Usable, INFLUENTIAL Content
We Can Have It All
Colleen Jones
threebrick

I’m Colleen Jones…
not the Olympic curler from Canada.

I’m Colleen Jones…
not the aunt of Sarah Palin.

I’m Colleen Jones…
the UX & Content Consultant who was born on St.
Patty’s Day…..
….and has worked in the trenches for 10 years.

My Challenge
 To satisfy your appetite for usable, influential
content for 35 minutes.
 To give you enough fodder to ask me
questions for 10 minutes.
 To offer you handy tips, examples, & resources
in the process.

4 Reasons to Consider
Influential Content

1. In tough economic times, we
need to be aggressive.
BE Agg ressive!
BE BE Agg ressive!!

1. In tough economic times, we
need to be aggressive.
 Make differentiation & value clear.
 Remind of benefits.
 Educate & persuade to try new product or
service.

2. Our content is a social actor.
(Yeah, the content.)

2. Our content is a social actor.
(actually, a few social actors…)

2. Our content is a social actor.
Is it speaking like sales stars or duds?

2. Our content is a social actor.
Is it speaking like customer service
stars or duds?

3. Analysts are talking about it.
We “…can drive significant improvements in customer
experiences. How? By putting more emphasis on using
content to help customers — whether it is providing
relevant information when customers buy a product or
delivering easy-to-use & understandable content for
customer self-service Websites — rather than simply
focusing on how to create, manage, & search for content.”
Use Persuasive Content to Improve the Customer Experience
Forrester

4. We need to plan for it.

4. We need to plan for it.
 Incorporate it into information architecture.
 Accommodate it in interaction design.
 Ensure someone qualified is planning &
writing it.

Defining the Problem

Quick Review: Usable Content
 Format
 Scannable
 Chunked
 Style
 Clear & concise
 Topics
 Useful & relevant
 Complete

Definition: Influence
The act or power of producing an effect without
apparent exertion of force or direct exercise of
command.
Merriam-Webster
(Emphasis mine)

The Problems
 Content can be usable but not influential.
 Influence requires more than relevancy.
 UX & interactive marketing push for extremes.
UX MKTG
Usable Influential

Usable, Not Influential

Trying to Influence, Not Usable

We need balance.
UX MKTG
Usable Usable & Influential Influential

8 Recipes for Influential Content

1: Talk Like a Person
Your content needs to sound like a human
crafted it, not like a system regurgitated it.
 Be polite & friendly.
 Be genuine.
 Show enthusiasm.

1: Talk Like a Person
Description on a product page reads like CMS spew.

1: Talk Like a Person
A description shows enthusiasm & emphasis.

1: Talk Like a Person
eBay stays polite, even on mobile.

1: Talk Like a Person
Julie, the Amtrak IVR, sounds like a person.

2: Establish Credibility
People tend to find a trustworthy person more
influential than an untrustworthy one.
 Provide specific contact information.
 Show credible affiliations & certifications.
 Make related policies or guarantees available.
 If you’re already credible, remind people why.

2: Establish Credibility
A home page features positive reviews from
credible brands.

2: Establish Credibility
Gotvmail home page features partnerships,
awards, & guarantees.

3: Use the Right Tone
Add brand zest or mitigate an emotional situation
through tone.
 Reflect brand attributes or personality.
 Show sensitivity to the situation.

3: Use the Right Tone
An exclamation point sets the wrong tone for
the emotional situation of an insurance claim!
It’s simple to do!

3: Use the Right Tone
A better tone….
Report a Claim
The last thing you need is hassle as you file a claim, so we keep it
simple. Just fill out our online form or call 1-800-xxx-xxxx.

3: Use the Right Tone
Bliss has a sassy tone that is softened in FAQs.

4. Be Courteous
Courteously take advantage of the opportune
moment (kairos).
• Don’t disrupt.
• Remember relevancy.

4. Be Courteous
A relevant credit card offer appears near the cart
total during a checkout process.

5: Remind Customers of Differentiators,
Benefits, & Appreciation
Tell how your brand or product outshines others.
 Remind boldly.
 Remind subtly.

5: Remind Customers of Differentiators,
Benefits, & Appreciation
Benefits & customer advocacy are bold on JetBlue.

5: Remind Customers of Differentiators,
Benefits, & Appreciation
A subtle reminder of AutoTrader’s benefit
displays on a search interstitial page.

6: Appeal to Left & Right Brain
Ever since Aristotle, we’ve known the
importance of appealing to logic & emotion.
 Try rational appeals & evidence.
 Try emotional appeals & evidence.
 Shift your emphasis on the rational or the
emotional according to the context.

6: Appeal to Left & Right Brain
A product page emphasizes logic appeals.

6: Appeal to Left & Right Brain
A product page emphasizes emotion appeals.

6: Appeal to Left & Right Brain
A home page focuses on logic & credibility.

6: Appeal to Left & Right Brain
A home page balances logic & emotion appeals.

7: Share Stories
 Stories combine rational & emotional appeals
into an easy-to-digest message.
 They “show” instead of “tell.”
 Tell brand or product history stories.
 Tell customer success stories.

7: Share Stories
The Mini Cooper website shares the brand history.

7: Share Stories
User Insight reveals the story of their founding.

7: Share Stories
Stories can be bite-sized.

8: Use Metaphors
 They suggest a likeness between objects &
ideas.
 They’re a powerful way to articulate the new
or the conceptual.
 They tap into unconscious universal needs.
 Take a metaphor far enough—but not too far.
 Think about connotations.

8: Use Metaphors
Apple uses a cloud metaphor.

8: Use Metaphors
The cloud metaphor taps into a
deeper metaphor.
Cloud
Marketing Metaphoria
Container

Benefits of These Recipes
 Better Results
Influencing users or customers to take the action
you want them to take.
 Less Heat in the Kitchen
Getting along with interactive marketing.
 Smoother Projects
Being prepared to accommodate influential
content in our solutions.

More Food for Thought

What Fields Help with
Influential Content?
 Cognitive Psychology
Study of the mental processes involved in perception,
learning, memory, & reasoning.
 Linguistics
Study of the nature, structure, & variation of language.
 Rhetoric
Study of using language effectively & persuasively.
 Content Strategy (emerging)

Psychology Is Not Enough
Influence relies heavily on context & language.
+ =
Language

A Few Favorite Rhetorical
Concepts & Tools
 Rhetorical Appeals (logos, ethos, pathos)
 Rhetorical Devices
 Argumentation Techniques & Arrangement
 Rhetorical Situation (context)
 Kairos (the opportune moment)
 Motives (deeper than goals)

My Favorite Rhetorical Tool
The 3 Rhetorical Appeals
Logos Ethos Pathos
Appeal to Logic Establish Credibility Appeal to Emotion

What Practical Fields Help?
 Sales & Marketing
 Customer Service
 Business Relations & Communication

A Few Favorite Practical Concepts
 Win – Win Situations
 Making People Feel Important
 The Customer Is Always Right
(or at least feels right)
 Appealing to Nobler Motives
(in addition to the practical ones)

My Favorite Practical Concept
Making People Feel Important
How do we make people feel
important as they use automated,
self-service experiences?

Some Handy Resources
Psychology Content Strategy
Neuro Web Design The Discipline of Content Strategy
A List Apart
Linguistics Content-tious Strategy
A List Apart
Shifting Your Focus: Content As
Content Strategy for the Web
Conversation (upcoming webinar)
(to be released)
Communication
How to Win Friends & Influence People
blink
The Tipping Point

More Handy Resources
Rhetoric & Persuasion
Argumentation: The Study of Effective The Rhetorical Tradition
Reasoning
Turn Usable Content into Winning
Audience & Rhetoric Content
UXmatters
Crimes Against Logic
Submit Now
Dynamics in Document Design
Persuasive Technology (includes
psychology)

Even More Handy Resources
Sales & Marketing
Become an Interactive Storyteller
iMedia Connection
Get Content, Get Customers
Marketing Metaphoria
Metaphorically Selling
Marketing Isn’t a Dirty Word
UXmatters
Look for an annotated list of these resources & more at
www.leenjones.com/blog

In Closing: A Story, A Passion

Companies DO Invest in
Influential Content

Why I Love Influential Content
It overcomes the “blink” factor.
We give all customers a comparable
experience, no matter what they
look or sound like.

Why I Love Influential Content
It gives our efforts—whether starting up,
reviving a brand, or launching a new product—
hope to make a big impact.

Thank you!
Questions?
Colleen Jones
Partner, UX & Content
threebrick
Email: colleen@threebrick.com
Twitter: @leenjones
Blog: www.leenjones.com/blog
Website: www.threebrick.com

Acknowledgments
 InterContinental Hotels Group
• Karen Bennett & Bill Keen
• Mike Mahoney
 User Insight
• Kevin O’Connor
 threebrick
• Darnell Clayton & Matt Sartor