Client
Kusadama Enterprises worked with our technical partner ZVD Media to help IBM Data Magazine boost revenue and readership.
Solution
We started by performing a deep analytics audit and assessment of the website and newsletter. IBM Data Magazine had a LOT of content–and on a weekly basis would publish more than a dozen new articles, all of which were featured on the homepage and in the weekly newsletter. Our key recommendation was to simplify & focus the content by featuring just one main article a week as the “hero” on the website and email. We also recommended “Editor Picks” as a way to establish thought leadership and credibility, as well as bring a more human touch to the overall content marketing.
When working with businesses that have a large amount of content, we liken the content to that of a museum. Museums have thousands of pieces of art, and it can feel overwhelming to guests. That’s why museums curate special exhibits, as a way to feature an artist or a theme. With online magazines, the Editor can function as a curator, and feature articles and content in a way that helps the reader focus.
Services
Content Strategy
Analytics Insights
Project highlights
The results
We recommended a new content layout for the entire site, including a primary “hero” with one featured article, simplified navigation, and “secondary” content picks. This helps draw the visitor attention to the content IBM Data Magazine wanted to promote.
The before
Prior to our recommendations, the website (and the email marketing) suffered from a paradox of choice. In general, it’s difficult for people to navigate more than 10 pieces of content at a time on a website (we recommend 5-7 links in a top navigation). While it’s popular to send newsletters with many links and articles, they typically do NOT perform well (low click through rates). It’s better to simplify and focus.
The good stuff
We recommended several key pieces of content to ensure engagement & bring a real human touch to the content–Editor’s picks helps build loyalty and establishes a rapport with the people behind the content (especially important when the content is about heavy data/technical information). We also recommended recent articles and a social tab as a way to filter and display large amounts of content in a more user-friendly way.
