Content Experience – how we experience digital content

To capture your customers' attention in digital channels it isn't enough to just create good content and have a "nice design". There are many other aspects that affect how the content is perceived that you need to take into account. Content experience is exactly about this - how we experience digital content.

Content experience, or innehållsupplevelse, is what it sounds like - how a visitor/customer experiences content. It's about engaging and capturing the user at every step of the customer journey. To succeed in doing that it's important to understand how your customers consume content and to package it in an appealing way.

You could think of it as a recipe where all the components that influence the content experience are ingredients. With the right ingredients it can become a culinary experience, but if one spice overpowers the rest the experience won't be as pleasant. The dish might even become inedible. You have to learn to find a balance of flavors to become a good cook, and in the same way those who create content need to consider the content experience. It's all the small components that together create a positive overall experience of the content

In marketing people have long talked about content marketing, or content marketing. Today marketing is more than ever about nurturing the overall experience of the company, both at first impression and also after a purchase. Today we as users have much larger spaces to share our experiences, for example on social media

More companies therefore recognise the importance of relevant and attractive content. For many marketers attractive content is a given — it is important for driving traffic, creating demand for products and guiding potential customers to convert and buy. But not everyone takes the time to consider how the content is experienced by the end recipient — is any content good enough? How is the content consumed and how can the hard-won user be influenced to take their next step

If truth be told, few people care about the content experience, and we hope to change that with this article

What influences the experience

All content must have a purpose, both for you as the sender and for the person consuming the content. Say you publish an article on your website with the goal of writing an interesting and worthwhile piece. At the same time you want your visitors to find other related and interesting content — partly to extend the time spent on your site (Google likes that) and partly to build your brand as an engaging player. Your article is relevant and well written, but what happens when someone has finished reading? Are there links or teasers to related content that can take the user further into the site? It's about creating a digital ecosystem and guiding the visitor in the right direction to give them a positive content experience.

Did you know:

38% stop using a website that presents content in an unattractive way. And the first impression is formed within a few short seconds.

Try it yourself

Imagine you search on Google for a topic you want to know more about and here you naturally want your search to return a result that matches what you're looking for.

Open an article, start reading and ask yourself

• Can you easily find what you're looking for?
• Is the content presented in an appealing way to you? Is it attractive?
• Is it the right amount and relevant to you?
• Does it capture your attention?
• Does the content feel generic/general, or did you feel that the person who wrote it is addressing you?
• Is it appropriate in its context?
• Is it consistent with what you expect from the sender/company/brand? Do you trust the sender?
• Are there things that bother you, e.g. pop-up boxes?
• Is the article adapted and easy to read on your chosen device?
• Are you tempted to find similar content that you like?
  
  

What you experienced, good or bad, is the content experience.

It goes beyond just how the content looks to encompass the entire user experience and personalization.

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