from case study to social: condensing for digital
TRANSCRIPT
CONDENSING FOR DIGITALFROM CASE STUDY TO SOCIAL:
INTRO: 5 MIN
TODAY, WE’LL
▸ Define content and understand why it matters
▸ Learn why we condense and why it’s been important for… for like forever
▸ Learn the building blocks for building and condensing great content
▸ Give you the tools to become great content strategists
INTRO: 5 MIN
WHAT IS THIS?
▸ Define content. How would you define content?
▸ Why does it matter?
▸ What’s the difference between long-form content and shorter content?
▸ Why might we want to condense for digital?
▸ Channel forces us
▸ Time and attention
▸ Devices and compatibility
INTRO: 5 MIN
HELLO, I’M IDRIS.
@TheContentKid
INTRO: 5 MIN
HOW TO DEFINE “SMALL CONTENT.”
▸ Bite-sized stories
▸ Complete stories with a beginning, middle and end
▸ Fleshed out characters, story and theme
▸ Can be as little as 6 words
▸ “For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never worn.” - Ernest Hemingway
▸ Can come from data, research, campaign ideas, individual experiences or cautionary tales
INTRO: 5 MIN
CLASSIC EXAMPLES OF SMALL CONTENT
▸ Jokes - shareable
▸ Magic - cross channels
▸ Sitcom skits - cross channels + shareable
▸ The 10 Commandments - cross channel + shareable
▸ Stories: “Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?” – Eileen Gunn
ABOUT YOU: 20 MIN
YOUR TURN!
▸ Tell us
▸ Your name
▸ The industry you work in and the types of content you encounter
▸ An example where you found, read or recently shared “small content”
▸ Great story in a small space
▸ (digital or analogue)
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
WHY SMALL CONTENT?
▸ Where it works
▸ Web
▸ Social Media
▸ TV
▸ Print/display
▸ Where else does it work?
SMALL CONTENT WORKS ANYWHERE IT WILL FIT.
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
WHY DOES IT WORK?
▸ Small Content
▸ Emotional pull
▸ Spurs readers to action: “Content moves makes mountains.”
▸ Shareable
▸ Persuasive
▸ Memorable
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
HOW IT’S DONE
▸ Storytelling
▸ Stories are the simplest unit of form for understanding actions and consequences.
▸ Stories have a beginning, middle and end. The human brain responds with higher retention (up to 60%) than just data.
▸ Stories pack empathy with people that choose to follow them.
▸ Stories shape behaviours more easily than commands (fables versus laws)
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
HOW IT’S DONE
▸ Influencers of Story
▸ Audience
▸ Character
▸ Medium
▸ Plot structure
▸ End goal/action
▸ FIN (fluency, identity, novelty)
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
AUDIENCE
▸ Define who the target is. Are they
▸ Prospects
▸ Members
▸ Current customers
▸ Stakeholders
▸ Influencers or “sharers”
▸ Try to define what they want. Is it
▸ To learn more
▸ To connect
▸ To share
▸ To act
▸ To believe
▸ What is their level of knowledge?
▸ Low
▸ Medium
▸ High
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
CHARACTERS: HEROES & VILLAINS
▸ Tim Stout: Eight Character Roles
▸ Protagonist - main problem
▸ Antagonist - “the bad guy”
▸ Mentor - the conscience
▸ Tempter - manipulator, with antagonist
▸ Sidekick - loves the protagonist
▸ Skeptic - single doubter
▸ Emotional - thinks with the gut
▸ Logical - plans things out
▸ It’s not necessary to memorize these types, more to know how they serve the story
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
THE MEDIUM
▸ Understand where you want to tell the story.
▸ Single channel or cross channel?
▸ Understand the limits of the content
▸ Length
▸ Type
▸ Media to use
▸ Simplicity required
▸ How people interact/share/purchase
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
PLOT STRUCTURE
▸ Christopher Booker, Why We Tell Stories, 2004
▸ 7 Basic Story Types
▸ Overcoming the Monster
▸ Rags to Riches
▸ The Quest
▸ Voyage and Return
▸ Comedy
▸ Tragedy
▸ Rebirth
▸ Combination of story types is common
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
END GOALS & ACTIONS
▸ Every message has an end goal: Inform, entertain, engage, enlighten
▸ Possible goals or actions
▸ Purchase
▸ Share or tell it another way
▸ Save or store
▸ Remember/retain
▸ Learn more
WHERE, WHY AND HOW IT WORKS: 20 MIN
HOW IT’S DONE: FIN FACTOR
▸ Fluency: How simple is it? How easily can this move from person to person? Channel to channel?
▸ Identity: How well can my target audience connect with the character(s) of this story? Will they empathize how we want them to empathize?
▸ Novelty: Does this story possess a twist of the unusual or a timely, newsworthy element that will make it more appealing?
GROUP ACTIVITY: 10 MIN
DECONSTRUCTION
▸ Let’s deconstruct four examples of small content and measure them against the following:
▸ Plot type and structure
▸ Influencers of Story
▸ FIN Factors
▸ Use the provided Guide to consider the variables and offer solutions.
SMALL CONTENT EXAMPLE 1
THINK WITH GOOGLE: CUSTOMER JOURNEY TOOL
SMALL CONTENT EXAMPLE 1
REVIEW
▸ A simplified interactive tool for data that highlights human journeys to purchase
▸ Audience: People researching industries and companies and channel activity of their customers
▸ Characters: Customers, companies, Google
▸ Plot structure: As prospects search to find products and services, they interact on various channels on the paths to final purchase - The Quest - what is Google here? A Mentor?
▸ Medium: web, social
▸ End goal/action: Advertise and market using Google products
▸ FIN: Moderate fluency, high identity, moderate novelty
SMALL CONTENT EXAMPLE 2: REVIEW
CAMPAIGN NOTES: GIVE TO REMEMBER
▸ Raised over $167,000 for 13 charities and 3500 funeral homes
▸ Audience: People who lost a loved one who have considered giving to charities
▸ Characters: Person illustrated (emotional) + the reader (hero) + the loved one (hero?)
▸ Plot structure: By giving, I like the woman in the image, can bring memory to someone I love while helping someone else — one part rebirth, one part quest
▸ Medium: Social media, email
▸ End goal/action: Donate now
▸ FIN: High fluency, high identity, very high novelty
SAY NO TO SPEC: ABS EDITION
SMALL CONTENT EXAMPLE 3
SMALL CONTENT EXAMPLE 3: REVIEW
NOTES: #SAYNOTOSPEC PHILOSOPHY & CONVERSATION
▸ Branding campaign with social and case studies and over 1M views
▸ Audience: People who want to work differently with marketers
▸ Characters: Buyer + fitness trainer
▸ Plot structure: Buyer tries to earn a speculative rate for early work to prove that the fitness trainer will delivery quality. Comedy ensues.
▸ Medium: YouTube, social media, website with case studies
▸ End goal/action: Rethink and connect
▸ FIN: High fluency, moderate identity, high novelty
SMALL CONTENT EXAMPLE 4: DATA VISUALIZATION
BLOOMBERG BUSINESS
SMALL CONTENT EXAMPLE 4: REVIEW
BLOOMBERG BUSINESS
▸ Fully interactive visualization of human and natural factors in greenhouse gases
▸ Audience: People who have argued about climate change, notably those who believe it
▸ Characters: Bloomberg, scientists, readers
▸ Plot structure: Bloomberg proves with data that scientists say that with 95% accuracy that humans are affecting the climate of earth
▸ Medium: web, some social
▸ End goal/action: share
▸ FIN: High fluency, moderate identity, high novelty
CONDENSING FOR DIGITAL
LET’S DO SOME CRAPPY EXAMPLES!
EXERCISE 1: 15 MIN
SOCIAL FAILS
▸ Rules
▸ Deconstruct the story the same way we did for the previous examples and try to create a description of the plot structure and type of story
▸ Determine the point(s) of failure
▸ Identify strengths/weaknesses in Influencers of Story/FIN Factor
▸ Rework the text to what you think would work based on what you know of the Influencers of Story
▸ Pair up in groups no larger than 3—discuss as a team
EXERCISE 1: 15 MIN
SOCIAL FAILS
EXERCISE 1
REVIEW:
▸ How does the story break down?
▸ Could you identify a type of story for this example?
▸ Where were the point(s) of failure?
▸ Can you identify strengths in the story? Weaknesses? Use your story guide.
EXERCISE 2: 15 MIN
BAD INFOGRAPHIC/INTERACTIVE CONTENT
▸ Rules
▸ Deconstruct the story the same way we did for the previous examples and try to create a description of the plot structure and type of story
▸ Determine the point(s) of failure
▸ Identify strengths/weaknesses in Influencers of Story/FIN Factor
▸ Rework the text to what you think would work based on what you know of the influencers of story
▸ Pair up in groups no larger than 3—discuss as a team
EXERCISE 2: 15 MIN
BAD INFOGRAPHIC/INTERACTIVE CONTENT
EXERCISE 2
REVIEW
▸ How does the story break down?
▸ Could you identify a type of story for this example?
▸ Where were the point(s) of failure?
▸ Can you identify strengths in the story? Weaknesses? Use your story guide.
EXERCISE 3: 15 MIN
AUDIENCE INTERACTION/RESPONSE
▸ Rules
▸ This isn’t so much about a single story as it is about what stories others will choose
▸ Determine the point(s) of failure
▸ Identify strengths/weaknesses in Influencers of Story/FIN Factor
▸ Rework the text to what you think would work based on what you know of the influencers of story
▸ Pair up in groups no larger than 3—discuss as a team
EXERCISE 3: 15 MIN
AUDIENCE INTERACTION/RESPONSE: #MCDSTORIES
EXERCISE 3
REVIEW
▸ How did the story break down?
▸ Could you identify a type of story for this example?
▸ Did the images and the script integrate? If no or if not, how did it?
▸ What about influencers? Were they utilized effectively?
▸ Where were the point(s) of failure?
▸ Can you identify strengths in the story? Weaknesses? Use your story guide.
TAKEAWAY EXERCISE + QUESTIONS: 10 MIN
WRITE YOUR SMALL CONTENT EXPERIENCE!
▸ Rules
▸ Write your own story in a small content framework.
▸ Make yourself the hero speaking to iMedia audiences about your experience here.
▸ Make it any kind of small content for either Facebook, Youtube, Snapchat, Pinterest, a short blog post, or even Twitter
▸ Be ready to send it sometime today. I love feedback in public!
TAKEAWAY EXERCISE + QUESTIONS: 10 MIN
REMEMBER:
"Some of the best stories will look like the best stories from 50 years ago. Others will look different in every way. But we’ll keep telling stories, people will keep reading them, and things may start to look a whole lot better.” - Unknown
CONDENSING FOR DIGITALFROM CASE STUDY TO SOCIAL:
Thank you!@TheContentKid