Balancing Brand Voice, Beauty, and Usability in Content and Design

More than Translation: Content Localization in SaaS

It’s easy to default to English as the primary—and maybe the only—language you do business in when you’re targeting North America and Western Europe. But SaaS businesses more often than not serve customers globally. And if they fail to serve different languages and cultures properly, they’re missing out on significant revenue.  The usual reasons we see companies delay—or refuse to invest in—localization are financial and the fear of what it takes to do it right. While the work of localization can look daunting or complex, setting the right structure and working with the right partners can make the process easier than you imagine and much more profitable. To learn about the topic of localization and its effect on content strategy, I talked with Markus Seebauer, managing director of Gateway Translations. Listen to the full episode for insights into the strategy behind localization, choosing the right time, how global marketing changes affect localization, and more. Markus Seebauer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusseebauer/] is a managing director of Gateway Translations, a provider of technical translations. This German-born digital nomad has been in the translation and localization business for over 10 years. He guides strategic aspects to identify the right markets, consults on translation technology (vendor-independent), and creates translation workflows that scale a process and provide translations into 45 languages with his team. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contentmarketingisdead.com [https://www.contentmarketingisdead.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

It’s Not Just ChatGPT: SEO Is Rapidly Evolving

Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pGQUgsQVe9S0xyvqdCCZp?si=4a34216b53734a95] or Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-marketing-is-dead-podcast/id1684602468?i=1000635055743]. Gone are the days when a good SEO strategy amounted to keyword-optimized blog posts and technical optimization to make your website load faster. Search optimization is getting much more complicated and competitive.  I spoke to two SEO experts, Greg Heilers and Paul Andre - aka Dre - De Vera, about how SEO is changing and what content marketers need to consider when building out a comprehensive SEO strategy. Yes, we talked about the impact of AI, but that’s not the only change you need to stay on top of. SEO is moving to be more multimedia and experiential-oriented. For instance, Google search results pages are pulling in more and more video content, map data, and more. And a comprehensive SEO strategy doesn’t stop at Google. (And I don’t mean including Bing). Your SEO strategy needs to consider everywhere your prospects are searching for products or services like yours or your clients. The Experts Greg Heilers [https://gregheilers.com/] is a Co-Founder of Jolly SEO [https://jollyseo.com/], where the team creates future-proof, Google-safe, white hat backlinks & media mentions for clientele. In podcasts, articles, and courses, Greg enjoys sharing the knowledge he and his team have built through 5 years training hundreds of writers to send 150,000+ pitches & earn 15,000+ high authority wins. Connect on LinkedIn. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregheilers/] Paul Andre de Vera [http://paulandre.com/] is a 15+ year B2B digital marketer who creates engaging, educational, and entertaining video content that ranks. His innovative approach has made “Dre” a sought-after speaker, online educator, and brand strategist for professionals and companies. Nowadays, you’ll find “Dre” speaking on podcasts/webinars, looking for the next great place to devour a delicious rib-eye steak, and occasionally sipping a glass of whiskey. All while providing SEO consulting at PaulAndre.com, hosting the livestream SEO Video Show, and producing the SEO Knowledge Bombs podcast. Connect on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dredevera/]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contentmarketingisdead.com [https://www.contentmarketingisdead.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Segments > Personas and Aligning Your Customer and Website Strategy

When my guests and I discussed a theme for this episode, we decided on persona-driven copy and content vs top-down marketing. What this means: if your messaging and content strategies are based on high-level personas as opposed to deep market and user research, you’re missing out. But I’m hopeful that most experienced marketers know this by now. The problem is that even if you know you’ll see more success when you align your marketing strategies and content around this deeper market research, you still need a strategy to conduct this research and figure out how to use it. That’s the conversation I had with customer research and copy experts Adrienne Barnes and Sam Howard. Listen to the full episode for insights into conducting better customer interviews, creating better audience segments and personas, and a lot more. About The Guests Adrienne Barnes [https://www.adriennenakohl.com/] helps early-stage B2B SaaS companies find product market fit through market research.  Her marketing superpower is “pulling information from people, pulling information from internal demands, and then turning that into something that's useful for the organization.” Connect with Adrienne on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-barnes-2001/]. Ekaterina (Sam) Howard [https://ekaterinahoward.com/] works with growing B2B SaaS startups that need help speaking to their best customers in a way that would resonate and convert. According to Sam, their superpower is translating customer research into copy. (Per this interview, if I had to guess, I’d say it’s aligning content, web, and user experience strategies.)  Connect with Sam on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterinahoward/]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contentmarketingisdead.com [https://www.contentmarketingisdead.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Content Strategies to Target SMBs

I recently spoke to Andrew Nicoletta [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewnicoletta/], Senior Manager of Content Marketing at ServiceTitan, and Cecilia Li [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilia-li-095b0190/], Content Marketing Manager at NexHealth, about content marketing strategies when you’re targeting small businesses. ServiceTitan serves home service businesses while NexHealth works with private healthcare practices. Listen to the full interview for insights into content budgets,  rolling out initiatives, and more. And we talked A LOT about creating content are customer stories. Here are a few highlights about how to get more value out of content featuring customers when travel is involved. 1. Line Up Several Shoots or Interviews in One Location NexHealth will line up several case studies in one place to make a trip worthwhile. Initially, her team was using local production companies to film and edit, but they found that the editing process could take a long time. By lining up multiple customer stories in one place, it made it more financially viable to fly out an in-house team. They also film with several pieces of content in mind: “Besides just a case study, we usually chop. all the raw footage up into different segments to maximize other channels. Can we do a short one-minute bite for social media and use it for a month? Can we add some different text overlay and make it suitable for TikTok? So those are the things that we think about before we go in for each case study.” 2. Offer Your Customers Content They Can Use in Return If you are filming in person, some businesses may have to shut down in order to collaborate for case studies, so make it worth their time. Sometimes a discount on your services or platform will work or financial compensation for their time. But for other companies, offering them digital assets they can use is just as valuable. “Branding is important, but they don't know how to build that brand,” Cecilia explains of some of NexHealth’s customers. “They probably have their office manager help them with a marketing task and things like that. So we try to give back to them in that way. Sort of like  helping them film a photo shoot when we're there or helping them create a brand video.” Bonus tip: Use social platforms in different ways. For instance, NexHealth doesn’t see as much organic engagement on their own content on Instagram, but Cecilia and her team have found that it’s a great place to initiate conversations with prospects by commenting on their content and starting DMs. 3. Create Content That Centers Your Customers, Not Just Your Business Some of ServiceTitan’s top performing customer-based content features their customers, not their own platform. Their Shop Tours [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfbEYZ7T-01aVHBs2EfceVd6IhZFDmkMI] videos in which ServiceTitan customers give a behind-the-scenes look at their shops, are incredibly popular earning 5- and 6-figure views. 4. Have the Campaign Strategy Nailed Before Asking for a Travel Budget Andrew makes sure that his team knows exactly how they’d use the content from a customer before requesting the funds to make it happen: “Whether it's a geo-focused campaign, if there's radio, how your email team's gonna leverage that, and so on.” Andrew emphasized making sure you know the primary promotion or distribution channel you’re pursuing, as well as how you plan on reusing content in the future. This podcast is brought to you by Prism B2B [https://prismb2b.io/], a marketing consultancy specializing in multimedia and multichannel content strategies. Email info@prismb2b.io to be considered as a guest for this podcast or to learn more about Prism. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contentmarketingisdead.com [https://www.contentmarketingisdead.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Balancing Brand Voice, Beauty, and Usability in Content and Design

One of the most difficult challenges in content marketing is finding that sweet spot where you’re talking on your ICP’s level. You’re neither over-explaining concepts they find too basic nor going over their heads. But that’s just the beginning. Not only should content speak to your target audience on their level, it also needs to offer insights that stick with them. And this is no small task. Recently I spoke to Shawn Nichols [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnnichols/], Founder of Metriq, a UX design firm, and Chelsea Castle [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseacastle/], the head of content for Lavender AI. The theme of the conversation was balancing brand voice and usability in content and design. Listen for insights into the psychology of the site visitor, how a designer sees the relationship between design and content, and a multifaceted approach to content usability. Next up: Best practices when creating case studies and how to market to local businesses. Resources Mentioned in the Episode * Zag: The Number One Strategy of High Performance Brands [https://www.amazon.com/Zag-Number-Strategy-High-Performance-Brands/dp/0321426770?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jerabrown-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=26ad3adc43b0b4592a0594af131fb08b&camp=1789&creative=9325] by Marty Neumeier * The Design of Everyday Things [https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jerabrown-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=87d8b5305e1d6a9876e0a271df57253a&camp=1789&creative=9325] by Don Norman * UX Design Field Book [https://www.amazon.com/Design-Field-Book-Reference-Experience-ebook/dp/B09PB5ZT34?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jerabrown-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=4b8c92ed04530e9b20daef349f8c05d7&camp=1789&creative=9325] by Doug Collins * Laws of UX [https://www.amazon.com/Laws-UX-Psychology-Products-Services-ebook/dp/B087F24RJB/ref=sr_1_2?crid=279JQK8CBPNJ0&keywords=laws+of+ux&qid=1685623284&s=digital-text&sprefix=laws+of+ux%252Cdigital-text%252C166&sr=1-2&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jerabrown-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=116ff692554ae6af8d9a054c853cbe72&camp=1789&creative=9325]  by Jon Yablonski * Deepak Chopra podcasts [https://www.deepakchopra.com/podcast/] * Organizational psychologist Adam Grant’s Rethinking podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rethinking/id1554567118] * Nudge [https://www.amazon.com/Nudge-Final-Richard-H-Thaler/dp/014313700X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=35J7FM4FNG5S5&keywords=nudge&qid=1685627036&s=books&sprefix=nudge%252Cstripbooks%252C161&sr=1-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=jerabrown-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=c8b220424ca76b057feb59bbec68ded9&camp=1789&creative=9325] by Richard Thaler * Adrienne Barnes’ Twitter [https://twitter.com/AdrienneNakohl] * Katelyn Bourgoin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katebour/] — Person to follow This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contentmarketingisdead.com [https://www.contentmarketingisdead.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]