Customers who turn to vendor content for solutions want practical information they can use instantly. The way content marketers present information helps determine how usable the content will be.
The following tips can help you make your content easier to use to better serve your marketing goals.
- Think bite, snack, meal. Present content the way readers consume it — bite, snack, meal. Start by attracting the reader’s attention through a quick, tasty bite of information. That bite is the headline, which should telegraph who the piece is for and how they will benefit by reading it. Callouts offer interesting tidbits to intrigue the reader. The snack offers more substance to draw the reader in. The snack is the executive summary that tells the reader what they can expect to find in the paper. It also includes subheads that show the outline at a glance. Once the bite and snack draw the reader in, they’re ready for the meal — the rest of the paper.
- Format for readability. Formatting makes copy more readable and enticing. Subheads break up the text and make it easy to scan. Bulleted lists are easier to digest. Captions for photos, diagrams or charts help the reader skim the piece. Incorporate plenty of white space in your design to make it easy on the eye.
- Use repetition. Different people read text in different ways, so don’t be afraid to present the same information multiple times. The old adage for speeches — tell them what you’re gonna tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them — applies to content. Repetition acts as a directional signal so people can tell instantly what point you’re trying to make. It’s also a good idea to repeat information in callouts and captions, since people skim these first and may or may not read the rest of the piece.
- Present information visually. Look for ways to present information visually. Can you include a chart or table? Does a paragraph lend itself to an illustration or an infographic?
- Incorporate multimedia. With more white papers being published online, content marketers have the opportunity to incorporate multi-media, such as links to other articles, podcasts, or videos. This allows you to cater to people with different learning styles.
By following these presentation tips, you can give readers more entry points and enticements to consume your content — and take action.
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