Forget what you think you know about content, design and usability. As people increasingly consume online content through small screens and touchscreens, we need to reimagine digital publications. At the same time, the latest insights into why people decide to share online content also need to be used as we adapt our publication strategies.

47% of people will consume between 3 and 5 pieces of content before they actually interact with a company, either through making contact or making a purchase. So it’s imperative that companies engaged in selling products or services consider a content marketing strategy. Simply relying on a corporate blog isn’t enough anymore. Other opportunities to engage consumers need to be identified and embraced. Reports, videos and infographics are some of the most widely-shared formats, offering a business the chance to reach people who might not know a specific brand but are interested in the industry, the product or the service.

Content elements

Content marketing specialists agree that content should focus on what users are interested in rather than on the brand or the company. Psychological studies show that the more positive the content, the more chance it has of being shared. Humour and positive and inspirational stories hit people on an emotional level and encourage them to share content with their friends and colleagues. The success of smiley emojis is just one example of this phenomenon.

How content is presented is just as important as what is actually being said. These days, more people consume online content on their mobile phones than on a tablet device. This forces us to rethink the design and usability of websites, blogs and digital publications. Reading on touch screens has modified reading patterns and the concept of liquid texts, able to adapt to any channel, has become prevalent. The user doesn’t read, but scans. Even on desktops, they drag, scroll and expand the content of a page. An effective content strategy should, therefore, take into account not only the idea of responsive design (one that will adapt to any screen format), but also incorporate adaptive content  techniques.

Given all this, the old rules relating to SEO, as set out by the gospel of Google Analytics, are no longer enough. Now, it’s important to remember:

• Length doesn’t matter. A user is unlikely to read a whole article. However, the longer, an article is, the more chances you have of getting the reader’s attention, plus you will increase the amount of time they spend engaging with your content.
• For Headlines, it’s a case of the shorter, the better.
• The featured titles of each section are useful for bringing the attention of the reader back to the text.
• Bold words are used to highlight important concepts, but they can be annoying when reading on a smaller screen. Moreover, they don’t affect positioning.
• Similarly, be careful to avoid any excessive use of hyperlinks to other articles. People tend get tired of them and rarely click-through.
• Any secondary pieces or breakdowns are read as separate texts.
• An estimated reading time for the text is generally not realistic. And if it’s too long, it discourages people from actually starting to read a text.

The last tip for creating great content is to always remember to include some branding elements: a logo, a link to your website and social networks, contact data, etc. This way, when the content is shared, it is always linked to the brand, helping attract new clients and increase the loyalty of existing ones. If you don’t have a logo or need personalized designs, tools like TailorBrands are a cost-effective way of fixing this.

Usability elements

There are many ways we can increase the length of time someone engages with a digital publication, or improve the chances of it being shared and even going viral. From including buttons for sharing content through social media to providing a content summary, such tactics are usually simple but highly effective. Above all, we want to include:

• Page change: Laying out digital content over different pages, just like in a physical magazine, allows the reader to either look at one or two pages at a time. This is an effective way of breaking the usual top-to-bottom reading pattern for online content.
• Thumbnails: Thumbnails make navigating through pages easier. Here, simplicity is key, and any thumbnails need to be designed to ensure they fit in with the content.
• Loading time and visibility: If a reader has to wait too long for a page to load, they will quickly lose interest. This is especially true for those reading on mobile devices. We need to ensure this doesn’t happen, as well as making sure all pages are optimized for phones and tablets.

Design elements

Attractive visual content is becoming more and more important for hooking clients or users. Images are important, but they are just one way of making publications appear more attractive and engaging the reader. Varying the typography used or making use of videos and infographics are effective ways of achieving this. It’s now very easy to include them in our publications thanks to the wide range of apps, software and tools that are widely available. These are some features you may have not previously considered for your publications:

Embedded video: if you don’t have any videos of your own, you find content on platforms like YouTube and embed them into your publications just by copying and pasting a code.
Swf and gif files: Swf (small web format) and gifs are small animations that make your publications more dynamic. For example, a gif can explain the evolution of your product. Giphy is the most popular platform to find gifs for your publications.
Image galleries or slides: These allow you to showcase a large number of images in a single space. They are especially useful for showing off a range of different products.
Sketches or notes: another graphic resource that works very well is a simple drawing that imitates a handwritten note. With the image retouching tool Scketches or notes: another graphic resource that works very good are simple drawings that imitate handwritten notes. With the image retouching tool PicMonkey  we can turn our photos and logos into drawings and add text.
Graphics: if you need to include numbers or statistics in your publication, the most attractive way of showing them is with graphics, infographics or maps. Studies show that such graphics increase a reader’s engagement by between 16% and 34%. What’s more, graphics can more than double the average amount of time a reader spends engaging with content. You can make use of a wide range of free graphic design software packages, including Venngage, Infogram or Powtoon. Other tools like Visme, allow you to include animated graphics.

via GIPHY

Typography: Text can also be a graphic element, either alone or in combination with images. In addition to photo retouching software, apps like PicLab allow you to add a text filter on a photo to personalize it.
Memes: the combination of images with humorous texts is one of the most effective ways of ensuring social media messages are noticed and shared. Memes can also be used to add a touch of humour to your publication and grab the reader’s attention. For internal communications, they can serve as a friendly nod or a wink to employees or clients. They are very easy to make with Makeameme, for example.

Visual content is an effective way of making your publication – and by extension, your brand or company – stand out stand out in a crowded marketplace. The good news is, creating attractive content is just getting easier and e

Photo by Taras Shypka