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© 2014
Margot Bloomstein
@mbloomstein
#SearchLove 040814
CONTENT STRATEGY
FOR SLOW EXPERIENCES
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We never stopped.
We never stopped.
The snappy signs didn’t
convince my parents.
The right content isn’t
necessarily more content.
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© Scott A. Miller for Chevrolet
These people are waiting
in a line.
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These people are delighting
in a line:
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
discovering,
creating memories.
They’re in the moment.
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Content affects experience…
and a user’s perception of an
experience.
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You wait longer, but you’re engaged
before you get there. You’re invested in
the experience.
Keri Maijala (@clamhead)
Content supports
experiences for
different media,
devices, and
users.
Publisher? Maybe.
Persuader? Yes.
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When people have a frustrating
experience, they rate the checkout as
slow.
When we ask people what’s ‘slow,’
it’s the frustrating experiences.
What’s fast? They say delightful
experiences.
Jared Spool (@jmspool)
Frustration, not speed, drives
the perception of slowness.
That was horrible
and it took forever,
no matter how fast it was.
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© 2014 © jonandallie.blogspot.com
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Little content
supports the
experience and
one size fits all.
Is it enough just to speed it up?
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Efficient isn’t always effective.
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Efficient isn’t always effective.
Users say frustrating activities
take forever.
But are time-consuming activities
also inherently frustrating?
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© Charlotte & Kristian Septimius Krogh
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Is the nature of the transaction so
small and insignificant that it shouldn’t
require a second thought?
Don’t get in the way. Or will the
consumer get to the final transaction
after plenty of preliminary research?
Again, don’t make them rethink it.
Jared Spool (@jmspool)
Users can appreciate slow
experiences:
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.
They discover, learn, and pay
attention to act deliberately.
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Why do this?
•Drive exploration & discovery
•Encourage deliberate choices
• Focus users’ attention
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How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
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Users can appreciate slow
experiences.
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.
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Users can appreciate slow
experiences.
they’re engaged,
anticipating,
creating memories.
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“Choosing a lens can be a daunting task
for all of the reasons mentioned above,
so I pulled together some info from my
own experiences, as well as those of
other Crutchfield shutterbugs.”
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“Springtime shaded belays at the creek, predawn starts in the Canadian Rockies and hut tours in the High Sierra: Anywhere brisk, the Down Sweater delivers featherweight, superbly compressible warmth. The polyester ripstop shell on this down jacket does more than look sharp; it’s tear-resistant, windproof, and made from 100% polyester.”
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How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
2. Discovery- and comparison-
oriented content types
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Courage in our convictions
Empirical proof
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Validation Deliberation
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Time & space to interact
with it
Engaging, informative
content
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How do you slow down users?
1. Editorial style and structures
2. Discovery- and comparison-
oriented content types
3. Longform content
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• Slow down
• Act deliberately
• Focus
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But does it work?
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The outdoor recreation economy
grew 5% annually 2005 through 2011—
during an economic recession when
many sectors contracted.
Outdoor Industry Association
Source: Outdoor Recreation Economy Report 2012;
http://www.outdoorindustry.org/pdf/OIA_OutdoorRecEconomyReport2012.pdf
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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
REI
industry average
Source: REI Financial Information reports 2005 – 2012; http://www.rei.com/about-rei/financial-information.html
The outdoor recreation economy
grew 5% annually… while REI averaged
11% year-over-year growth
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Store growth fuels content availability
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Our content strategy is pretty simple:
we stay as close to our core market as
possible.
Patagonia’s always had a literary,
storytelling component to the brand. It’s
in line with what we say: buy less stuff
and make sure what you buy lasts.
Bill Boland, Patagonia
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On a short-term basis, it doesn’t help
us move product. It doesn’t meet your
weekly sales goal. It’s not about short-
term ROI. It’s something we enjoy and
the people we build clothes for enjoy.
Bill Boland, Patagonia
Attention must be paid
© Viking
Attention must be paid
but only if we can
respect our users,
brands, and content
equally.
© Viking
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Be here now
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Be here now
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Be here now?
Are we willing to
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Thank you.
Margot Bloomstein
@mbloomstein
slideshare.net/mbloomstein
amzn.to/CSatWork
Images of South of the Border © Edisto Images. All other images property of their owners or © Margot Bloomstein as noted.