We’re more than halfway through our discussion of what makes content relevant. If you’ve been following all along, congratulations to sticking with this series and making the commitment to really learning about relevant content. If you’re just joining us, read this first.

Today, let’s talk about our third characteristic of relevant content: useable.

I believe (as so many have said for so many years), that people go online to complete a task; it could be getting information, finding entertainment, making a purchase or interacting with others. Relevant content, then, should support the task completion — whatever the task.

So I created the Get Great Copy “Yes We Can Make It Useable” checklist. If you can answer yes to most of these questions, then you’re well on your way to providing relevant content to your site visitors.

Get Great Copy “Yes We Can Make It Useable” Checklist

____ Does the copy help put them in charge?

____ Does it make it easy for them to find information
            and scan for answers?

____ Is the copy simple and to the point?

____ Will they be wowed instead of bored?

____ Does it tell them something important?

____ Does it tell them something they didn’t know,
            need to know or want to know?

____ Does it provide decision support?

____ Does it help them understand your value to them?

____ Does it help make them want to come back?

____ Does it help make them want to tell others?

Possibly related posts

• The Search for Relevant Content – Part 4 (0)
• The Search for Relevant Content – Part 2 (0)
• The Search for Relevant Content – Part 3 (0)

After a short spring break, I’m back today to continue my series on relevant content.

Let’s take a closer look at the second of my four characteristics of relevant content: timely.

There are plenty among us who subscribe to the belief that, when it comes to content, “once done, always done.” By this I mean they seem to think that creating content and posting it for all eternity is a good idea. I suspect that’s because they think of content as a one-time investment.

Wrong. I’m here to debunk that myth.

In order for content to be relevant (remember that relevant means meaningful, memorable and useful), it also must be fluid. It must change and grow and expand and shrink and live and breathe and … well, you get the idea. As I’ve said, people change and so should the content that’s geared toward those very same people.

Even content that’s relatively “static” — meaning the facts don’t really change – should still get a refresh now and then. Trust me, there’s more than one way to tell your “About Us” story.  A good writer can write it 15 or 100 different ways.

So, for the sake of argument, let’s just say that there is no need to keep content timely. What might that look like to a site visitor?

Well, a first-time visitor will likely not notice anything. But a repeat visitor, well, that’s a different animal altogether. They will notice same-old, same-old content. And because they look to you to be the expert in whatever field, industry or service you provide, you’ll look like a yam-head if you don’t. (And nobody wants that!)

By not refreshing your content, you’re essentially telling your site visitors that you know all there is to know and that there’s absolutely nothing new to know — or to share. That kind of thinking, I believe, is dangerous. It leads to your customers and potential customers thinking you’re out of touch or worse, not credible.

Blogs and social media are so popular, in part, because they provide fresh and TIMELY information. Not only do people want the latest and greatest news, product information, opinions and more, they EXPECT and DEMAND it.

Now it’s up to you to give it to them.

How, then, do you keep your content timely? Here’s my 3-step plan:

1. Dedicate resources. Everyone in the company ought to be charged with keeping up with trends and writing about them. Have an in-house or freelance writer/editor use their findings to create web copy, sales literature, marcom, etc.

2. Create a content strategy. Decide who does what, when, and why. How will you manage content, archive it and how often and when will you update it? All of this should be part of your content strategy.

3. Although this is an extension of my point above, I want to call it out special just in case you skip step #2. Conduct a yearly audit and refresh (minimum). Schedule time for your dedicated resource(s) to review content and revise it. Create a timeline and stick to it.

Remember, timely content is relevant content and it’s part of what will keep you relevant to your customers, readers, clients, whomever. It’s an opportunity to differentiate, to serve and to lead.

P.S. Here’s a link to a related post on making a commitment to your copy: http://www.janodaniel.com/blog/2009/01/old-new/.

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• Big copy challenges we don’t talk enough about (0)
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Previously on “The Search for Relevant Content” I shared a definition and some characteristics of valuable content.

In this edition, I’d like to share some real-life examples of relevant content that demonstrate the first characteristic of relevancy: accessibility.

Here are just a few I think do it well (and why).

• Zappos.com – Not a pretty site by almost anyone’s standard but this site is loaded with lots and lots of clearly labeled, relevant content. Their gold-standard free shipping policy is prominently displayed, customer testimonials are front and center, and shoe shopping by style, size or brand abounds.
• HomeDepot.com - Multiple pathways make finding content super-simple for a variety of site visitors, from shoppers to learners to DIYers.
• Entrepreneur.com – No-think navigation labels make content easy to find.
• The Nature Conservancy – Relevant content is located above-the-fold and features prominent calls-to-action.

Of course there are plenty of other good examples, but I hope this randomly selected short list will inspire those who hide relevant content behind cute and clever tabs or bury it six pages deep to bring it out from under wraps.

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As promised, I’m continuing my discussion of relevant content and what it means. Just for fun, I’m taking a cue from one of my favorite shows, Alton Brown’s Good Eats, and from my all-time favorite episode, “Casserole Over.” For the uninitiated, that means I’ll be launching into the third person. Here’s to fun reading; but, more importantly, here’s to better understanding.

While looking to see what others had to say on the topic of relevant content, the writer had the pleasure of finding web content strategist Kristina Halvorson of BrainTraffic.com. Kristina perfectly summed up the writer’s thoughts on what makes content relevant when she said: “Web content must work for me.”

That’s why the writer spends what some might call an inordinate amount of time talking to clients and others about who their audience is. The writer believes that finding out and knowing exactly who the “me” is for that company, brand or entrepreneur is, indeed, mission critical. How, she wonders, can web content work for “me” if you don’t know who “me” is?
 
Since one of the best parts of the writer’s job is asking other people questions and listening intently to their answers, the writer invariably asks the question, “Who is your audience?” and sits back and waits patiently for the answer.

The writer notices that often she is taken on a very circuitous path toward, well, a “non-answer.” Other times, she’s regaled with demographic and psychographic profiles, such as “married couples ages 25-45 who stand on one foot every other Wednesday.” But perhaps the all-time, most-frequently given answer is this: “Everyone.”

Egad.

Everyone?

Everyone, believes the writer, cannot and must not be your target audience. The writer urges everyone (pun intended) to remember that relevant is relative; meaning that what’s relevant to you may not be relevant to the next person. The writer insists that defining and understanding audience must come first and foremost.

So for the sake of today, the writer would like to move on from the discussion of audience and begin her look at what makes content relevant. Relevant content, the writer says, is content that is of value.

To be relevant and, therefore, valuable, the writer believes content must be:
 
Accessible – The writer says content has to be found to be useful. Optimizing for search, yes, she says, but also using it logically on the site itself. Her advice? Think judicious use of links, adding related content and unburying important information (like those guilty parties who, for example, hide their phone number or mailing address).

Timely – The writer thinks relevant content, like cake, is delectable; but can otherwise get stale if left untouched for long periods of time. The writer would like to gently remind the reader that the very definition of relevant content is that it pertain to a person or persons in a particular state. If such state changes, so, too, should the content. (In other words, keep up with trends, changes in behavior, buying habits, priorities, etc. People change. So should content.)

Useable – The writer subscribes to the belief that people go online to complete a task, whether that task is to find information, make a purchase, play, interact with others, or the like. Content, she says, should help guide and support them in the completion of their task.

Engaging – The writer espouses that relevant content must be interesting, fun and/or compelling to read. And, in her own circuitous fashion, she points back to the need to know the target audience to accomplish this.

Alas, the writer believes enough has been said for today. And so she is off to continue her quest to define relevant content until all in the land know and believe its objective and importance, as well as how to get it. She shall return soon with more ideas.

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