Nonprofits vie for constituents' attention online. Your messages compete with more than just cute goat videos and cat memes. How can your organization flourish in the Internet fray? The city of Austin will be our guide as we explore how to keep website content relevant and fresh.
A BBCON 2015 session presented by Nyleva Corley and Ben Wong
4. 2 #bbcon
By crafting quality stories in a
variety of formats, your content can
flourish in the Internet fray!
#KeepContentWeird #bbcon
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5. Nyleva Corley
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Senior Information Architect
User Experience and Design
▪ Hometown: Austin, TX
▪ Specialties: Content Strategy and Usability
▪ At Blackbaud: 3½ years
▪ Facts:
▪ 12 years in digital strategy for The University of Texas of Austin
▪ Long-distance trail runner
▪ My first name is a made up name
@nyleva
6. Ben Wong
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▪ Hometown: Bristol, UK
▪ Specialties: Web Strategy & Design, Storytelling
▪ At Blackbaud: 7 years
▪ Experience:
▪ Started career in the British music industry
▪ Joined Blackbaud as a web designer
▪ Co-Founder of Birthdays For All
Creative & Success Services Manager
@bunmun
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Our rate of content consumption
is at an all time high
3,000,000,000
People are doing
Google search queries every day.
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Are we feeding our audience
JUNK CONTENT?
#bbcon #keepcontentweird
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65% of Americans say web content
is “hit or miss” or “unreliable”
- Colleen Jones: Content + Credibility Study
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Only 72% of constituents of cause-based
nonprofits perceived the website content
to be accurate
- Colleen Jones: ContentWRX Index
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“Nonprofits struggle for funding, volunteers,
and other resources because they are
unable to effectively communicate their
vision, purpose and value.”
- Liz Wainger, President Wainger Group Communications
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Connect with the audience
Represent brand
Be accurate and up to date
Delight and entertain
Educate and inform
Be shareable and portable
CONTENTInspire action
Your Content Has To Be A Workhorse
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I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY
BUT I HAVE NO TIME, RESOURCES OR BUDGET
TO CREATE TRULY EXCEPTIONAL CONTENT
Image Source: Dawson’s Creek, Sony Pictures
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CONTENT IS AN INVESTMENT
Increase conversions
Rally people around your mission
Build your brand
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Questions for your content audit:
What is the purpose for the organization?
Who is the target audience?
What is the call to action? click here
Is it accurate and up to date?
Is the tone consistent with the brand?
Is it accessible on mobile devices?
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Content is your #1 digital asset.
It has the power to inspire your
constituents to take action.
#KeepContentWeird #bbcon
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26. Storytelling is the oldest and most
powerful form of communication
Image Source: Matthew Cooper Photography
27. When you want to motivate,
persuade, or be remembered…
START WITH A STORY
It will capture people’s hearts by
first attracting their brains
Source: HBR.org Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling
- Dr. Paul Zak, Claremont Graduate University
#bbcon #keepcontentweird
28. Your stories make up your content
Not all content tells a story
Image Source: John Maffei, Uncommon Objects At Night
#bbcon #KeepContentWeird
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Other nonprofits need to work harder to
present the conflict in a way that is easy
for the audience to relate to.
Use simple language.
Avoid jargon at all costs.
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If the antagonist isn’t obvious,
make it larger than life.
#bbcon #keepcontentweird
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CLIMAX
The story reaches its peak.
The hero takes action to resolve the conflict.
Image Source: Randall Metting, Sensory Overload ACL
39. Who is the hero of your story?
• The organization?
• The beneficiary?
• The audience?
Image Source: The Neverending Story
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–Jeff Brooks, TrueSense Marketing
“Donors ask themselves, how do I matter? How am
I going to give back for all that I’ve received in life?
If your stories help them answer that question,
you’re really doing fundraising. ”
41. LET THE AUDIENCE BE THE HERO
• Invite the reader into the story
• Present a clear call to action
• Your story should be a ‘choose your own
adventure’ story
Image Source: The Neverending Story
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Use the word ‘YOU’
Let the user be the hero
State the goal
www.feedingamerica.org
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“Contrary to popular belief, long form stories have a
better chance of going viral than short posts, with the
optimal length being upwards of 2000 words.”
–– http://contently.com/strategist/2015/09/16/5-ways-content-goes-viral/
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Resources for Learning + Doing
▪ Meghan Casey, @meghscase
The Content Strategy Toolkit
▪ Sara Wachter-Boettcher, @sara_ann_marie
Content Everywhere: Strategy and Structure for Future-Ready Content
▪ Colleen Jones, @leenjones
Clout: The Art and Science of Influential Web Content
▪ Margot Bloomstein, @mbloomstein
Content Strategy at Work
▪ Ginny Redish, @GinnyRedish
Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content That Works
▪ Jonathon Colman, @jcolman
The Epic List of Content Strategy Resources
▪ Paula Land, @content_insight
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More Resources for Learning + Doing
▪ Kristina Halvorson, @halvorson
Content Strategy for the Web
▪ Scott Abel, @scottabel
Rahel Anne Bailie, @rahelab
The Language of Content Strategy
▪ Erin Kissane, @kissane
The Elements of Content Strategy
▪ Karen McGrane, @karenmcgrane
Content Strategy for Mobile
▪ Gerry McGovern, @gerrymcgovern