An overview of digital content types with a focus on landing pages + an exercise for the students.

1. Intro to content types
+
Focus on landing pages
Google hangout lecture and exercise
3 Dec 2015
Prepared for FH Joanneum
MA programme in Content Strategy

2. Introduction to content types
• How do you define a content type?
• Basic definition: The actual 'thing' a person
will read or use
• A content type is made up of content
elements: content modules or 'chunks'
• A content model connects the elements to
the type

3. Common content types
Articles
Biographies
Blog posts
Brochures
Emails
Event listings
Fact sheets
FAQs
Help modules
Landing pages
Podcasts
Press releases
Product detail pages
Recipes
Reviews
Social media content
Testimonials
Tips/lists
Tutorials
Webinars

4. What content elements need to do…
• Have their own identity
Each element should be distinct from other
elements in a content type. Example: A headline
and a sub-head
• Communicate something specific
You will need several content elements to tell the
'whole' story but each element should be a unit
of information. Example: A summary or a
testimonial

5. Common content elements
Title/headline
Copy deck/teaser/synopsis
Attribution/byline
Date stamp
Subhead
Summary
Bulleted or numbered lists
Body content
Related/sidebar content
Images and videos
Captions on photos, charts, etc
Transcripts
Pull quotes
Tags & categories

6. Why do we care about content types?
• They help when auditing the content
• They help when modelling content
• They help when defining features of the CMS

7. Content model with content types

8. Content type: Landing pages
• Within advertising or marketing context, a landing
page is a standalone web page that is distinct from
your main website
• Has been designed for a single, focused objective: to
convert ('buy now', 'register now')
• Usually omits the website's global navigation

9. 3 simple things a landing page does
• Tells people where they are
• Conveys the key benefits of the product or service you're
offering
• Makes it clear what people need to do next

10. 2 main types of landing pages
1) Click through landing pages
• Persuade visitors to click through to another page
• Can be used to describe a product or offer in sufficient detail
to move visitor closer to a purchase
• Leads on to shopping cart or registration page where
hopefully visitor will 'convert'

11. Landing page example 1

12. Landing page example 2

13. 2 main types of landing pages, cont.
2) Lead generation landing pages
• Used to capture data about a visitor, such as name and email
address
• Used for marketing at later point, not for immediate sale
• Often 'give' the visitor something, such as a whitepaper,
ebook, a promise to notify about a future product launch or
access to a free trial

14. Lead generation example

15. Rules for writing content on landing
pages
Audience
• Who is your audience? Don't make assumptions about them!
• Address their pain points
• Use the language your audience would use
• Use testimonials wisely
Tone
• Humour is OK in moderation
• Be genuine, not cheesy or 'sales-y'

16. Rules for writing content on landing
pages, cont.
Headlines
• Should lead reader on
• Should be clear, not overly clever
• Build trust with clarity – tell people what your product or service will do for them
Body copy
• Create a messaging hierarchy that puts your most important features/benefits first
• Don't distract with too much text
• Explain benefits clearly and succinctly – what is this and why would people
want/need the product or service?
• Use 'you' and 'your' to create conversational tone
• Use active verbs

17. Rules for writing content on landing
pages, cont.
Call to action
• Should be consistent with headline/page copy
• Make it clear what people get when they click a CTA button or link
• Use words that encourage action, e.g. 'Download now' or 'Subscribe'
Other content
• If using a form, keep fields to a minimum – the more you ask people to do on your
landing page, the more likely you are to lose them
• Include short testimonials, press mentions, etc to establish your credibility (the
key word is 'short'!)

18. Exercise
Read about the new Robear:
http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/28/8507049/robear-robot-bear-japan-elderly
Page objective
Get people to sign up to an email list that will let them know when Robear is available
for sale to the general public
• Define an audience
• Write a good headline
• Write some copy to introduce the product and explain what this is
• Use sub-heads as needed
• Identify at least 3 features to appeal to that audience – create sub-heads and copy
or bulleted lists for each to further explain the features and benefits
• Create two fictional testimonials about Robear that would appeal to your target
audience (based on people who were part of the early trials of Robear)
• Write a call to action to entice people to share their email address and sign up to
the list