This document provides an overview of adaptive content and how to implement it. The key points are:
1. Adaptive content is content that adapts to the needs of the customer based on their traits, history, and intentions. It involves personalizing the content mix, priority, navigation and more.
2. Developing an adaptive content strategy requires understanding users through personas and journeys, then modeling the appropriate content mix.
3. Technically, adaptive content systems segment users, layer on context, and personalize based on rules to deliver the right content to the right user at the right time across devices and channels. The technology should follow the content strategy.
1. GETTING STARTED WITH
ADAPTIVE CONTENT
Delivering Dynamic Content Chunks to the Right Audience, on Any Device
Jenny Magic & Melissa Breker
@JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker
@CMIContent • #CMWorld
@JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
2. Hi! I’m Jenny.
I’m a tech
geek who
loves words. Hi! I’m Melissa.
I’ll answer in
reverse
order…
I’m a word
nerd who
loves tech.
@JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
4. @JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
YOU
MAY BE
WONDERING:
Will this work
with my
technology?
What exactly is
Adaptive
Content?
Will there
be candy?
This work, “This work, “Wondering” is a derivative of “I'll Think About It / Lichtenstein” by Tony Aceves, used under CC BY-NC 2.0
5. ADAPTIVE CONTENT DEFINED
Adaptive Content:
Content that is designed to adapt to
the needs of the customer, not just
cosmetically, but also in substance and
in capability.
- Charles Cooper, The Language of Content Strategy
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6. @JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
Real-time
Contextual
Tailored
Relevant
Dynamic
Personalized
Customer-centric
Web personalization
Content Strategy
Marketing
Digital Experiences
And the list goes on…
ALSO KNOWN AS…
7. TWO KEY DECISIONS
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WHAT TO ADAPT?
• Content Mix
• Content Priority
• Navigation
• Site Architecture
• Imagery & Design
BASED ON WHAT?
• Environment: Location/
Weather/ Date/ Time/ Events
• User Traits: Device/
Language/ Speed
• History: Purchases, customer
service
• Intention: Traffic source,
browsing history
9. NONE OF YOU ARE HERE BY CHOICE
1. Skyrocketing customer expectations
2. Data explosion
3. Technology complexity
60% of marketers note they struggle to personalize content in real
time, yet 77 percent believe real-time personalization is crucial.
http://offers.adobe.com/en/na/marketing/landings/_46316_real_time_marketing_insights_study.html
@JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
10. @JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
Marketing Technology Landscape by Scott Brinker, CC BY-NC 2.0
11. JUST
TRYING TO
HOLD ON
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"FreeStyle" by Macliocchetti.M., CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
12. ON-RAMP AT LOW SPEED
• Quick Wins
• Proof of concept
• No tool recommendations
• Prep for integrated solutions
“Sign of the Times” by Finger Food, CC BY-NC 2.0
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13. CONTENT
+
TECHNOLOGY
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"Spaghetti Junction" by Highways Agency, CC BY 2.0
14. MOBILE BROUGHT US HERE
Responsive Web Design
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"Responsive Web Design" by Muhammad Rafizeldi, CC BY-SA 3.0
15. MULTI-SCREEN REQUIRES ADAPTING
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• To the Screen Size
– Content priority, navigation layers, imagery
• To the Device Capabilities
– Click to call, gestures, GPS, text-to-speech
17. STRATEGY LEADS TECHNOLOGY
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Truth #1:
Adaptive Content is possible
… if you know what to ask for.
Truth #2:
If you don’t ask,
the answer will always be no.
18. LUCKILY IT’S PROFITABLE
• 3 to 10 times click through and
conversion rates
• $300 Million in margins by matching
messaging to buyer journey.
“Digitizing the Consumer Decision Journey” McKinsey & Company, June 2014.
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19. ENGAGEMENT & REVENUE
• 23% conversion rate form submission
• 41% increase in time on site
• 22% increase in pages per visit
• 28% bounce rate decrease
• 300% increase in traffic to product page
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20. SURPRISE & DELIGHT
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"What a Moment of Joy!" by Molly Sabourin, CC BY-NC 2.0
21. HOW DOES
IT WORK?
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“Sensitive Noise/ Obvious 2” by Milos Milosevic, CC BY 2.0
22. IMPLEMENTATIONS VARY
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“Training Wheels”
• $
• Keep your CMS
• Limited
• Generalized analytics
Integrated Approach
• $$$
• New Technology Stack
• Omni-channel
• Session-based analytics
THERE IS NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION
23. UNDER THE HOOD
• Progressive Enhancement + Personalization
• Various data sources – internal and external
– Analytics: geography, referring site, keywords, device, time
on site, pages visited
– Internal data: CRM, e-mail campaigns, lead nurturing
– External data: Omnichannel browsing, aggregated
recommendation engines, social media
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24. BASIC ADAPTIVE TECH PROCESS
1. Segment Website Visitors
2. Layer in Context
3. Personalize Based on Rules
Right Content, Right User, Right Time
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25. SEGMENT WEBSITE VISITORS
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• User Login
• Purchase History
• User Agent String
– IP address
– new vs. returning
– referring URL
– Device
• …And new stuff all the time
26. LAYER IN CONTEXT
• Environment/ general context
• Traffic source: SEM/ PPC/ Email campaign
• Site search
• Browsing Patterns
Identifiers can be stored client-side as cookies, in URL, in Local
Storage, etc.
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27. Some “training wheels” examples:
1. Welcome screen for logged in users
2. Imagery based on browsing patterns
3. Location-centered resources
4. Customized product selection
Match Customers to Content
@JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
PERSONALIZE
29. PRIVACY + THE CREEPY FACTOR
“Consumers consistently show a desire to
provide more data
when companies use captured information to
provide truly helpful feedback”
The Coming Era Of ‘On-demand’ Marketing, McKinsey & Company, April 2013.
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34. DON’T START WITH THE TECHNOLOGY
“Forrester clients often ask about personalization technology
solutions before having done any customer research or creating
a personalization strategy.
These organizations often end up with
misaligned technology decisions or with
technology that sits on the shelf.”
“Advance To Next-Generation Personalization” Forrester. January 2014
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36. ADAPTIVE CONTENT STRATEGY
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“Arrow” by Dana Ross Martin, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
37. START WITH CONTENT STRATEGY
WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE
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User
Personas
+
Journeys
Rules
Matching
Content
Mix
Interface
Assembly
38. PERSONAS MIGHT INCLUDE:
• Persona Group (i.e. web manager)
• Fictional name
• Job titles and major responsibilities
• Demographics such as age, education, ethnicity, and family status
• The goals and tasks they are trying to complete using the site
• Their physical, social, and technological environment
• A quote that sums up what matters most to the persona as it relates
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to your site
• Casual pictures representing that user group
40. USER PERSONAS MATTER
124 %
Companies that incorporated buyer personas
into their content marketing strategies
increased their B2B leads by 124 percent.
Marketing Sherpa Skytap Case Study
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41. NARROW YOUR FOCUS
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"Lake View" by Chad Cooper, CC BY 2.0
44. USER JOURNEYS – IN PRACTICE
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Mapping the Journey Experience Beyond the Screen by Adaptive Path, CC BY-NC 3.0
47. @JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
USER
TOUCHPOINT
• What is she doing?
• What is she thinking?
• What is distracting her?
• How could we personalize her
experience?
Adaptive Path's Guide to Experience Mapping by Adaptive Path, CC BY-NC 3.0
48. BUILD THE CONTEXT MIX
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I made you mix tape by Jo James
49. CONTENT MIX MIGHT INCLUDE:
• Personas
• Buying Stages
• Touch points (from above)
• Formats
• Content Types
• Channels
… in every possible combination
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50. CONTENT MIX MATRIX
Persona Buying Stage Format Channel
Kate Awareness Video Social
Andrew Interest Text Websites
Sheila Evaluation Podcast Email
Commitment Infographic Print
Referral Images In person
Presentation In-store displays
Tools & Calculator Mobile app
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56. SUMMARY: STEPS FOR SUCCESS
1. What content do users need? (Personas)
2. What format, when? (User Journeys,
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Content Mix)
3. What do we have? (Content Modeling)
4. What’s the workflow? (Page Tables & Rules)
58. BASIC ADAPTIVE TECH PROCESS:
1. Segment Website Visitors
2. Layer in Context
3. Personalize Based on Rules
Right Content, Right User, Right Time
@JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
REMEMBER THIS?
59. SO WHERE ARE YOU?
Training wheels or a more
integrated approach?
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• Infrastructure
• Goals
• Budget
• Tolerance for change
“I Can Ride a Bike” by Tonya Staab, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
60. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
• What info are we already gathering?
• What can our tools do now?
• Omni-channel vs. Narrow focus?
• Manual Rules vs. Automated Learning?
• Data & Analytics Limitations
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61. @JennyLMagic • @MelissaBreker • @CMIContent • #CMWorld
BUILDING
YOUR
CONTENT
TOOL
STACK
Lost? Find a
Content Engineer
Content Tools Hierarchy Stack
66. • Personalization is Coming
• Content Before Technology
• Tools Must Match Strategy
• Start Small for Big Wins
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KEY TAKEAWAYS