1.
Communication Breakdown

2.
Takeaways
1. Marketers are relying on content more
(but with less success)
2. Survey says: marketers and creatives
need to work better together
3. It all starts with a good brief

3.
Meet Becca & Elliott
• @becca_colbaugh
• 8 years with agencies
• Libra
• @theelliottbrown
• Content dude for big and little guys
• Gemini

4.
About Visually

5.
Content Marketing is
Getting Harder

6.
Marketers use content
For B2C, “yes” gets 76%. For B2C, the average is 32%.

7.
More marketers will use content soon
More than $118 billion is spent annually
on the production and distribution of
digital content.
Spending will reach $300 billion by 2019
(eMarketer).
For B2C, “more” gets 77%.

8.
But the online audience isn’t growing
In 2014, 38% of content marketers described their content programs as effective.
That number is now down to 30% (2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends).

9.
We need to get better at making great content

10.
Survey Results

11.
How marketers and creatives work together
We surveyed 220 marketers “who request content from writers and designers” and 559
creatives, who are “writers, designers and developers who create content for marketers.”

12.
Let’s start with performance

13.
Let’s start with overall performance
43% of creatives viewed their work
as extremely or very effective.
93% of creatives are proud of the
work that they do.

14.
Where creatives come up short

15.
Where marketers come up short

16.
Gaps in self perception

17.
Marketers’ gaps in self perception

18.
Creatives’ gaps in self perception

19.
You need good collaboration for success
All marketers Marketers who are “very satisfied”

20.
The Creative Brief

21.
“Marketing” speak doesn’t always
align with “creative” speak. Think of
the creative brief as your common
language; the leveling field between
you and your design team. Despite it
being a secret weapon, the value
and power of a good brief is all too
often underestimated and
undervalued.
Communication is key

22.
Strategy Execution

23.
Results

24.
To design something
really well, you have
to get it.
You have to really grok what it’s all about.
It takes a passionate commitment to really
thoroughly understand something,
chew it up, not just quickly swallow it.
Most people don’t take the time to do that.”
-Steve Jobs

25.
Respect the brief
As the client, sometimes completing the brief can
feel daunting. But if you take it one question at
a time, and remember these three tips, you can
and shall conquer the brief:
1. Why + how > what
2. Goldilocks
3. Details matter

26.
“I put the duality in the
brief: a deadline, and
a dream.
....extremely pragmatic…but also romantic.”
-Maira Kalman

27.
It’s not just about the target audience or
what action we want them to take.
> It’s about why should they
care?
> Why should they believe us?
> How will we tell and convince
them?
> How will they feel?
The brief: why + how > what

28.
It’s hard to get it “just right.” But, the
right balance between under-briefing
and over-briefing is another way to
unlock a good brief.
The brief: Goldilocks

29.
You don’t want to miss the big picture,
but you should also sweat the small
stuff.
> When is your deadline? Specificity
here is everything.
> What do you like about the
examples you shared; why?
> Do you have dimension
requirements?
The brief: details matter

30.
The Creative Process

31.
The creative process starts with a
good brief, but the creative elements
should be evolutionary, iterative and
collaborative. Think about your
internal culture, and pick the right
design team accordingly. This is your
team: trust is everything.
Embrace the process

32.
“How a Web Design
Goes Straight to Hell”
A Short Story by Matthew Inman

33.
Credit: The Oatmeal

34.
Credit: The Oatmeal

35.
Credit: The Oatmeal

36.
As the creative, sometimes the process can feel
daunting. Here are some tips to help make
things go more smoothly for your team and
your project:
• Are you still in scope?
• Is your feedback in direct conflict to
previous notes?
• Is it actionable?
• Have you gotten all input
before going back to
your creative team?
The process: gut checks

37.
Parting shot | Q&A
@visually | @becca_colbaugh | @theelliottbrown