Content is the Constant
Issue #50 - March 6th, 2025
A few weeks ago I came across the following post online from web developer Chris Heilmann:
1995: Your company needs an interactive CD
1997: Your company needs a website
2011: Your company needs an app.
2020: Your company beads a chatbot
2024: Your company needs to build an AI agent.
How about: Your company needs to have something to offer and care about its customers?
My first reaction to that timeline was to think of it as the perfect summation of my 30 plus years in the content industry. We were always chasing whatever delivery channel technology was the flavor of the day - often driven by executives who had no real knowledge of what that meant from a practical content operations perspective.
My second reaction was that I agreed 1000% with the concluding line. It was no good having any of those technologies in place if we didn’t provide a product or a service that our customers needed. Nor did it matter if we didn’t take care of those same customers. Technology for technology’s sake, just because its cool and popular, is never a solution. A sincere focused effective customer experience will always deliver more engagement and revenue than any technology solution will.
Then I started to think back to what was the constant thread through those thirty plus years of technology fads and changes? The answer - The Content.
It doesn’t matter what technology is used if the substance isn’t there. Content that is aligned with that need to deliver an experience that is useful, timely, and relevant to meeting the customers needs.
I’ve often been the guy at technology meetings who will at some point say “that’s great, but where is the content coming from?”
If the technology guys don’t have an answer to that question, then you have a problem.
Alan
50 and Counting…
Here we are at issue #50 of The Content Pool newsletter. A nice milestone to reach, and one we wouldn’t have without the support of our subscribers and readers. Thank you to everyone who has susbscribed, read, and commented over the last couple of years.
We hope that you will continue to enjoy what we have to offer, and remember the easiest way to receive the newsletter each week is to hit the SUBSCRIBE button so it gets delivered straight to your email inbox.
Thought of the Week
Rarely, if ever, do companies look at them in a holistic way to provide an overall measurement of customer satisfaction. It’s possible that you could score highly in individual categories, yet still deliver a poor overall customer experience due to a disconnected journey.
Talking About Storytelling
Recent Events
Just a reminder you can find my recent conversation with Larry Swanson on the Content Strategy Insights podcast about the power of storytelling at https://ellessmedia.com/csi/alan-porter/
Or you can catch the video version below.
If you missed it you can still access my webinar on Customer Focused Storytelling that was hosted by The Content Wrangler
Upcoming Events
On March 12th I’m scheduled to speak at the Boston DITA User Group meeting on using “Storytelling Techniques to Communicate With Executives.”
I’m looking forward to presenting “Is DITA Just a Story” at the ConVex conference in San Jose in April, 2025.
And in June I’ll be making a return to the CX Behind The Scenes podcast to discuss the AI Hype Cycle.
Customer Focused Storytelling Workshops
Our March workshop dates are now sold out.
WE ARE NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR APRIL AND MAY.
SECURE YOUR SPOT BY EMAILING US AT AJP@4JSGROUP.COM
“Weaving storytelling into the mix makes the content more compelling, accessible, and effective!”
Learn how to deliver content-driven experiences that your customers relate to on our two-day Customer Outcome Focused Storytelling workshop.
In this workshop, we will:
Examine content from the customer’s perspective.
Plan how to adapt content delivery to meet the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace
Examine why every business transaction is a story
Outline the 10 Rules of Storytelling as applied to Customer Experience
Apply proven storytelling techniques to your content.
Identify potential opportunities for incorporating storytelling techniques
into the production of your customer-facing content assets.Facilitate an interactive feedback session on your existing customer-facing content.
If you would like more details, or you like to discuss reserving a date for yourself and your team to benefit from a Customer Focused Storytelling Workshop, just email us at ajp@4jsgroup.com to reserve your date.
In The Bookstore
If you enjoy the contents of this newsletter and would like more, we have three books always available from XML Press.
You can also check out The Content Pool website or follow us on FaceBook. - you can also find Alan on most of the social media platforms @alanjporter.
Please feel free to share the newsletter and pass it around to any friends or colleagues you think might find it of value.
Till next time - have fun paddling in The Content Pool.
Alan J. Porter
The Content Pool™ is a division of the 4Js Group LLC