When planning content, we all want to see returns, high engagement levels and conversions. But you should also want your consumers to experience your company. You want to take your audience on a journey and tell them a story, so you need to give them a Content Experience. A Content Experience is an engaging and highly visual collection of online interactive content that can reshape to any device it is viewed on and is not limited to a single piece of content.
Getting the basics right may sound very simple when it comes to Content Experiences and to tell the truth, it is! That is if you follow the correct steps. No matter how well you design your layouts, if the content does not engage the reader and at the same time build a connection, it will not be successful. The reader will become disinterested and look for the exit almost instantly, leaving you to ponder over what you thought was a well designed piece of content. The best way to engage with your reader is through Storytelling. This will make a lasting impression on the reader, as they can easily relate to stories. It creates an emotional response from the reader, and if we want our content to succeed, we need to get better at storytelling, and fast!
Address the readers problems
Do not attempt to sell your product in the story. This is a common mistake that marketers make when creating Content Experiences. The story must be worth sharing. It is easy to showcase your wonderful product(s) by using aesthetically pleasing visuals and snappy headlines, but this will result in a failure at the very first hurdle. Try to figure out what problems your readers may have by addressing their needs and pain points. Once this has been established, you can then create your story around the concept of how your product/brand will solve their problems. Provide an intuitive experience for your readers, where they can find what they’re looking for in just a few clicks.
Standout Headlines
You may think you have created a nobel-winning piece of content, and perhaps you have. You then spend the rest of your time getting the storytelling part spot on. Hey presto, done and done! Wrong. You want your readers to return to your stories don’t you? They will only do so if there is something that peaks their interest from the very beginning. If your content lacks value or disengages visitors from your target market, this will not happen. A factor that may cause this is if your headlines fail to stand out. They need to grasp the reader from the get-go! A good way to entice the reader’s interest is by using questions in your headings. They are more likely to read the rest of the article by using this method, as it creates curiosity.
Scrap the Ads
There is nothing worse than getting your Content Experience almost perfect and then letting it down at the last step with the addition of those annoying pop-up advertisements. These pop-ups will completely undermine all your previous hard work. Your readers number one goal is to read your well executed content, so why are you attempting to purposely prohibit them from doing so with these ‘blockers’? This is an almost guarantee that your readers will abandon your content before even reading it. They are not going to bother clicking the ‘x’ icon on these pop ups just so they can read your content. It just isn’t worth it as far as they are concerned. The solution – ditch the pop-ups!
Easy to read
Another main factor that could let down a well executed Content Experience would be poorly formatted text. You must ensure that the user can easily read your content. 16px is considered the standard size for body text these days. Needless to say, paragraph breaks are a must! Try to keep the size of each paragraph consistent too. Do not make them too long, as this then begins to look like a wall of text for the reader to consume, and will result in them losing interest. Break up the paragraphs with the addition of hyperlinks. Make sure the line height is not too squashed either, as it will look clunky. The addition of images to break up paragraphs is also a good choice.
Key Takeaways
The above factors are the absolute basics when it comes to creating an interactive and engaging Content Experience. They are not difficult to execute. The big change in this new approach is the principle that will guide the creation of the strategy and the tactics. Merely reaching our audience is not enough and the above steps will ensure that you are on the right track at reaching the user and keeping them interested in your content going forward.
About Experios
Experios is 3D Issue’s all new Content Experience platform that allows you to build both internal communications and external content easily, while implementing your company branding. You can create annual reports, newsletters and brochures for your employees as well as your customers.. You can get started with Experios for free today, schedule a demo or start your free trial.
