THE

USEFULCONTENT

CHECKLIST

STOP PRODUCING CONTENT FOR CONTENT’S SAKE

USE THIS CHECKLIST AND START CREATING CONTENT THAT MEETS USER NEEDS AND MAKES THEM W YOU.

THEY HAVE THE POWER. They can shut you and your ‘innovative’ marketing tactics up with the click of a button. They don’t care about your

company, really, they just want to know how you can address their queries and make their lives easier.

They want you to honour them with return on attention, in the same way that you want their attention to deliver

return on investment.

PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMER’S

BITCHSORRY TO BREAK IT TO YOU SO BRUTALLY,

BUT IT’S TRUE.

IT’S A two-way street.

YOU ARE YOUR

WE GET ITWe’re telling you repeatedly that you need to start delivering Return on Attention

through useful content, but we aren’t exactly telling you how you can address user needs and bloody well deliver it.

SO WE’VE PULLED TOGETHER THIS:

It’s for marketers who, like us, believe there’s a better way of doing this stuff. Marketers who want to be the real answer to their customer’s problems and queries and reap the

conversion rewards for years to come.

NO MORE LAZY, AGGRESSIVE, BULLSHIT DRIVEL, BASICALLY. This resource is our helping hand to you, to help indicate whether your content is

going to hit the high notes and whether it’s really even necessary at all.

We’ll be covering general channel principles, channel-specific pointers and useful content for desktop vs. mobile.

Now it’s time to break your company’s no-printing policy and print this bad-boy out so you can really get stuck in.

THE USEFUL CONTENT CHECKLIST

GOOD CONTENTTHE BROWNIE POINTS.

BAD CONTENTTHE RED FLAGS.

Solves a genuine, specific need better than current alternatives.

Provides information that’s not available elsewhere, or reformats existing information into a medium that’s more useful to users.

Addresses a micro-moment (that’s Google’s buzz-word for intent- driven searches).

Doesn’t blatantly, tactlessly target a specific age group, e.g. “millennials”, to the extent that you hate yourself a little bit when clicking publish. Cool Dad tactics are not a component of content that meets user needs, they just make your readers scoff at you.

Reproducing content available elsewhere for no real reason.

Content designed to be “interesting” or “funny” but doesn’t reflect a specific need.

Is repurposed into a format that does not suit the need or intent.

Is designed purely to “build awareness”, “attract links” or “go viral”, otherwise known as CLICK BAIT. Just say no to click bait, guys. It makes users fucking hate you.

DID YOU KNOW THAT 82% OF SMARTPHONE USERS TURN TO THEIR DEVICE TO HELP THEM MAKE A PURCHASE DECISION?SOURCE: Think with Google

GENERAL THINGS TO CONSIDER

(BECAUSE YOUR CUSTOMERS CAN TELL IF YOU’RE PUTTING OUT POINTLESS SHIT DRESSED UP AS USEFUL CONTENT, EVEN IF YOU’RE CONVINCED THAT THEY CAN’T!)

THE NEXT FEW PAGES ARE FULL OF QUESTIONS. ANSWER EACH OF THESE AND BE HONEST

WITH YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR RESPONSES. Think of it this way – you can spend a couple of hours writing a pointless blog

post, just because you have to meet your “schedule”, or you can do some homework and understand what can make that piece useful, then get down to

producing something that delivers ROA for your customers and prospects.

I KNOW WHICH ONE I’D CHOOSE.And of course, you can use this checklist for every piece of content until you get the hang of addressing user needs, then you can pass it over to a peer or

colleague who still thinks that a pointless blog post is effective marketing.

LET’S GET STARTED

What need or problem am I solving?

How am I solving it, specifically?

Is this being done somewhere else already?

If so, how will mine be done better or more appropriately for my audience?

What would I like to happen after people have seen my content?

What do I think my customers might want to do next?

Can they easily do all of these things?

What formats and channels would work best for this type of content?

CHECKLISTTHE

CHANNEL SPECIFICSPUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CUSTOMER’S SHOES FOR A SEC. THEY JUST WANT HONEST, HELPFUL ANSWERS TO THEIR QUESTIONS SO THEY CAN MAKE AN INFORMED PURCHASE.

You need to tackle the user needs bit, of course, but you also have to make it clear to search engines what it is you’re saying and why you should reach the front of the queue, to make it easier for said customer to find you. Here are a few pointers for display/paid search and organic search to assist:

DISPLAY / PAID SEARCH ORGANIC SEARCH

How is it presented to the user? Is it intrusive (now, be honest!) and does it interrupt what they’re doing? If so, you need to fix that.

What’s in it for them (you know, that little thing we call Return on Attention) if they click the banner? Is what’s being offered obvious in the banner or ad? Is what’s being offered something they’ll actually want? Note: it might hurt right now to accept that it might not be, but doing that now rather than after you’ve blown your budget will make sense in the long run for all parties concerned.

What happens if they don’t click the banner? Are we going to insult them with a sarcastic comment about sucking at whatever we’re trying to persuade them is great, or are we going to accept their decision as an equal?

Is this written for users, not search engines?

What key phrases might people search when they encounter the need I’m fulfilling?

What possible keyword intents are there for the phrases I’ve optimised for?

Which specific intent does my content cover?

Is it clear to search engines which intent I’m optimising for?

Is it clear in the SERP which intent I’m optimising for?

This one is the equivalent of going on a really bad date with someone who thinks they’re the best thing since sliced bread, and when you politely decline a second date, they tell you it’s your loss and make out like you’re an idiot. WE ALL KNOW WHO THE REAL IDIOT IS.

CONTENT FORMAT SPECIFICS

What are the options for the user next?

What might they want to do and how can they do that?

Is there a resource that I can offer them for free, that’ll expand on my ideas?

Will this content they’re investing time in send the user through a funnel of useful, related content, or will they have to hunt this out for themselves? In short, are you creating an effective content funnel or is this just another piece of deadwood?

DETAILS:

DETAILS:

YES

YES

NO

NO

BLOG OR OTHER WRITTEN CONTENT.

CONTENT FORMAT SPECIFICS

Hand on heart, is this the absolute best format for my audience?

Is there a crawl-able/transcript/screen reader option for people who may need it?

Does this load correctly on multiple devices?

Is this just another crappy, not-really-funny-but-what-the-hell meme that the internet doesn’t need?

What if I can’t/don’t want to watch the video? Is there a transcript?

If the video is long, is it clear when/where different points are addressed?

Will the user have to sit through a minute long advert before they get to the content?

And again, HAND ON HEART, is this the best format for my audience?

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

NO

IMAGE OR INFOGRAPHIC CONTENT

VIDEO CONTENT

CONTENT FORMAT SPECIFICS

Does this render correctly?

Can I use all functionality?

What might be different about my query if I’m on mobile compared to desktop?

Can the experience be improved by using GPS or other mobile technology?

Is there any features that will slow the page speed?

DETAILS:

DETAILS:

YES

YES

YES

YES

NO

NO

NO

NO

MOBILE CONTENT

FURTHER READING

THE BIG FAT CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY CHECKLIST by Velocity PartnersThis lot just get content. They’re a talented bunch of wordsmiths and marketers who deliver useful B2B content as standard, on the daily. Check out the Strategy Checklist and their B2B Marketing Manifesto – both wonderful assets that should be the best friend of any self-respecting marketer.

EPIC CONTENT MARKETING by Joe Pulizzi (aka one of Content Marketing’s founding fathers)This one will help you tell a different story, break through the clutter and win more customers by marketing less. At Silverbean, we call that useful content. If you don’t know of Joe Pulizzi, give yourself a slap, then get on Google and start unearthing the masses of content marketing wizardry he’s immortalised in his books. The bottom line of the book is this: stop making MORE marketing when you’re not even getting the basic stuff right to begin with. Which just so happens to support the mentality behind this very checklist.

THE VISUAL CONTENT PLAYBOOK by VisuallyThis handy eBook will guide you through best practice, content forms and micro content. Compiled by Visually, the people who specialise in high-impact content for over 1100 brands and agencies, it’ll tell you everything you need to know about short-form content types across multiple platforms. You’ll learn how micro content can help your brand stand out, cut through the noise and above all, discover how to build an effective strategy with formats that’ll actually appeal to your audience. This piece of content has everything to do with the part in our checklist about the best format for certain audiences.

CONTENT EVERYWHERE by Sara Wachter-BoettcherThis book will appeal most to the techy amongst you as there’s admittedly a lot more jargon in it, but we think it’s almost biblical in terms of its authority on content marketing. The text covers how marketers must adapt if they expect users to engage with their content, especially at the rate devices and channels are evolving. This will guide you to produce future-proof, evergreen and manageable content that is “meaningful wherever it needs go.” Sounds good to us!

At Silverbean, we are constantly reading and sharing awesome content that inspires us to produce better, and makes us feel even more vitriol towards the people who are still doing it wrong. This checklist is merely scratching the

surface in comparison to some other Content Production Assets, so here are a few resources that we really like, and ones that will help you on your quest for BETTER MARKETING in 2016 and beyond. NO MORE POINTLESS MARKETING.

RETURN ON ATTENTION: THE SFW AND NSFW EDITIONS:In these two, our Digital Performance Director, Charlotte McMurray, goes into the ins and outs of Return on Attention through useful content and how both are imperative to marketing in 2016 and beyond. We’ll not divulge too much here in case we spoil the surprise, but have a flick through and be inspired to be better marketers.

MICRO-MOMENTS – THE NEW BATTLEGROUND FOR BRANDS: This comprehensive guide to identifying and maximising Micro-Moments, compiled by Search Marketing Consultant, Tom Etherington, is one of our most-viewed pieces of content and has been a sidekick to many marketers looking to implement Micro-Moments into their digital strategy. It explains how these moments work in practice and what brands today can do to be useful to their customers and prospects in that very moment. We don’t brag much, but if we did, we’d brag about this and tell you to read it immediately.

THE TOP 7 POINTLESS MARKETING TACTICS:Think big brands always get this stuff right? You’d be wrong. Here’s an angst-filled ode to pointless marketing that covers everything you should avoid. The terrifying thing about it all is that these are all real-life examples of content that exists today. Shudder.

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF BRANDED CONTENT: Our in-house content duo Lisa Kelly and Vicky Cawthorne compiled these holy 10 Commandments that covers the saintly and sinful methods of content production and audience outreach. These two work on content for the likes of Flybe, Bunzl Plc and ScS, so they know their stuff. In short, this slide-share is the answer to your content prayers.

AND A FEW FROM US...

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NSFW Version | SFW Version