To prove that usability is contextual, I re-purposed an older post. The first one was specifically for my own blog. The second, below, a contribution to a marketing agency blog.
Psst: Is Our Content Usable?
Usability is the new buzzword for great content these days. No this isn’t a bad break up story called “he used me and its OVER”. Actually, usable means something different in the marketing world. It has more to do with the way we tell stories. How digestible the narrative, whether it provides clear and helpful information. Call these fresh user-centric metrics.
What Exactly is Usable Content?
Usable content is the pureed version of yesterday’s fluffy, uninformative dribble. It is easy to learn and engage with. It makes sense to your brain enough so that you connect with the message, product, service, CTA. You’ll be able to process it like a good dairy free protein shake. If you have lactose intolerance, you’ll understand.
The New Brand Narrative
Brand narratives shouldn’t be the person at the party who keeps on talking. FOREVER. Without letting you get a word in edgewise. The person who tells racy jokes where your kids could overhear the F word.
This person says a lot without saying anything useful. Somewhat like political debates. The candidates don’t seem to ever answer the questions posed to them. The new brand narrative by comparison reads the crowd, wants to speak their language. It knows a good punchline will keep you telling their joke forever.
“96% of the most successful content marketers agree their audience views their organization as a credible and trusted resource.”[1]
Great Take-Aways
Usable content earns its title the hard way. It answers the query you had. The one that brought you to this unique content’s doorstep (via search engine). It provides some great take-aways. Yes, this type of content satisfies you with 3 things:
- effectiveness
- efficiency
- relevance
Usable content thus helps you (consumer/customer/inquiring mind) to meet your goals! In fact, says MOZ, “Usability and user experience are second order influences on search engine ranking success.”[2]
Metrics, Shmetrics
Recently I attended a Meetup at Seer Interactive, in Northern Liberties. It was a talk by Karen McGrane. She said something that is key when measuring usability. “Information seeking is a task…instead of metrics and reports on the usual stuff – did the information make it into people’s brains?” In other words, did the user come away with a connection to your narrative? If so, that could be $$ in your pocket, more organic traffic etc.
Arguably the skill here is multi-faceted. I agree with Rand Fishkin that to give a unique value with your content, it has to be:
- one of a kind (not copied in any way)
- relevant (prompt – no fluff, and targeted to the query)
- helpful (you say “oh, cool I’ve never seen it explained so well)
- valuable (easy to consume, creative, hard to forget info – like a protein shake)
Bonding: The New Storytelling
All of us in the business of SEO writing know content has to warm the spider bots’ hearts while driving up conversion rates. That’s no secret. But not all people listen and interact with content the same way. Ideally, storytellers and brand builders are only successful if they connect on a deeper level. And to get this, you need create a bond with your audience.
[1] https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/10/research-b2b-audience/
[2] https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo/how-usability-experience-and-content-affect-search-engine-rankings
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