02_WB_SIRXECM002_V1a.22

02_WB_SIRXECM002_V1a.22

SIRXECM002

PREPARE DIGITAL CONTENT

WORKBOOK

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CONTENTS

05 INTRODUCTION Determine digital content needs

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Determine organisational written and visual digital content needs

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Access and review organisational templates and content style guides to inform content develop- ment and ensure content consistency Identify platform functionality and limitations to inform content development Determine use of content across internal and external platforms to inform content development and allow ease of use across multiple platforms Access product and organisational information required for content development

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Plan content development that aligns with organi- sational branding and marketing activity

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Develop written content

Develop written content that aligns with organisa- tional style guide, branding and marketing activity

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Produce accurate and detailed written content that aids customer browsing and purchasing

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Use text styling that provides a clear hierarchy of content

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Use copywriting techniques that encourage cus- tomer engagemen

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Plan and use keywords for search engine optimi- sation

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Check for correct use of grammar and spelling and make any required amendments

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Seek feedback from relevant personnel and make any required amendments to written content

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CONTENTS

63 Develop visual content

Source visual content that connects with the target market and aligns with organisational style guide, branding and marketing activity

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Edit visual content to generate high quality and appealing visual content

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Ensure visual content accurately represents prod- ucts and services

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Seek feedback from relevant personnel and make any required amendments to visual content

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Upload digital content

Gain approval for written and visual content

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Upload content to digital platforms using ap- proved file extension scheme

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Arrange content in a logical design for improved user experience

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Ensure content is displayed in a visually appealing manner

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Seek input of relevant personnel to ensure accura- cy and relevance of written and visual content

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View the content in closed contention mode, test on multiple devices, and make any required amendments

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Archive content and ensure version control is ap- plied to track content history

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Ensure content is securely stored and backed up 104

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INTRODUCTION

Elements 1. Determine digital content needs

2. Develop written content

3. Develop visual content

4. Upload digital content

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ELEMENT 01 Determine digital content needs

Performance Criteria

1. Determine organisational written and visual digital content needs 2. Access and review organisational templates and content style guides to inform content development and ensure content consistency 3. Identify platform functionality and limitations to inform content development 4. Determine use of content across internal and external platforms to inform content development and allow ease of use across multiple platforms 5. Access product and organisational information required for content devel- opment 6. Plan content development that aligns with organisational branding and marketing activity

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Criteria 1.1 Determine organisational written and visual digital content needs

Your digital audience is constantly evolving. The average webpage visitor is more influ - enced by visuals than words. After all, it’s more interesting to see stunning images as compared to walls of text. You may notice that influencers on social media platforms have embraced this concept, and their whole brand revolves around quality visual assets. While written content will provide useful information for your readers, and help you to en- hance SEO and keywords, visual content is crucial for leveling up your social media. Customized visual content hould be an integral part of your digital marketing approach. From videos to branded visuals, visual content accelerates customer engagement and increases your audience organically. Visual content is necessary in every aspect of your marketing strategy, including SEO, social media, and even video advertising. Generally, consistent, high-quality visual content makes your company stand out and is vital in building your brand image. Below are some of the kinds of visual and digital content that your organisation can use to enhance its online presence: • Valuable, Inspiring Content There is a lot of content on the internet! When a consumer has to choose a product or a brand, it’s hard to a brand, it’s hard to sift through all the content and arrive at core values. Creating meticulous content, packed with value-adds and innovative concepts, will appeal to customers and position your product for success. • Customer Feedback Thought leadership articles and public speaking engagements create brand awareness and interest. But, it is word-of-mouth, and customer testimonials on social media and other review sites, that has the most significant on sales. Online reviews affect customers’ purchasing decisions, and for this reason, companies must prioritize customer experience, by devoting the proper resources and processes to deliver the best experience possible. • Content that Triggers an Emotional Response Know your customers. Meet them where they are. Take a holistic view, and make emotion- al connections with your customers, by producing meaningful content. By identifying what is important to your customers, you can generate an emotional response to your brand. Facts, statistics, and information are useful to customers, but an emotional connection will produce action. • Video Thought Leadership Content Video thought leadership content is an excellent way to talk about trends, concepts, and topics that are important to your target audience. Find thought leaders in your company, or within your customer base, and begin an online dialogue, which will lend additional integri- ty and lead to more in-depth discussions about your products and services.

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• Live Demonstrations The classic fear with online purchases is the product “not appearing as promoted.” Even with prerecorded videos, there is a concern that the product is shown in the best possible light. Instead, using a more realistic method, like live demonstrations with real people, works considerably better, as the product is demonstrated accurately and honestly. Live demonstrations are an effective means of building trust with your customers. • Customer Testimonials Customer feedback and user-generated content (UGC) are two essential kinds of content. Such content can be repurposed and used in diverse ways, both on and offline. Paid and organic social media, emails, landing pages, videos, and direct mail will come alive through the creative usage of customer reviews and UGC. Customers are more likely to trust people who look like them, and who are describing their lived experience. • Podcasts A great way to boost your online presence is by finding opportunities to participate in podcasts. Being a podcast guest requires little investment and will expose your product to new audiences every time you are interviewed on a new show. • Content about your Team Customers like to do business with real people. Sharing content about your group and your company’s involvement in the local community helps your business to be more re- latable. These posts on social sites consistently rank better in terms of engagement than other kinds of posts. • Content that Shows your Thinking If you are a service company, your customers are employing you for your thinking. Ensure that anything you publish online demonstrates your analytical skills and creative thought, and not just an understanding of the facts. • Content Aligned with the Sales Funnel Content strategy is not one-size-fits-all. Knowing your client journey funnel, including your sales funnel, is crucial. Thought leadership content is not useful if it delays, or gets in the way of, a customer wanting to convert or make a purchase now. On the other hand, in- trusive sales messages popping up when a customer is in research mode can complicate the process, and deter prospective customers. • White Papers, Case Studies, Guides Online content is a great opportunity to provide valuable tools and resources to your customers. Make use of thought leadership pieces, case studies, guides, white papers, toolkits, and other types of content that offer solutions, and showcase your products and services. When a client finds real value in your online content, the relationship strength - ens, promoting trust for future purchases.

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• Educational Content Most customers are not specialists in every area they explore. To help these customers, provide educational, balanced content that teaches viewers the “whys” and “hows” of your domain. Educating your audience gives your company credibility, generates brand loyalty, and makes the content very shareable. • Social Proof The best kind of content for encouraging sales, leverages either case studies or shares stories in the clients’ own words. Social proof is one of the greatest motivators for custom- ers to choose one product over the other.

LEARN MORE

Using your research skills, try and answer the following questions to find out more information: 1. What is visual content?

2. What are the different kinds of digital content that organisation needs to enhance online presence?

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DISCUSSION TOPICS

The following topics can be discussed in class or in groups » Kinds of digital content that the organization needs to enhance the online presence » Importance of visual content to target audience

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Criteria 1.2 Access and review organisational templates and content style guides to inform content development and ensure content consistency

A content style guide presents a series of guidelines for the writing and formatting of con- tent for a particular publication, organisation, website, or industry as a whole. Style guides establish and impose style rules to improve communication and foster stability. Your organisation may already has a style guide for design. But if your business is creat- ing content — whether it’s posted on your business blog, Social Media, LinkedIn, online publications, or other platforms — you want a style guide for your content, too. Creating your own content style guide is useful for the following functions: • Consistency A cohesive visual experience is one of the main characteristics of brand identity. Consis- tency in design and message helps to establish a fruitful relationship with your customer base. • Shared vocabulary When all your team members have a single policy they can refer to as style guide, all their work becomes collaborative, as well as consistent. • Onboarding A style guide will enable new designers to make design decisions from the very first day, without having to continually go to more experienced staff with design questions. • Code standardization User Interface style guides use standardized code across HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, so front-end developers can also adhere to designers’ guidelines. What to include in a digital style guide? • Grid system Grids are one of the most significant and yet underrepresented web design components. Similar to a photographer using the rule of thirds to make a balanced shot composition, UI designers use lines, columns, and margins to produce the backbone of a web page. Every web page design starts with a grid. So, setting a grid policy will make sure that all pages have the same dimensions and component configuration. A basic grid system consists of: » Units » Gutter » Column or container

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• Responsive Columns In responsive layouts, column width is defined with percentages, rather than fixed values. This allows content to adapt to any screen size. The number of columns displayed in the grid is determined by the breakpoint range, a range of predetermined screen sizes. • Layout There are not many variations of layouts found on the web. Usual web pages consist of such components as header, footer, sidebar, and the main area. They are made using a grid, the width, height, and objective of each section. Useful information to include in a style guide » Size of each layout element for each type of screen » A use case for every layout you have • Use cases are a tool for capturing functional requirements of the system. They de- fine a goal-oriented set of interactions between external users and the system. » Minimum width of the key area for best readability » What layout blocks are not necessary for the mobile interface » Element behavior during scrolling • Color Palette Here are a few suggestions about the color organisation in a style guide: » Present color instructions in various codes: Hex, RGB, CMYK » Identify different levels of opacity for every color » Don’t ignore background colors » Incorporate text and link colors with clear use cases for every hue (e.g., light blue for links, burgundy for alerts) » Individually create a grey palette so that you don’t end up with various shades of grey • Typography Your brand’s typography is one of the most significant design features to represent your brand. The typography features to include in a style guide are the font, hierarchy, size, weight, letter-spacing, line-height, and color. If designers do not adhere to these specifica - tions it will result in typographic inconsistencies. Here are some suggestions for your typography design guide: » Provide links to download fonts directly from the guide » Describe the appropriate use of bold and italics features » Describe in what context each typeface must be used. For example, red and bold text style suggests system errors or alerts

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» Offer a alternative font if your main font is custom » Provide similar font selections for different operating systems • Iconography

Icons assist your design by communicating familiar ideas via visual cues. They’re often straightforward, yet attention-grabbing, and they allow designers to express their creativi- ty. Your user interface is likely to include some icons. It’s important to source icons from th same icon library, so that there is a uniformity to their design. • Logos Your logo is a pattern element that doesn’t need a lot of change. To make a logo impactful and helpful to your brand, use it consistently across your designs, and in all your commu- nications.

Here’s what to incorporate in your logo usage guidelines: » A color scheme that works finest with your logo » Make use of cases for each secondary logo » Font and color applied for wordmarks » Comprehensive dos and don’ts of a logo change • Imagery

Choosing pictures for your design is subjective. Some individuals find lens flares and stock-like families impactful, whereas others might prefer abstract imagery. As designers frequently have to dig through stock libraries for appropriate pictures, they need to do this with a clear vision of what they want to express, and what they wish to achieve with their visual communications.

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LEARN MORE

Using your research skills, try and answer the following questions to find out more information: 1. What are the functions of creating your own content style guide?

2. What are the different factors to include in a digital style guide?

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DISCUSSION TOPICS

The following topics can be discussed in class or in groups » Importance of digital style guide » Recommendations that will make your typography useful

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Criteria 1.3 Identify platform functionality and limitations to inform content development

In company enterprise terms, a digital platform can be thought of as a locus, or hub, for exchanges of >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113

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