email us at amarts@artifact3.com

Name: Amin Marts. No worries if you mispronounce the first name, I’ll correct you.

What I’m interested in: Simply, finding solutions for problems, excuse me, challenges.

What I bring to the table: Big picture thinking. Ruthless execution. The ability to distill complex topics into bite-sized and easy to digest contextual stories.

Turn On’s: Smart design. Simple solutions to complex problems. Billboards that make me stop, think, and take a picture to share with you. Jargon. Most of all, flowy singletrack.

Turn Off’s: Jargon. Overly complex solutions that don’t scale. Ambiguous messages. Unintelligible handwriting. Skiers who wear Starter jackets.

My Favorite Tools: iPad, Keynote, Mindmeister, DropBox, old skool whiteboards, OmniFocus, Glenn Beck.

Things I (admit) I read: HBR, Economist, anything Seth Godin writes, WSJ, on occasion the International Herald, when feeling snarky The New Yorker.

January’s Wish: To lose the twang I’ve developed from watching too much CMT during Christmas.

Best way to contact me: Through my twitter or email. I’m easy to find.

Moynihan Lumber gets Learning – Almost

A message to organizations that prominently display their years in business: no one cares. This market is about, “what have you done for me lately”.

Understandably, showcasing years in service is a means of communicating subject matter expertise. Imparting this knowledge is easier said than done. At a baseline, context rules the roost. Context is what drives a visitor’s search for expertise. In short, someone needs to know how to perform a task and you have an opportunity to teach. Teach them successfully and you now have a customer.

Moynihan Lumber, they (almost) get it. Their, “How To” page, with a few topics and supportive instructions is a good start but;

  • How does the audience know which content is helpful and which isn’t?
  • How does ML know which content hits the mark?
  • How does the customer know which content has been updated without going back to visit?

These shortfalls are easily solved with adding an RSS capability, content (star) ranking and a place for visitors to comment on each set of the instructions individually.

Thinking strategically, a good conversation is one that maintains its momentum. Momentum is achieved and maintained through content which is relevant to tasks or situations that address the audience’s pains.

Currently lacking on ML’s, “How To” page is anything that talks to how to maintain a home during a recession. This is an exceptionally relevant topic that can produce fodder for weeks if not months.

Lastly, the current conversations and instructions are one-dimensional. The audience has to read. Sounds easy but most audiences rather watch and listen. If their needles have been moved then they’ll read and print. Making the consumption of content as easy as possible is as important as the content itself.

Posted by on 01.04.2010 at 2:11pm   Tags: , ,
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