Content That Connects
Byron White
President & CEO
LifeTips.com

Connection
 Connection demanded
 Get under my skin
 Inhabit my life
 Touch my heart

Connection (cont.)
 Search box log files
 Review customer FAQ’s
 Discuss needs with service reps
 Discuss needs with customers
 Last Resort: Keyword suggestion tools

Bite Size and Super Size Content
 Understand the paradox of choice
 Many choices, products and services
 Learn my decision making logic
 Feed me what I want, at the right time
 If the size is not right, I’ll move on

Bite Size and Super Size Content
 Create deep info for deep readers
 Create light info for impulsive buyers
 Monitor traffic patterns with analytics
 Create deep or light as needed

Personalization
 Showcase something that matters
 Make it personal to individual needs and desires
 Make it exclusive, limited and/or one-of-a-kind
 Identify the fanatics and make them happy

Personalization (cont.)

Personalization (cont.)

Stories
 Our culture thrives on stories
 Great stories are contagious
 Tune in to “what happens next”
 Learn how to be smart
 Connect with surprise and delight

Stories (cont.)
 Story Marketing: The Lost Ball
 Superbowl Ads: 60 second stories
 You Tube: Home brew video goes big
 Current TV: MTV meets PBS
 Sisomo by Kevin Roberts

Freshness
 Reasons to keep coming back
 Exposure to new worlds and ideas
 Fresh ideas turn browsers to buyers
 Humor and entertainment connects
 Surprise and delight

Value
 Find specific things
 Find them in a hurry
 Unbiased comparison
 Straightforward advice

Value (cont.)
 Create several paths to products/services
 Create shortcuts that get to what readers want
 Bring in 3rd party comparison content
 Offer “authority” insight and wisdom

Value (cont.)
 Develop a Content Haiku
 Every word on your web page matters
 Find the right words to put in the right place
 Test various designs and visual presentations
 Measure the results and the conversions variation

Simplicity
 Clarify why I should buy
 Tell me what is in it for me
 Show me what I get if I pay more
 Encourage me to take action

Credibility
 Brand: Enhance without compromising
 Awards: Target the best shows
 Publicity: Find the angle for a story
 Certifications: Recognition of experience
 On Demand Books: Earn authority status

Creativity
 Celebrate your products
 Provide rich visuals
 Close retail and online gap
 Look outside yourself or company
 Create something that matters

Innovation
 Stay on top of new technologies
 Engage new technology before your competition
 If it does not work, abandon it quickly
 If it works, make it yours

Innovation (cont.)
 Customization: Design your own shoes
 Search: Create your own Google
 Flash: No longer a SEO problem
 Zoom: Emulates retail experience
 Tools: Page Strength Tools

Great Writers
“Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a
blank piece of paper (screen) until the drops
of blood form on your forehead.”
—Gene Fowler

Talent Pool
 JournalismJobs.com
 MediaBistro.com
 AJR.com (American Journalism Review)
 Online news sites (BostonWorks,
Providence Journal Online, etc.)
 Craigslist.org
 Byline articles

Talent Pool (cont.)
 Recognize the Talent
– Well-furnished minds and well-traversed experience
– Exceptional curiosity about every subject
– Above average wit and sense of humor
– Vivid imagination and powerful analytical thought

Define The Project
 Improve search engine listing positions
 Drive more organic traffic
 Encourage repeat visits
 Influence decision process
 Improve conversions rates

Determine The Placement
 Preliminary: First impressions and headline
architecture
 Investigating: Knowledge seeking and trust
building
 Capability: Show how products solve problems
 Permission: Drive action, sign up, download
or buy

Define The Style
 What’s Your Point?
– Engage Laughter
– Spark a Debate
– Motivate and Empower
– Take a Stand
– Drama and Intensity
– Clever and Witty

Define The Style (cont.)
 Find Your Voice: Informational, Advertorial,
Active, Passive
 Placement: Where on the site?
First layer, second layer, etc.
 Visuals: Connect the content to images.
Tell the story.

What’s Your Story?
 What makes your story unique?
 What’s your competitor’s story?

Establish a Mantra
“A sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer,
meditation, or incantation, such as an
invocation of a god, a magic spell or portion
of a scripture containing mystical potentials.”

Establish a Mantra (cont.)
Green Bay Packers Winning is Everything
IBM Think
Disney Fun Family Entertainment
March of Dimes Save Babies
Wendy’s Healthy Fast Food
U.S. Army Be All You Can Be

Develop A Flawless Process
 Brainstorm session that uncovers the story
 Methodology to get under the target’s skin
 Nail the value proposition
 Clarify the call to action
 Research the rich keywords and scent trail
 Manage the feedback

Engage And Connect
 Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
– Who is your target audience?
– What are you going to tell them?
– Where are you going to tell them this information?
– When are you going to do this?
– Why is it important?
– How is it going to matter?

Understand Your Readers
 Readers want to be able to find specific things
 Readers are in a hurry
 Readers love personalization, “it’s all about me”
 Readers want advice
 Readers want up-to-date, relevant,
straightforward content

Implement Smart SEO Rules
 Create original content (no dup content issues)
 Clean and unique meta strategy
 Remember: not all links are created equally
 Consistent site maps and architecture
 Surround the link phrases with rich keywords
 Avoid “stuffing” keywords, readers must come first

Bring Science To The Art
 A/B split testing
 Track conversions
 Monitor traffic
 Perpetually Revise
 Track stickiness

Stay Fresh
 Freshness validates commitment
 Commitment is necessary for success

Hire The Pros
“If each of us hires people who are smaller
than we are, we shall become a company of
dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who
are bigger than we are, we shall become a
company of giants.”
—David Ogilvy