Chicago Northside WordPress Meetup Presentation June 2015

C2 CREATIVE CONSULTING, LTD. // WWW.C2-CC.COM
CHICAGO WORDPRESS MEETUP :: 06/03/15

Chicago Northside WordPress Meetup :: June 2015
© 2015 C2 Creative Consulting, Ltd.
2
Show of hands...
- How many people here are
WordPress developers?
- How many people here take on the
content/marketing role?
- How many people here are designers?
- How many people here use WP for
their business but aren’t the primary
developer, designer or content creator?

3
A brief, brief on my experience
- Background: Design and Creative Direction
- First Commercial Website:
Associates National Bank (now Citi) in 1997

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We’ve come a
long way from
the 90’s.

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A brief, brief on my experience
- My background is in design and creative direction
- Designed my first commercial website for The Associates
National Bank (now Citi) in 1997
- Worked at a variety of traditional agencies including
JWT, FCB, and GSW
- Have been working in WordPress since 2011 with a variety
of teams including Helio Interactive
- Currently have a boutique creative agency called C2 and we
work on everything from startups to established B2B brands

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Our Objective Tonight

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Illustrate why CONTENT FIRST is the
best approach when working with
a ready made theme.

10
What happened to the art of planning and content development?
Websites
are expensive
and complex.
Websites cost next
to nothing and are
easy to produce.
- Now that we can start with a
functioning ready-made theme,
the website workflow process
has been inverted. Quite often
we skip the planning stages.
- Now we can build a house
before we know where the walls,
carpeting and furniture goes.
Back in the “old days” we couldn’t
create a website at an agency
without having clear objectives,
existing content and assets.
WordPress Launched
May 27, 2003
The first iPhone Launched
June 29, 2007
Envato/
Themeforest
Launched
WIX
Founded
2000 2016200720062003
C L I E N T E X P E C T A T I O N S

11
Illustrate why CONTENT FIRST is the
best approach when working with
a ready made theme.

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You
have a
choice

13
You
have a
choice
“I love this ready-made theme.
I’ll make it work for my business.”

14
You
have a
choice
I need a process in place
so I can strategically select a
ready-made theme that supports
the needs of my business.

15

Problems with going
theme first:
Putting format before
thinking through the
purpose of your website.

Problems with going
theme first:
Your customers need to understand
the story of your business.
Don’t sacrifice that story by
retrofitting it into a
ready-made theme.

Problems with going
theme first:
Think about your customer
experience first: Will the theme
format seem appropriate for
your business category?

Problems with going
theme first:
We get distracted.

Problems with going
theme first:
What are you really buying?

Problems with going
theme first
What are you really buying?
Cutting out the design phase
doesn’t save you time in the
strategy or content creation phase.

33
If you’re buying a
theme based on
“feel,” that is
often a result of
the photography.

34
If you’re buying a
theme based on
“feel,” that is
often a result of
the photography.

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Great
color
designEmotional
and
interesting
subject

37
A lot
of color
correction
in these
stock
images

38

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40

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42

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45
Will your photos go full screen?

46

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Does the mood of the theme change
if you use color or BW photos?

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Do you have high quality portraits?

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Do the icon styles make sense
with your logo and content?

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*

53
Does your logo work in one color?
*

What usually
happens when you
go down this path?

What usually
happens when you
go down this path?
The Six Stages of
Theme-First Execution

Infatuation
OMG, I just purchased the
perfect theme and I can’t
wait to see how my business
looks in this format!

Infatuation
Anger
Bargaining
When frustration gives way to
anger, you may lash out and lay
unwarranted blame for the
purchasing this theme on someone
else. Please try to control this,
as permanent damage to your
relationships may result. This is
a time for the release of bottled
up emotion.
Shock Denial
You realize that your imagery and
copy doesn’t fit this theme with
numbed disbelief. You may deny the
reality of the imagery at some level,
in order to avoid the pain. Shock
provides emotional protection from
being overwhelmed all at once. This
may last for weeks.
Depression,
Reflection
Loneliness
Just when your friends think
you should be getting on
with your life, a long
period of sad reflection
will likely overtake you.
Pain Guilt
Shock is replaced with the suffering.
Although excruciating and almost
unbearable, it is important that you
experience the pain fully. Do not avoid it
or try to escape from it through drugs,
alcohol, or internet shopping.
You may feel guilt or remorse over things
you did or didn’t do to prepare yourself for
this theme. Life feels chaotic and scary
during this phase.

Infatuation
Anger
Bargaining
Frustration gives way to anger,
and you may lash out and lay
unwarranted blame for the
purchasing this theme on someone
else. Please try to control this,
as permanent damage to your
relationships may result. This is
a time for the release of bottled
up emotion.
Shock Denial
You will probably react to realizing
that your imagery and copy doesn’t
fit this theme with numbed disbelief.
You may deny the reality of the
imagery at some level, in order to
avoid the pain. Shock provides
emotional protection from being
overwhelmed all at once. This may
last for weeks.
Depression,
Reflection
Loneliness
Just when your friends may
think you should be getting
on with your life, a long
period of sad reflection
will likely overtake you.
Pain Guilt
As the shock wears off, it is replaced
with the suffering of unbelievable pain.
Although excruciating and almost
unbearable, it is important that you
experience the pain fully, and not hide
it, avoid it or escape from it with alcohol
or drugs.
You may have guilty feelings or remorse
over things you did or didn’t do to prepare
yourself for this theme. Life feels chaotic
and scary during this phase.
Surrender
You call a developer,
designer or copywriter
for help.

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Content
First

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Start in
analog and plan
with a pencil

Define
Objective
Map
Content
Identify a
Structure
Select a
Theme
Key steps

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Key steps
Define
Objective
Map
Content
Identify a
Structure
Select a
Theme

Key questions to answer:
What is the purpose of the website?

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Key questions to answer
What does my customer want
from this website?
Make it simple for them
to get what they need.
:

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What kind of copy content do
I already have? What else do I need?
Create a copy outline of key messages,
core details and calls to action for
each section or page. Identify any
gaps to tell your complete story.
You don’t need to get every word
perfect before you go to development.
:

What kind of visual assets do
I already have? What else do I need?
Create a spreadsheet with a column
of existing assets and another with
outstanding needs.
:

What type of ready-made theme would
best support my existing brand or business?
Good news! There are more
and more niche categories,
so finding the right theme
is getting easier.
:

80
Define
Objective
Map
Content
Identify a
Structure
Select a
Theme
Key steps
4 44 4

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ANOTHER
APPROACH
TO PLANNING
CONTENT

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RED FLAG
APPROACH

If anyone ever says:
“I NEED A NEW WEBSITE”
stop and clarify what this means.

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YES
NO
Have client
provide in writing
YES
NO Have client provide
You can strategically select a theme based on the clients objectives
YES
NO
Have client
provide in writing
YES
NO
Client needs to
identify baseline
visual/verbal
approach
Do we need a photo shoot?
Do we need video?
Does copy need to be
generated or editied?
Does a strategy session need to happen
before development so resources aren’t
used inefficiently?
Should a designer
be involved?
Should a writer, UX or
SEO person be involved?
Should a writer, UX or
SEO person be involved?
YES
NO
Client needs to
content map and asset
requirements based
on site map
YES
NO
Have client
develop the brand
before selecting
a theme
YES
NO
Client should go
through content and
asset refresh
What does the client need besides a website? Content ﬁrst path.
Assumes the client has been in the service business for 10+ years and has an existing website that’s dated (5+ years).
Are the website objectives clear?
- Target customer(s) identified?
- Goals(s) of the website are defined?
- Is there a site map and/or user flow?
- Are technical requirements defined?
- How is success being measured post
launch?
Are the business or marketing
objectives clear?
- How does the website fit
into the larger context of
their business?
Is there an existing client site
or other marketing materials
that content and visual assets
are being pulled from?
Is there a
basic brand
established?
Logo, color and
type standards?
Is there a marketing
campaign or theme that
will drive the content?
Is the content/assets
current with the
business/brand or
customer needs?
Is there an approved copy
document along with
production ready visual
assets that can be provided?

No ready-made
theme is perfect
Setting expectations
Most themes will get
you to about 80% of what
you actually want.

No ready-made
theme is perfect
Setting expectations
Keep in mind you are
trading the design process
for speed and cost.

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Closing the gap
YOU ARE
HERE

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Closing the gap
YOU ARE
HERE
VALUABLE
WEBSITE

Take aways...
It’s great to begin with the end in mind
but START WITH strategy and content first.
You can cut corners on design by selecting
a theme but cutting corners on strategy
and content development IS HARD.

Take aways...
Put your customer/audience first when
selecting a ready-made theme
Set objectives for each page and organize
your content with basic outlines
Don’t overwrite. Less is more. It’s easier to
add later than try to take copy away.

Take aways...
Think through the assets you’ll need and
what it will take to produce them.
Photography matters more than you might
realize. Really good photography costs.
The more you go through a process the
better you’ll become.

Take aways...
Theme shops we like
• www.woothemes.com
• www.organicthemes.com
• www.themetrust.com

There’s a
difference between
knowing the path
and walking
the path.

How we can help your brand?
THANK YOU
www.C2-CC.com

Chicago Northside WordPress Meetup Presentation June 2015

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Chicago Northside WordPress Meetup Presentation June 2015