The Unsung Hero of CX: How Content Standards Build Stronger Customer Relationships

Imagine this: you've meticulously crafted a hero's journey for your customer, each touchpoint a carefully placed stepping stone leading to conversion. But then, wham! They hit a content roadblock—a poorly written FAQ, a confusing product description, a social media post that falls flat. Suddenly, your epic customer experience narrative unravels.

Think of content standards as the scaffolding for your customer experience. They provide the necessary structure and support to ensure a smooth, frustration-free journey for your users.

Types of Content Standards:

• Grammar, Spelling, and Style: Standards ensure correct grammar, spelling, and style usage, often guided by widely accepted style guides like The Chicago Manual of Style or The AP Stylebook.
• Plain Language: These standards promote straightforward, easy-to-understand language, with governments often setting guidelines.
• Inclusive Language: Content standards promote inclusive language to ensure content is accessible and respectful to all users.
• Accessibility: Standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ensure content is usable by individuals with disabilities.
• Content Organization: Standards define how content is structured, such as using the Darwin Information Type Architecture (DITA).
• File Naming and Redirects: Standards specify how files are named and when to use specific types of redirects.
• Quality Thresholds: Content standards define quality criteria, such as clarity, completeness, and usability.

Consistency and Trust:

Imagine a customer visiting your website. They love the friendly, informative tone of your blog posts. But then they land on a product page with dry, technical jargon. This whiplash in brand voice leaves them confused and unsure. Content standards are the secret weapon for building consistency across all touchpoints. They ensure your brand speaks with a unified voice, fostering trust and familiarity with your customers. Think of it like your brand's signature style—always recognizable, always reliable.

Relevance and Personalization:

Remember the frustration of searching a website for answers only to find generic content that doesn't address your specific needs? Content standards guide the creation of relevant content that speaks directly to your audience. By understanding your customer's pain points and preferences, you can tailor content to provide solutions and create a more engaging experience. This could mean recommending products based on past purchases or sending targeted emails that feel like a conversation, not a sales pitch.

Accessibility and Inclusivity:

Content standards aren't just about brand consistency; they're about building an inclusive experience for all users. Imagine a customer who relies on a screen reader to navigate your website. Following accessibility guidelines, like WCAG, ensures your content is clear and easy to understand for everyone, regardless of ability. This demonstrates your brand's commitment to serving all users and makes your content truly accessible.

Efficiency and Speed:

Content standards streamline the content creation process, reducing the time and effort required. This efficiency translates into faster response times, quicker problem-solving, and reduced waiting times for customers, enhancing their overall experience.

Accuracy and Expertise:

Content standards emphasise the importance of providing accurate, expert content. Customers value correct and reliable information, and content standards help ensure that your content is well-researched, fact-checked, and trustworthy. This builds credibility and establishes your brand as a source of valuable insights.

Emotional Connection and Empathy:

Content standards can incorporate storytelling and empathy, creating an emotional connection with your customers. By understanding your customers' pain points and addressing them through your content, you build a deeper relationship and increase brand loyalty.

Availability and Omnichannel Presence:

Content standards guide the creation of content for various channels, ensuring a seamless omnichannel experience. Customers expect to interact with your brand through their preferred channels, such as social media, live chat, or email. Content standards help ensure a consistent and engaging experience across these channels.

Innovation and Adaptability:

Content standards provide a foundation for innovation, allowing you to experiment and push creative boundaries while staying true to your brand's voice and values. This enables you to deliver fresh and engaging content that surprises and delights your customers.

Feedback and Improvement:

Content standards encourage a culture of continuous improvement. By regularly reviewing and analysing customer feedback, you can identify areas where your content falls short of expectations. This feedback loop ensures that you continually refine and enhance your content to meet evolving customer needs.

Examples of Content Standards in Action:

• Clear and Concise Language: Content standards promote the use of plain language, ensuring customers can easily understand your content, reducing confusion, and enhancing their experience.
• Visual Appeal: Visual content standards, such as brand colour palettes and font choices, contribute to a visually appealing website or app, making the customer's interaction more enjoyable.
• Responsive Design: Content standards include guidelines for mobile optimisation, ensuring your content is accessible and optimised for various devices, providing a seamless experience for customers on-the-go.
• Timely Updates: Content standards emphasise the importance of timely updates, ensuring customers receive relevant and up-to-date information, fostering a sense of reliability.
• Personalisation: Content standards guide the use of personalisation tokens, such as including the customer's name or recommending relevant products, to create a tailored experience that meets their unique needs.

By integrating content standards into your customer experience strategy, you can deliver content that resonates with your audience, exceeds their expectations, and fosters a strong, loyal relationship with your brand.

Tools for Implementing Content Standards:

HubSpot's suite of tools offers various features to help maintain content standards and enhance the customer experience:

Snippets: Reusable text blocks that ensure consistent content across communications.

Brand Elements: Customisable features to establish and manage brand colours, fonts, logos, and styles, creating a unified visual identity.

Workflows: Automation tools to streamline content-related processes, ensuring timely and consistent execution.

Email Templates: Customisable email content that saves time and ensures a standardised, professional tone.

File Saving System: Efficient file management and organisation tools, ensuring easy access to relevant content.

Conclusion:

Content standards are vital to delivering a positive, engaging, and effective customer experience. They ensure that your content meets and exceeds customer expectations, fostering trust, loyalty, and long-term relationships. By integrating content standards into your CX strategy and utilising tools like HubSpot's CMS, you can create content that delights your customers and sets your brand apart.