effective content framework for customer success
TRANSCRIPT
@SaraContentWise #LavaCon
Effective Content Frameworkfor Customer Success
Sara Feldman
@SaraContentWise #LavaCon
What is Effective Content?
Content that accomplishes its intended purpose*
*100% determined by the content consumer
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Effective Content=
Customer Success
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About Me
Technical Writer for 10+ years
KCSⓇ Methodology Content Experience Strategist
Self-Service Support #EffectiveContent
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Customer Success Trends
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Give Customers What They Want
Customer Success
User Objective
Low Effort
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Give Customers What They Want
Customer Lifetime Value
Customer-Realized Value
Source | Consortium for Service Innovation - Customer Success Initiative
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81% customers try
self-service before
contacting support Harvard Business Review
Give Customers What They Want
26% millennials would
rather change a dirty diaper than talk to
customer serviceAspect Software
77% B2B buyers conduct
extensive research before
speaking to a salespersonThe Next Web
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Give Customers What They Want
Self-Service is more than break-fix⇨ Provide any information needed in a given moment
Documentation has new power⇨ Engage customers at every step of their journey
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Framework Overview
5 essential qualities of user-focused content
1. Intent
2. Usability
3. Findability
4. Timeliness
5. Efficiency
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Framework Overview
5 essential qualities of user-focused content
1. Intent
2. Usability
3. Findability
4. Timeliness
5. Efficiency
⇦ Why
⇦ What
⇦ Where
⇦ When
⇦ Who/How
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1. IntentThis is their why.
Cannot be based on your
business objectives.
Intent | Usability | Findability | Timeliness | Efficiency
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The reasons you write content are NOT why
someone will read it.
Lead generationBrand awareness
ComplianceThought leader/influencer
SellingScheduled Deliverables
Release Notes
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Key Question for Intent
What user motivation does the content address?
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Motivation
Every decision we make is intended to
reduce pain or increase pleasure.
Source | Search Engine Land - The psychology of search: Unleashing the power of connection
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Key Question for Intent
What can the user do now that they couldn’t before interacting
with this content?
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Micro-Moments
I want to…
● Know
● Go
● Do
● BuySource | Think with Google - The Basics of Micro-Moments
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WIIFM should be WIIFT
In a digital world saturated with content,
your audience’s attention is strategically
more important than their money.
Source | The Most Powerful Content Marketing Question To Ask Yourself
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2. UsabilityWhat the content experience
looks like to the user.
Intent | Usability | Findability | Timeliness | Efficiency
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Be audience-centric; think about what will best
serve their needs and write accordingly.
Source | Zendesk Contributor Guide
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Key Question for Usability
Is the content optimized for how the user will be accessing it?
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Content vs. Format
● Content ⇨ a message delivered to an audience
● Format ⇨ the specific way a message is delivered
Source | Moz Blog - A Practical Guide to Content and Its Metrics
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3. FindabilityMake pages primarily
for users, not for
search engines.Google Webmaster Basic Principle
Intent | Usability | Findability | Timeliness | Efficiency
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Make content findable, or else…
Source | Content Science - Make Your Content Findable or Die
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Key Question for Findability
Is the content findable where and how users are looking?
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Relevance
● User-Focused Verbiage
● Knowledge Centered Service
● SEO ⇨ Quality Optimization
Source | Moz - How to Determine if a Page is "Low Quality" in Google's Eyes
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4. TimelinessPerfection is the enemy
of good.
Intent | Usability | Findability | Timeliness | Efficiency
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If you never have typos in published content, you’re a
perfectionist at the expense of your users.
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Key Question for Timeliness
Is the content available when the user needs it?
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Think Fast
● Outdated = (Perceived) Inaccuracy
● MVP = Minimum Viable Product
Source | Content Science - 21 Insights from 100K Sets of ContentWRX Data
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5. EfficiencyThe Who and How of your
content experience.
Intent | Usability | Findability | Timeliness | Efficiency
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Great consumer experiences should inspire
technology, not the other way around.
Source | Think with Google - How Walgreens is building for the future of customer experiences
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Key Question for Efficiency
Does the content meet the user’s need as quickly and easily as possible?
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Customer-First Approach
● Inverted Pyramid
● Personalization
● Seamless Integration
Source | Think with Google - Consumer Behavior Expectations
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Bonus Round! EnjoyabilityAn opportunity and risk.
Intent | Usability | Findability | Timeliness | Efficiency
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Blinded by Delight
Be effortless, not exceptional.
Source | CEB Global - Blinded by Delight
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The Only Thing That Matters
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Effective Content In Action
Tools ● Chrome Device Toolbar
● Google Analytics
● Google Optimize
● Google Webmasters
● Google Lighthouse
Methods ● Confidence Surveys
● Templates
● Journey Mapping
● Workflow
● Microcopy
References● Style Guide
● User Language Library
● Accessibility Standards
● VIP Content
● Effective Content Checklist
sarafeldman.com/lavacon
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Writing was the first information technology
for communication
Source | Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’t, and What Can Be Done About It
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https://success.mindtouch.com/Strategy/Customer_Success/User-Focused_Effective_Content
You have all of the answers to your customers’ problems.
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Questions?
Intent
Usability
Findability
Timeliness
Efficiency
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linkedin.com/in/sarafeldman
Keep In Touch
@SaraContentWise
sarafeldman.com/lavacon
#EffectiveContent
@SaraContentWise #LavaCon
Effective Content Frameworkfor Customer Success
Sara Feldman