Content is one of those things that's hard to define.
It means different things to different businesses.
But one part they all agree on is it involves copywriting.
And yes, that's right. We do use storytelling to bring the boring and complex to life by making it relatable, joyous and easy to read.
But it starts before all of that.
It starts with figuring out the triggers. What customer problem are you solving? Where would people look to solve this problem (always Google, right?!)? What information do they need at this stage? What language are they using?
That's what's called top to mid-funnel content - sometimes called content marketing but when we conflate content with marketing, it erodes the customer experience and chases short terms vanity gains instead of conversion and advocacy.
This content needs to be based on SEO insights - where you're thinking outside the product and deep diving into the customer problem, looking for those content gaps that no one else is addressing but your business as authority, a solution and permission to play.
This should always lead to a next best action. No video, article, infographic, webinar, podcast, etc. should be a deadend.
And yes, your Content Designer will create content in whatever format will best communicate that message.
That means your Content Designer needs to know the off and online journey so they managing the reader's expectations.
They also have a symbiotic relationship with UX for that reason, and to make sure the design is content-led. The right copy needs to be in the right place.
No dead space with meaningless copy as it's not big enough to fit what the customer needs to know. Or filling space when there's nothing to say. Or butchering a design to fit in copy where it's need but no space has been allocated. You get the Figma...
I've found that messaging, tone of voice and experience is lost within a couple of clicks from any channel. It's not practical but if you're changing one part of the page or journey, you need to look at all of it to make sure it's consistent, it flows and every word works as hard as it can.
After all, you only have less than five seconds to grab someone's attention.
"You don't create content to get attention. You create content to maintain attention"
And in this world where we can swipe right or down to get different info, it's so much more important your local friendly Content Designer is involved in every CTA, H1 and standfirst so not to waste any letter, number or word.
This shouldn't be at the bottom, as it's the most crucial, design content so it's accessible for a minority makes life easier for everyone, so you need your Content Designer to make sure you're hitting reading age nine, there's transcripts, alt text and suitable for screenreaders.
So no, it's not just spelling and grammar, it's using words to design and create an immersive, holistic and accessible end-to-end journey.
Because it's our job to make meaninful differences to people lives.
