Conjunction Junction – Words Have Function: Why Your Business Content Matters

What are words worth? Actually, they’re invaluable.

With so much online information consumption and transactions, content is one of the most integral parts of the consumer experience. And it’s true – just like you, consumers value accurate, usable, and current information.

When your content is outdated or out of whack, customers perceive that your business is unreliable and broken. In turn, this can result in lost sales, damaged reputation, negative reviews, and the ultimate kill shot – a bad customer experience.

So let’s get to work and build customer trust, foster loyalty, and boost your bottom line.

AUDIT YOUR CONTENT

More often than not, businesses have old and mismatched information across all of their business materials. From websites and brochures to sales decks, ads, and even employee manuals, it’s important for your content to be correct, relevant, and up-to-date. If it’s not, you are creating a negative perception of your brand that can potentially lead to lost sales and a damaged reputation.

PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) 2022 Global Consumer Insights Survey found that 73% of consumers reported they only trust brands that offer up-to-date information. So – does the carpet match the drapes? If you don’t know, then a content audit is the answer. A comprehensive analysis of all your business materials can help you identify the downfalls and correct, update, and optimize your information. Overall, this helps you gain and maintain customer trust and reduce employee confusion.

UNTANGLE YOUR WEBSITE

We’ve all been there with a mouthful of curse words, frantically clicking on a website while traveling down desperation’s path. Too often, users fall victim to disorganized and useless taxonomies especially when it comes to large websites and intranets. So it’s time to get your organization’s content aligned so visitors and employees can get what they need, when they need it via the shortest path.

A 2024 study by the Nielsen Norman Group found that well-structured taxonomies can improve user findability by as much as 50%. Imagine the time saved for your employees and the frustration avoided for your website visitors when information is easily accessible and organized. And we all know time + experience = money.

MAKE IT EASY

Baymard Institute research in 2022 found that confusing website instructions can lead to a whopping 90% cart abandonment rate. It goes to show that while online checkout is a pretty standard process as it is in-person, if not correctly directed, you stand to lose on sales.

When instructions are concise, understandable, and properly aligned to a process, you alleviate customer confusion, frustration, and even wasted time with customer service.

So listen to users and do a professional review because this will identify pitfalls so you can optimize your instructions to be user-friendly, correct, and easy. Do nothing and you increase the chance of busted brand perception.

DELIVER THE FUNCTION

Your business materials are tools – they must be functional and usable to achieve a desired outcome be it sales, awareness, or building relationships. That means your content must functionally align with and work for your customer's needs and goals because companies that excel at user experience see a 74% increase in customer loyalty – Forrester 2023.

You might need to mobilize your website content, provide correct and timely data, or streamline print and digital transactions. Whatever the case, a positive customer experience is gold.

GET IT TOGETHER

It’s time to invest in your brand's success and hire professional content services because if you optimize your business content to work for your customers and employees, you'll cultivate trust, improve conversions, and ultimately, boost your bottom line.

So, ditch the content chaos and embrace the power of function. Your business will thank you and your customers will stick around for more.