Brain Traffic Blog » Brain Traffic

Content Battle of the Year

Clinton Forry — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:00:09 +0000

It's our very first podcast! Wooo!

Recently, Kristina (our fearless leader) and Joe Pulizzi (author, content marketing evangelist, and self-described “poster boy for content marketing”) met up to discuss some similarities and differences between content marketing and content strategy.

Not only will you be captivated by their insights and insults (ok, no insults), you'll learn how to identify the One Thing that really sets your company apart from the competition. Bonus: find out how content strategists and content marketers can join arm-in-arm to sing "Hands Across America."

Download the mp3

About Joe Pulizzi
Joe co-authored "Get Content, Get Customers" with Newt Barrett. He is the CEO of Junta 42, where he maintains his blog of the same name. Joe evangelizes content marketing worldwide and maintains the popular content marketing blog Junta42. Follow Joe on Twitter: @juntajoe

You’re hired: Outsourcing content work

Julie Vollenweider — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:44:35 +0000

Recently, someone asked if I could help him understand when it makes sense to outsource content work vs. handle it with an internal team.

At first, this question surprised me – it’s not one I hear often. Or ever, for that matter. But it got me thinking that perhaps it is asked (or silently considered) more than I realize.

Before diving into the details – here are some familiar situations that prompt the question: Who is going to do this content work?
•   We have a giant pile of messy content.
•   Nobody really “owns” our content, so everyone avoids it.
•   We have content all over the place, and none of it is consistent when it comes to voice, tone, style or message.
•   Our content isn’t useful, usable, relevant, or accurate.
•   We are thinking about implementing a new content management solution.

OK. Yep. You have content work to be done. Now what? There are two common scenarios when it comes to the content requests we get:
• We have/are building an internal team that will take care of our content. Can you teach us some best practices and/or help us get started?
• There’s nobody/no time to take care of our content. Can you do it for us?

A shameless, yet good-humored, plug

Of course, it really wouldn’t hurt to consider hiring a content strategy consultancy (preferably based in Minneapolis) either way – to jumpstart your effort or to just take care of it. Content professionals (like the awesome staff at Brain Traffic) are standing by to help answer questions, develop a plan, increase confidence and dole out general content happiness.

Lost in Translation

Katie Riddle — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:12:05 +0000

So your website is up and running, and your content is in good shape—in English. But when your company decides to enter the Indian or Nigerian markets, what gets lost in translation? Your website can become a cultural minefield, but here are some ways to avoid those “mines.”

Say the right thing, the right way, in the right language

Most people think that globalizing content means hiring a translation firm. But one thing we often miss is localization. It’s the magic spice that ensures your content is culturally acceptable, your brand remains consistent, and what you said in English stays relevant in Hindi or Cantonese.

We’ve all laughed at global companies’ faux pas. For example, KFC’s slogan “Finger Lickin’ Good” was translated literally as “Eat Your Fingers Off” in China. And the American Dairy Association was very successful with its “Got Milk?” campaign, but the literal translation, “Are You Lactating?” didn’t go over well in Mexico. They’re funny, sure. But you can bet those “mines” did some brand damage and cost a lot of time and money to correct.

Who’s doing it right? The most recent McDonald’s campaign featured the slang phrase “I’m lovin’ it.” In French Canada, it’s translated as “C’est ça que j’m,” meaning literally “It’s that which I love.” “J’m” is slang for “J’aime” or “I love,” so it’s not a literal translation. The catchphrase is made meaningful and relevant to the culture, thanks to localization.

A final warning about publishing your site in English in a non-English-speaking country. As a general rule of thumb: don’t do it! Sites that are not at least partially translated into the local language risk being dismissed as irrelevant and ethnocentric. Even in countries where English is a widely spoken second language, users may find it tedious to read a non-native language.

Show and tell (the RIGHT story)

Pictures and graphics can complement your copy and reinforce your message. But, on global websites, they can also be “mines” that can blow up in your face. In Indonesia, Iran, or Malaysia, that shot of a woman in a sundress won’t work. In many Muslim countries, it’s unacceptable for a woman to show skin besides the face and hands. In many areas of the world, it’s not appropriate to use only Caucasian models. It’s better to use models that reflect the ethnicity or diversity of the target culture. To take it one step further, photography using American models may not work for Europe, even if there’s appropriate diversity—certain types of clothing, style, and environments scream “American!” to a Dutch or Danish audience.

Symbols in photography and graphics can also cause problems. A thumbs up gesture might mean “Great!” or “OK!” in Western countries. But in the Middle East? It’s obscene. Animals can be risky, too. Cows are sacred in India and dogs are considered unclean in some parts of Asia. And using an animal that doesn’t live in the target geography, like a walrus in Ethiopia, may result in confusion and frustration.

Your brand’s perception can suffer from cultural missteps or gain from cultural sensitivity. So invest time and thought when selecting pictures for your global audiences.

It’s a Small World After All

Bottom line? Thanks in part to global brands, our world is shrinking. So why not protect your brand by ensuring that foreign language content is done right the first time? Even if your company is a startup entering only one foreign country, translation and localization are a worthy investment. By ensuring your content resonates with your audiences and conveys your brand’s tone accurately, you’re protecting your brand experience. Which if you’re Coca-Cola or Toyota, is worth billions of dollars. And even if yours isn’t, localization shows your customers that you take them seriously. So, say what you mean, and mean what you say … in Farsi, Taiwanese, and Swedish.

What vs. How

Julie Vollenweider — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:04:55 +0000

I’m reading Dov Seidman’s book about one simple concept: It’s not what you do that sets you apart, but how you do it.

May I present as an example a recent plotline from one of my favorite TV shows, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia:

What the characters like to do is drink wine.

How they drink it is out of a Diet Coke can.

Similarly, at Brain Traffic, what we do is … Plan for and create content that’s:

Useful

Usable

Purposeful

Profitable

But more importantly, how we do it is with …

Teamwork and a values-driven culture

Incredibly high standards for good work

A clear purpose and laser-focus on content, just the content

These are some of my very favorite things about Brain Traffic. Another favorite thing is that hilarity is actually a company value. Can you tell?

Brain Traffic’s Summer Vacation, Parts I and II

Meghan Casey — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:43:11 +0000

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation, Part I

It’s not a party until something gets broken.

True story: We ate walking tacos, we drank margaritas and Mexican beer with lime. We swung at piñatas.

And, oh, we broke a window.

Kristina took it well:

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation, Part II

It was the day after a tornado tore up part of our fair city. The sky was dark. The rain was falling. We would not be deterred. We would not.

For to see our name in lights at Midway Stadium, to get down with Mudonna and Super Fan, to leave the Nerd speechless was our mission. Watch out, St. Paul Saints. Here comes Brain Traffic.

The highlights:

Before the rain. And beer.

Bear says "What? What?"

Eye Love Baseball. And beer.

Slumhog Millionaire. That’s her real name.

The Nerd with Angie 2.0 before Elizabeth stole his funny.

Kristina finished her book!

Katie Dohman — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:55:25 +0000

Kristina’s book, Content Strategy for the Web, arrived in the Brain Traffic office this week. (Psst: You can buy it here.) Watch the unveiling:

So, what are we going to do now that Kristina published a book? The same thing we do every day, of course: Try to take over the world! Congratulations, Kristina!

Viva la revolucion!

Julie Vollenweider — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:11:40 +0000

Just a quick progress update on our troop of business card people / unicorns …

Call for creative recycling

Julie Vollenweider — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:15:45 +0000

We just scored some sleek new business cards at Brain Traffic. They are totally awesome, or as I like to say, "tawes."

Here’s the thing, though …

We have a ton of old cards. And I simply cannot stomach the idea of throwing them into the recycling bin. So I’m trying to think of creative ways to use them.

I tried making a decorative fan for my desk:

I tried making a collage for my cabinet:

And I tried using one for scratch paper:

As you can see, my ideas are totally lame. Help.

Fast and Furious Foosball

Katie Dohman — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:39:58 +0000

At Brain Traffic, we’re serious about fun. And coordinating outfits. That’s why we couldn’t pass up competing in Popular Front’s Foosfire tournament last month.

Office politics and a couple naysayers couldn’t stop the Brain Traffic team from representin’ – so what if we lost in the first round. So what, we say!

We got it all on video thanks to our good friend Nate Kadlac.

Prepare to laugh. Also cry. And perhaps appear dumbfounded and confused:

Foosfire Fame from Nate Kadlac on Vimeo.

Kristina’s writing a book!

Elizabeth Saloka — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:38:38 +0000

A few months ago Kristina was asked to write a book about content strategy. Shortly thereafter she took off for a writing retreat in lovely Vermont. She must be busy, because no one has heard from her since!

We did manage to get our hands on an excerpt from chapter one:

    All work and no play makes Kristina a dull content strategist
    All work and no play makes Kristina a dull content strategist
    All work and no play makes Kristina a dull content strategist
    All work and no play makes Kristina a dull content strategist

Watch your back, Hemingway!

You can pre-order Kristina’s book now. Can’t wait? You can buy her webinar today.