Leading the Design Charge in Content Marketing: A #CMWorld Twitter Chat with Joseph Kalinowski

A picture is worth a thousand words. No one knows this better than CMI Creative Director JK Kalinowski. If you follow CMI on social media, read our blog, watch our webinars, or attend Content Marketing World, you’ve seen his incredible work.

In a sea of constantly growing content, design matters. So how can we add an element of storytelling to our content marketing efforts? We went straight to JK and the CMWorld community for advice. Below is a recap of our discussion on the weekly #CMWorld chat. Look to our Twitter Moment for more tweets.

Most content marketing is driven by words. How can we make our content marketing design-led?

A2: By making the design one of the pillars of your content. Get your creative team involved from the jump. Design should be discussed and explored as the content is being created… Creative should never be an afterthought. #CMWorld

— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) November 5, 2019

A2: My favorite content marketing projects that were design-led started with a meeting to talk about story ideas, mutually agree upon a theme, and then deciding upon the form the content would take. #CMworld https://t.co/NRxSJ18qYs

— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) November 5, 2019

A2: Design catches eyes in ways that writing just can’t do. Videos, animations, and infographics are great ways to create visual and engaging content. #CMWorld

— Brandpoint (@brandpointco) November 5, 2019

A2. When possible, work with designers and other creatives. And pay them. #CMworld

— Twenty Two Kittens (@All22Kittens) November 5, 2019

How can design help amplify or clarify the action you’d like your customers and prospects to take?

A6: Good design can get the viewers eyes to move throughout the piece with ease, stopping at points of importance along the way. Refer to this post @BuddyScalera and I did a while back about the ‘JAWS’ movie poster. https://t.co/LS1qEzoUI7#CMWorld

— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) November 5, 2019

A6 Any CTA that is visually impactful enhances the click rate as well your brand recall value. A good design strategy is a means to an end- the end being an enhanced customer experience here #CMWorld

— VishnuPriya Mishra (@vpmishra01) November 5, 2019

A6: Few ideas: Help them understand what to do next by illustrating the action you want them to take, build on the emotion by showing someone who did what you want them to do, let the design and format make the CTA clearly stand out, etc. #CMWorld https://t.co/IRYYO7fc3P

— Jeremy Bednarski (@JeremyBednarski) November 5, 2019

A6 If it can provoke an emotional response (when coupled with the right content), it’s a win. Because it will be a more solid connection and remembered. #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/Yaakr7bEcd

— Kylo Ben. Yep, totally nerdy play on my name. (@bhrome) November 5, 2019

A6. Going back to my response a few questions ago, the design is the blueprint so make sure that you design it in a way that is honest, straight to the point and highlights your business and what you can actually offer. #CMWorld

— SL Thomas (@iamslthomas) November 5, 2019

How are you incorporating compelling design in your content marketing efforts? Show us. Link to your examples below.

Talk to JK how great creative design can impact martech strategy when you attend ContentTECH Summit. Registration is now open. Book your pass now for the best possible prices – enjoy up to $600 off onsite rates!