Annotated presentation slides from Intelligent Content Conference 2017, a Content Marketing Institute event in Las Vegas. Even if you’re not a designer, you’ll eventually need to work with visual content. Learn how to plan & govern a comprehensive visual content strategy that scales for your entire organization. Coordinate the design tactics and the content strategy so that governance is embraced as an efficiency at an enterprise level. Includes links to data and statistics and examples included in the content marketing presentation by Buddy Scalera.
Exploring Web 3.0 Growth marketing: Navigating the Future of the Internet
Creating a Visual Content Strategy that Scales | #IntelContent
1. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Creating and Executing
Visual Content
Strategy
that Scales
Buddy Scalera
Sr. Dir. Content Strategy
The Medicines Company
The Annotated
Version!
Presented at the
Intelligent Content
Conference 2017.
2. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Disclaimer
The views expressed here do not necessarily
reflect the views or opinions of my employer.
All views and examples are my own.
Important
disclaimer stuff.
Read me.
7. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
The web is a visual medium.
Pictures are visual.
Designs are visual.
Words are visual.
Humans are visual.
8. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
65% Identified as Visual Learners
65%
30%
5%
Visual Auditory Kinesthetic
Learning Styles of Medical Students -
Implications in Education
Curr Health Sci J. 2014 Apr-Jun; 40(2): 104–110.
http://bit.ly/2nEa064
We are visual learners.
http://bit.ly/2nEa064
10. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
We See Images (Really) Fast
13ms100ms
Approximately how
long it takes to
blink.
Neuroscientist Dr. Brad Wyble
(https://twitter.com/bradpwyble)
measured that the brain can
identify images seen for as little
as 13 milliseconds.
http://bit.ly/2oq3Qad
11. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Three Things
1.Plan Consistently
2.COPE Mostly
3.Govern Ruthlessly
Visual content strategy is a
huge topic. It’s not practical to
explore the entire topic in 45
minutes. Instead, here are
some actionable tactics for
content strategists.
13. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
SEEKER
ACTIVE
SOLUTION
CONSIDER EVANGELIST
PRE
SEEKER
Planning Consistently
for a User Journey
Content planning usually works best
when you start with a User Journey.
This is my structure for user journeys.
I wrote a 3-part series on how to
measure content along the user
journey:
http://bit.ly/2fu6FQ6
14. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
SEEKER
ACTIVE
SOLUTION
CONSIDER EVANGELIST
PRE
SEEKER Plan for multiple content
resources. As your
customer/user moves along
their journey, their content
needs will evolve. There is no
magic image that answers
every question for every step
of the user journey.
16. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
SEEKER
ACTIVE
SOLUTION
CONSIDER EVANGELIST
PRE
SEEKER
About.
Features &
benefits.
Comparison.
Details.
+Actual
customers!
Qualified
leads
Tell a friend.
Shopping for a crossover vehicle
may start with a Google search
with an appropriate keyword.
These ads and this content makes sense
for someone early in their user journey.
The basic, category-level keywords
indicates a basic search to collect
insights and filter results. These ads will
take the user to basic, high-level
content.
Google knows you want to
see cars at this stage of
your search.
17. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
SEEKER
ACTIVE
SOLUTION
CONSIDER EVANGELIST
PRE
SEEKER
About
Features &
benefits
Comparison.
Details
+
Actual
customers!
Qualified
leads
Tell a friend
Screenshots made with Snagit:
These landing
pages have
different
personalities.
They all show
the cars, but
they send a
visual message
about their
product line.
Basic layout with
a stark white
background. No
frills, all
business.
Modern. White cars &
white type on a black
background. Serious
tech/performance.
High-end experience
photography. Aspirational
luxury story with the home
in context.
18. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
SEEKER
ACTIVE
SOLUTIONCONSIDER EVANGELIST
PRE
SEEKER
About
Features &
benefits.
Comparison
Details.
+Actual
customers!
Qualified
leads.
Tell a friend.
Screenshots made with Snagit:
It’s not easy for brands to do head-to-
head comparisons with their
competition. Third-party trust sites
supply this comparison. Brands may find
it hard to compete with this content.
Photo story:
We have clever
features.
Photo story:
This is a big,
comfortable car
that’s safe for
the family.
19. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
SEEKER
ACTIVE
SOLUTION
CONSIDER EVANGELIST
PRE
SEEKER
About.
Features &
benefits.
Comparison.
Details.
+Actual
customers!
Qualified
leads
Tell a friend
Screenshots made with Snagit:
Photo story:
You want this car. We have
unique colors to match your
unique personality.
Photo story:
If you buy this car, our
dealership can service
your vehicle with the right
parts and trained service
professionals.
20. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
SEEKER
ACTIVE
SOLUTION
CONSIDER EVANGELIST
PRE
SEEKER
About.
Features &
benefits.
Comparison.
Details.
+Actual
customers!
Qualified
leads.
Tell a friend.
Screenshots made with Snagit:
Photo story:
People are never happier with their car than the day they pick it up. Everyone
tells their friends. These car dealers fail to be part of this celebration, so they
get no value or lift from social media evangelism. A missed opportunity!
22. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
What’s this “COPE” thing?
Create
Once
Publish
Everywhere
(2009)http://www.npr.org/sections/inside/2009/02/clean_content_portable_content.html
Screenshots made with Snagit:
COPE was a
revolutionary
concept in 2009.
23. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Learning to COPE
• Build content management
systems
– Not web publishing tools
• Separate content from display
• Ensure content modularity
• Ensure content portability
(2009)
http://bit.ly/2n1P1uf
http://bit.ly/2ntTWzn
Screenshots made with Snagit:
And it was a content
engineering problem.
25. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
COPE-M (COPE Mostly)
Text
•Inherit style
•Flow to fit the
container
•Easy to change
Images
•Maintain design
•Scale to fit the
container
•Not as easy to
change
Awkwardly
pronounced
“Copum.”
28. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Responsive Art Direction
<head>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
</head>
<picture>
<source media="(max-width: 499px)" srcset="responsivegirlsdog/GirlsDog_200w.jpg">
<source media="(max-width: 799px)" srcset="responsivegirlsdog/GirlsDog_400w.jpg">
<source media="(min-width: 800px)" srcset="responsivegirlsdog/GirlsDog_800w.jpg">
<img src="responsivegirlsdog/GirlsDog_800w.jpg" alt="Girls source at 800w"/>
</picture>
http://bit.ly/2n93Bgj Screenshots made with Snagit:
Meta tag in the
Head for viewport.
Picture tag displays
different images at
different viewport
sizes.
Available here.
29. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
154k 79k 36k
Screenshots made with Snagit:
File sizes. File sizes. File sizes.
Sometimes
COPE is fine.
Sometimes
scaling your
image works.
Sometimes
you want
more control
over how
your content
renders.
http://bit.ly/2n93Bgj
31. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Screenshots made with Snagit:
For desktops this is fine.
You may want to get it
smaller for mobile
devices.
If your page loads this
image a thousand times a
day or more, you can save a
lot of bandwidth with
smaller images.
33. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Governance
• File storage
• File naming
• Template management
• Life cycle management
• Usage (e.g., saying no!)
Just because you can add images,
doesn’t mean you should.
Governance means that you have
to help your team make the best
decision for the user you’re serving
with your content. Sometime that
means you have to say ”no.”
34. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
When is
it?
Where is
it?
Who is
it?
Screenshots made with Snagit:
What would I expect to see
here? Photos of the thought
leaders who are speaking.
That would get me excited
to register for the event.
There was only a single line
of text here. It didn’t even
include the date or location.
35. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Oh.
Screenshots made with Snagit:
I had to blur out these
images, but they were just
logos of companies, not
people. We go see people
speak. Even if they
represent companies, we
see people on a stage.
Show human faces, not just
logos to make a human
connection.
Vital date and location
information was locked in an
image. Sure, they got some
data that I opened the
email, but it wasn’t a very
good user experience. I had
to work to get information
that should have been easy.
37. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Send email,
not a
mini website.
Screenshots made with Snagit:
In this email, there was text. It wasn’t
formatted. It didn’t include images. It
sounded like an actual email from an
actual human. Not only did it look good
on a smartphone, it looked good in my
Inbox. It was an email that looked like an
email, not like a miniature website.
39. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Three Things
1.COPE Mostly
2.Plan Consistently
3.Govern Ruthlessly
#MakeContent
If you work in Content Strategy,
you should make content. Don’t
just make content for your job,
make content for yourself.
42. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Special Thanks to a Great Team
Thank you to Content Marketing Institute for the opportunity to share this story at ICC 2017.
• Joe Kalinowski
• Michele Linn
• Kelley Whetsell
• Wally Koval
Joe Pulizzi | Robert Rose
• Andrea Larick
• Marcia Riefer Johnston
• Cathy McPhillips
• Monina Wagner
• Pam Kozelka
• Stephanie Stahl
• Peter Loibl
• Jodi Harris
43. @BuddyScalera • #intelcontent
Links You’ll Love
• Conflict Is Story: What It Means for Marketing Storytellers
http://wordspicturesweb.com/2015/01/24/conflict-is-story/
• How Tigers Influenced Your Visual Processing
• http://wordspicturesweb.com/2016/07/30/boxes-tiger/
• Movie Poster Creates JAWS-Dropping Visual Storytelling Lessons
• http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/08/jaws-visual-storytelling-lessons/
• Say No to Stock Photography and Create Authentic Images
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/06/create-authentic-images/
• What Keeps Brilliant Visual Content From Being Shared
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/04/brilliant-visual-content-sharing-barriers/
https://twitter.com/kbu79/status/847526460944392192
Karen Budell @kbu79
Best tip from @BuddyScalera: "Get into the moshpit" with your customers to better understand their story. #intelcontent
https://twitter.com/JakeAthey/status/847524441651159040
Jake Athey @JakeAthey
The 3, err... 4, things you need to know about core concepts of visual content strategy by @BuddyScalera #intelcontent
https://twitter.com/mbalogh/status/847524057046163457
Matt Balogh @mbalogh
#MakeContent with @BuddyScalera - "celebrate the making of the art not the quality of the art" at #intelcontent
https://twitter.com/AndreaFryrear/status/847523786102513664
Andrea Fryrear @AndreaFryrear
Wanna learn? #MakeContent - I love this takeaway from @BuddyScalera #intelcontent
https://twitter.com/MarisaSays_/status/847522527714844672
Marisa Guerrero @MarisaSays_
"Just because you can add an image doesn't mean you should" - @BuddyScalera #intelcontent
https://twitter.com/MarciaRJohnston/status/847520498787336192
MarciaRieferJohnston @MarciaRJohnston
MarciaRieferJohnston Retweeted Carlos Abler
Theme: reuse, repurposing. New term: "COPE-M" (COPE Mostly). @BuddyScalera #intelcontent
https://twitter.com/Carlos_Abler/status/847515936852541440
Carlos Abler @Carlos_Abler
The web is a visual medium. @BuddyScalera #intelcontent
https://twitter.com/amandatodo/status/847495518733213698
Amanda Todorovich @amandatodo
@BuddyScalera after reading tweets, I'm VERY sad I missed #intelcontent & your preso. @mbakaitis & I are the wings of our plane :)