Infographics Can Obscure Content Design

October 19, 2012Mary KlestLeave a comment

When graphic design becomes the dominate feature of infographics content design can dissolve into confusion rather than clarity. Is the infographic below easier to understand than text with subheads and bar charts? What does social marketing have to do with the solar system? It weakens rather than strengthens verbal and spatial reasoning in my mind. Though it is kind of fun to look at.

To learn about how to visually display information I often turn to Edward Tufte, a Yale professor, presenter and author of two amazing books: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information and Envisioning Information. He says, “There are two goals when presenting data: convey your story and establish credibility.” For more Tufte quotes read Joe Chernov’s blog post for Eloqua.

Visual content design is important, but infographics that play with data rather than simplify the message take a chance of confusing rather than clarifying the message. One of my favorite infographics depicts Napolean’s March to Moscow during the War of 1812. It hangs on my office wall and I never get tired of looking at it. Are you tiring of infographics or do they better help you digest information?

Content Review of Inc 5000 Top Illinois Food & Beverage Companies

October 4, 2012Mary Klest1 Comment

Good website content supports growing businesses and their online audience. The Inc 5000 list ranks U.S.-based privately held, independent companies according to percentage revenue growth over a four year period. Revenue baselines are $200,000 for the initial year and at least $2 million in the most recent year. I looked at this year’s Inc top five food & beverage companies in Illinois to do a website content review. Using a scale of 1 (needs work) to 5 (great job) my review is based on the following criteria.

Site design
Are there custom photos, engaging graphics, a usable layout and easy navigation?
Is there a visual strategy that supports the content?

Copywriting
Is the copywriting persuasive, trustworthy, concise and compelling?
Do I understand what they do, what products or services they offer, and how these will solve my problem and add value?
Does the tone fit the brand?

Social sharing
Can I share what I see with others through social media channels?
Can I engage with the company by signing up for a newsletter or commenting?
Are there testimonials or reviews I can access on the site?

“More” content
Has the company published articles, whitepapers or news releases?
Is there a blog that is updated regularly?
Are there videos, case studies or webinars where I can learn more?

Landing pages
Do they cover the topic/product well by answering my questions?
Do landing pages include a call to action and a method for capturing contact information?

Mobile friendly
Does the content display effectively on mobile devices?
Is it contextual content for the mobile user environment?

Following are the food and beverage company websites I reviewed.

Burry Foods, St. Charles, IL (B2B) ★★

The Burry Brand was established in 1936 and is most notably “the Thomas’, Boboli & Entenmann’s Frozen Foodservice Supplier!” Inc rates the company #7 nationwide in the Food & Beverage category and #12 in Chicago’s fastest growing privately held companies. My content rating based on the criteria above is 2. What I like is that they tell me right away what they do, what products they sell and to whom. A more robust design is needed. This is a static billboard type website with links that timed out while trying to call up new pages. There is no use of social media, a blog or “more” content. Interaction is restricted to calling a phone number. The mobile version replicates the desktop. I like the Contact page because it includes a guarantee and phone numbers with names. They do establish trust and present their products in a forthright way.

Meatheads Several Chicago area locations (B2C) ★★★★

Ranked #15 in the Food & Beverage category this site is impressive. Rotating benefit headlines, mouth watering photography, easy navigation, social sharing buttons (“meatheads unite”), deals, community programs and customer focused content (“It pays to be a meathead”) create the right tone for content consumption. All the elements contribute to a brand experience. They provide calorie and nutrition information in a downloadable pdf format. I am giving them a 4. The site looks okay on a tablet but is hard to interact with on a smartphone. Their twitter and Facebook sites are active especially when they talk about Chicago sports teams. I’d like to see a live feed on the website and a blog.

Windy City Distribution, Warrenville, IL ★★

“Chicagoland’s Best Beer Experience.” Distributing and marketing crafted beers, Windy City Distribution ranks #31 in the Food & Beverage category and #48 in Chicago. My content review puts them at a 2. The gray tone Home page makes me think of London, and I don’t recognize the background skyline as Chicago. The Home page copy reads more like an About Us page. The Sales Team landing page lists names rather than territories or titles. No photos of the sales team are included. I’d like to see a case study, testimonial, or industry focused article/blog on the site. A video might work too.

Parts Town, Addison, IL. ★★★

Ranked #55 in Food & Beverage and #72 in Chicago, Parts Town sells parts online for commercial kitchens. Like a lot of e-commerce sites Parts Town overwhelms a visitor with unweighted content. By that I mean my eye doesn’t know where to go. I am ranking their content as a 3. A better page design layout is needed. The rotating headline text moves too fast for the average reader. They do have a good Facebook presence. There is a blog but it can’t be found via the site menu, so navigation is confusing. The Search by Parts could be a drop down menu rather than a listing. A body of text at the bottom that looks like a privacy or software usage agreement due to its small font and wide column. They do have a Resources page and a News page. Blending original photos with stock photos on the About page is confusing. The “Find Equipment Manuals” is a bonus content feature I like. Customers can find a product manual based on manufacturer, model and document type. They also provide a good mobile experience.

Growing companies need to manage their markets and their messaging. This content review of the Inc 5000 top Illinois food and beverage companies shows that progress is multifaceted.

Work Ethic Content Strategy Works

September 26, 2012Mary KlestLeave a comment

Some people think America’s gone soft. But inside every company are people who work hard, using their knowledge and talents in unique ways to solve problems and circumvent tough challenges. Their stories reveal a work ethic that is strong and invigorating. So let their voices be heard.

Create content about them that can appear in a trade publication article, a blog post, a press release, a video interview or website copy on the About or News page. They should be heard as brand ambassadors on social media sites. Don’t rely only on the best and brightest in the company but also the people who shine in a small but very special way. Reflect the work ethic of customers and you will have a winning content strategy.

Highlight The Inventor

Whether it’s an idea, a product, a design or a process, inventors position your company as progressive in thought and deed. While the marketing of such innovation is a collaborative effort, dig deep enough and you will find the person who connected the dots and came up with something new. In big companies you may have to wade through layers of attention seekers but keep going to find the originating source. Ask how it came about. What triggered the idea? What did you need to find the solution? Were you sure of it or did you experiment multiple times before coming up with the best answer?

Interview The Craftsman

How well a product or service is crafted can be the most distinguishing factor separating you from your competition. Respect the craftsman and your customers will respect the product. Starting on page 70 of the 690-page Restoration Hardware Fall 2012 catalog is an article titled “The Leatherman.” It tells the story of two craftsmen, how they met, what they value and some of the details of their work. “I wanted to treat leather like everything I do. I wanted it all hand done,” says Timothy Oulton. And this from Diego Diaz: “There’s not much of this particular kind of thing that you can learn from books or in school. It’s by trial, by getting your hands dirty, and that’s what I love to do.” Turn the page after reading the article and the customer sees the leather products with new eyes and awareness.

Honor The Customer

What role does a customer play? Often, new ideas are generated by questions customers ask or details they demand. Former teacher and now CEO of BLS Enterprises Barry Stoughton is a serial inventor who creates new products inspired by questions from customers. When asked, “How can we extend the life of rubber track pads on our construction equipment?” Barry developed a polyurethane based track pad that doubles the wear time. He didn’t stop there. New products are continuously introduced to solve the problems his customers are facing.

Share your company’s work ethic through people who exemplify it. Putting a face to the fact builds relationships and authenticity. This kind of content is also good for sharing through word of mouth. Did you hear about the surgeon who performed a double lung transplant on his patient and three months later ran alongside that patient during a 10k race? There are great stories inside your company. Tell them right and your customers will see themselves in it

Google Nightmare of the Worst Kind

September 21, 2012Joanne CostinLeave a comment

This past month I have spent several hours trying to fix a Google nightmare caused when a client lost access to their Google AdWords account. In the eyes of most small business owners there is Google confusion. Between Google Places, Google AdWords, Google Analytics, Google+ and Gmail, businesses may be using multiple business as well as personal accounts. People sometimes get confused about what account is set up with what Gmail address. In their haste to delegate tasks to someone else, they end up losing access to their account.

My client came to me because they were getting increased charges for Google AdWords, yet they had no idea how to access the account to control their campaign costs. Their account was automatically billed to a credit card. Armed with the credit card number, I was able to get Google to confirm the Gmail address used to set up the account, but then we didn’t have the password. To reset the password Google was going to send a pin number to a backup phone number, only the phone number used to create the account didn’t belong to the business, or either of the two owners. Turns out the phone number belonged to the business owner’s daughter who worked at the firm for a few months. To reset the password we needed to get the pin number that was texted to her personal phone. Now we are trying to determine if the information from Google Adwords can be moved to another account.

If you have ever tried, you know that reaching a live person from Google is not easy. They try to answer all questions on their website and hide their phone numbers pretty well. I found one, and to Google’s credit, I was connected with someone from their AdWords department who has been very helpful.

Business owners need to recognize that their website, google analytics and social media accounts, contain valuable information for the business and need to be maintained and protected. You need to keep control over them, and that means properly managing the accounts. To keep you from something like this happening, here’s my advice to business owners on setting up your Google account.

1)Start by creating a Gmail account for the business. Keep this separate from any personal accounts. This is key, because the business should stay in control of the account. You can provide permission to others to access the account, but you main control over the password for the account, and can deny access, if you desire. Write down the password, the back-up email and backup phone number for the business , and answers to security questions. Don’t let employees or outside agencies use their personal Gmail account or cell phone as the backup.

2)Tie all Google products to the same Gmail account. You want Google Adwords to tie into Google Analytics so you can see how your advertising is impacting website traffic. You can authorize others to be administrators or users on the account using their own Gmail accounts.

3)Google Places is now Google+ Local. Keep you Google Places Business Account separate from your personal Google+ account.

4)Keep all account user names and passwords on one simple spreadsheet.
Include the following:
Website hosting website, login and password
Google analytics UA Number
Company gmail address and password
Blog login address, user name and password
Blog RSS Feed
Twitter login and password
LinkedIn login and password
Facebook login and password
Pinterest login and password
Email Marketing login and password

Do you have a Google nightmare to share?

Content Lessons From High School Football

September 12, 2012Mary KlestLeave a comment

Getting to the goal line

Can a high school football game uncover content lessons for B2B companies? You bet, at least in the mind of this content writer. While watching the game I get an understanding of why it’s important to assess opponents, signal a new play, execute, and connect with an audience. Watch this video that shows a fake handoff by the quarterback, a play that initiates a 65-yard run to score a touchdown. That play didn’t just happen. It was planned.

Understand your Opponents

Your competition is one form of opponent but another is the customer who struggles with his or her end goals, resources and budget. Content that acknowledges those concerns is like good blockers paving the way for the quarterback’s run.

Signal a New Play

If the passes are not caught and the handoffs go nowhere, reimagine your role. No football game is the same and the same holds true for company initiatives. High school kids hear from the coach: “Don’t repeat your mistakes, learn from them.” For companies, content is measureable. Sometimes it takes a bit of tweaking but you can reach your content goals. Yesterday’s content won’t support new ideas.

Execute

Watch what the quarterback does to make the opponent team change direction. You want your content to do the same – get your audience to change direction toward your solution. Get them thinking differently about what is important, performance and balancing cost.

You Gotta Feel It

Include some sensory element that allows your audience to experience emotion. At the football game you hear the roar of the crowd and clapping. Content writers use language and visual design to create mood and tone.

Add an unexpected connection the way this home game announcer did after reporting the touchdown play: “That a boy.” And, “This kid is deceivingly fast.” As for the quarterback, he said: “Just before the play I had a feeling: ‘This is it.” That’s the feeling your content can relay: This is it.

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