few. If strategy, defining success criteria for
Forrester’s annual
reports on customer experience make content, creating KPIs to measure it,
one point clear, it’s that customer rolling results up into dashboards
experience embodies the entire and reviewing it semi-annually—
customer engagement with a brand. on a program level—to set future
High quality content at each point of priorities.
exchange has a direct impact on the
customer’s brand perception. An The fourth rule of thumb is that
investment in the continuous creation transparency about what customer
and renewal of meaningful content will data is collected yields customer
competitively differentiate a business trust. This practice will not only
and position it as a superior brand. increase customer loyalty to the brand,
but will also position businesses to
The third rule of thumb is that the respond to future regulations and
development of a closed-loop content prevent potential litigation.
strategy will position a business for
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Closed-Loop Content Step 2:
Strategy Model Step 1: Plan Closed-Loop Content
Assess Strategy Model
Step 1: Assess
• Audit content
• Conduct shareholder interviews/surveys Define
as needed Governance Step 3:
• Analyze and validate content ecosystems Step 5: Model Design
(sites, channels, social, partners) Maintain &
• Analyze competitors’ content experiences Optimize
Step 2: Plan Step 4:
• Set objectives with global stakeholders
Create
• Define measurement plan
• Determine accountability
• Create content recommendations
• Define governance strategy A/B testing and multivariate testing, articles on a mobile device, but that
consumer surveys and the like are all does not mean that a man on his
Step 3: Design proven mechanisms to measure the way to work doesn’t want to consume
• Plan experience and content
efficacy of content solutions and a white paper on his mobile phone.
• Define new workflows including loop
• Prepare staffing recommendations can help businesses glean much Content should be agile so that it
• Prepare metadata strategy information on consumer behavior can be shared, repurposed and
• Develop taxonomies to guide future content decisions in easily consumed in many
• Develop editiorial guidelines a non-invasive manner. different environments.
• Develop content model
• Develop content production/migration
• Draft editorial calendar
The final two rules of thumb are Conclusion
interconnected: Content experience To quote punk rock goddess Nina
Step 4: Create is no longer a one-way conversation, Hagen, “the future is now,” and
• Create assets and copy and customers weigh in on a brand businesses should appreciate this
• Input into CMS through their own content and fact. No matter where the future
• Localize as necessary word-of-mouth experiences. Obviously, takes us, we have the tools to meet
• Review and test consumers are your most important its demands. Customer needs should
• Implement governance model
mouthpieces. Simultaneously, drive content experience, investment
and workflows
• Finalize editorial calendar
consumers want more control over the in respective content and the
content with which they interact. Make operational model to support its
Step 5: Maintain & Optimize content as portable as possible, so creation, delivery and governance.
• Deploy content and application changes that users can consume, share and This will keep any business at the
• Use analytics to determine areas post information on a variety of forefront of modernized content,
of success and failure different formats. Always think about regardless of how technology may
• Plan periodic audits the channels on which content will evolve, and will enable businesses to
• Adhere to editorial calendar
be consumed and create content for meet the future without overreaction
• Optimize as necessary
• Archive unnecessary content those experiences, but don’t limit it or afterthought, thereby positioning
to that—provide options. You may not them for differentiated success.
want to immediately serve up long
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