EVERY PROBLEM IS NOT A NAIL

Choosing the Right Media for Your Content

KEN CIRCEO — Sr. Content Publisher, Microsoft

Ken Circeo is a Sr. Content Publisher at Microsoft, specializing in new media for communications software. As an 11-year Microsoft veteran, Ken has

helped to usher in the era of new media for

the software giant, first evangelizing the

merits of audio and video content, and then

creating processes thathave come to be adopted throughout the company. Prior to joining

Microsoft, Ken was a technical writer at WordPerfect, Novell, and

NetDocuments. He has also written more than 200 articles for

various publications, including InfoWorld, PC Mech, and News

3X/400.

MEDIA TYPES – THEN

Physical book Easy to produce

Understandable process

Highest COG in the box

MEDIA TYPES – NOW

Physical book

Video file

Podcast

Audio file

Slide show

Text file

Help article

KB article

Blog article

WHY VIDEO?

Technology has caught up with the demand

Demand for video continues to grow in the social community

Can often say more in less time

Appeals to multiple learning types Visual – seeing

Aural – hearing

Kinesthetic – doing

Discoverability

Moves CustSat scores

The viral factor

PROS AND CONS

PROS Cost has plummeted, esp. in the new video stratum

Video as a medium is not just accepted, it’s EXPECTED

Technology is following the demand for more and better video content

Messages get delivered more effectively

CONS Demand for speed means quality suffers, bar gets lowered

Difficult to detect trusted information; message can get diluted

3 KEY QUESTIONS

What problem am I trying to solve?Who is my audience?What is my budget?

WHAT PROBLEM AM I TRYING TO SOLVE?

People don’t know about my product.

This issue generates too many support calls.

Customers are asking about the new version.

This important feature isn’t easily discoverable.

This feature is easier to show than to explain.

It’s costing too much to put live trainers on site.

Customers are missing our Help content.

Our content is not meeting accessibility requirements.

3rd party videos are muddying our message.

CAN YOU STATE IT IN

A “HOW” QUESTION?

How can evangelize it?How do I reduce

them?How do I show them?

How can I expose it?

How…?

How…?

How…?

How…?

How…?

WHO IS MY AUDIENCE?

Consumers

Internal employees and partners

Business decision makers

Engineers

Sales and marketing

Creative thinkers

Program managers

Product visionaries

Writers and editors

Home-based

Office-based

Younger demographic

Older demographic

Academic

International

Domestic

Legacy users

New users

DOES THIS VIDEO FIT

THEIR WORKFLOW?

WHAT IS MY BUDGET?

Video might be more affordable than ever, but it’s still not as cheap as: Tweet

Blog post

Facebook post

LinkedIn post

Help article

KB article

Slide show

Budget directors love low numbers, but only if theysolve problems

ARE YOU FORCING

THE VIDEO WHERE IT DOESN’T BELONG?

RULES OF THUMB

VIDEO IS (typically) IDEAL FOR Quick tips, pointers

UI tours

Business scenarios

Architectural content

Conceptual processes

Upgrade paths

BDMs

Visual learners

Aural learners

Younger demographics

BUT NOT (typically) IDEAL FOR Reference/definitions

Coding demos

Lengthy procedures

Immediate content

Content that has to be printed

Engineering audiences

Older demographics

EXAMPLES

Lync 2010 Mobile Clients (1:35) – live actionhttp://youtu.be/FY0acvmsVAY

Make a Call using Lync 2010 (6:31) – screen animationhttp://youtu.be/GKv8gGb30oI

Join a Lync Meeting with iPad (0:33) – screen animationhttp://youtu.be/G_d302HfhSw

VIDEO STATS (AUG 2012)

DISCUSSION