From Building to Launching and Every Step in Between

Let’s start by celebrating that you just got to the second-to-last module of the Ion Beginner Certification. Congratulations on making it this far!

We are sure you have already learned a lot about the platform and might be eager to learn even more — especially how to build interactive experiences.

And that’s what we are about to do: we will dig deeper into the content production process. Starting right here, going over every step between the building and the launching of an experience.

Let’s get to it! 

Proudly made with

Content Definitions

Now, the first thing when it comes to content creation is defining important aspects of the experience you’re about to create.

Remember to go over:
Goal
Why are you creating this experience?
Persona
Who are you creating this experience for?
Buyer’s Journey
For what stage of the buyer’s
journey is the content intended?
Type of Content
What exactly are you planning to create?

Copywriting

Next, it’s time to write down the content!

You can do this after the design stage if you’d like. Just keep in mind that writing the content before will allow you to plan your design accordingly.

Just remember to follow best practices. Mostly, make sure your copy is:
Clear
Concise
Helpful
Inclusive
Simple

Design

Another important part of the content creation process is the design stage.
 
This stage has its own timeline. Before you begin building the content inside the platform, for example, we recommend you try making a simple sketch to ideate it.

Ultimately, these are the steps you should consider:
1st Step

Go over content definitions 
(you can also check the copy in case it was done before the design stage)

2nd Step

Draw a sketch or build a simple wireframe

3rd Step

Go over available Quick Starts and find the closest to what you’ll need ​ 
(you can also copy another Creative if you’ve done one similar to what you’re about to build)

4th Step

Start a new Creative to build your experience in Ion

Brand Spaces are add-ons that allow you to organize branded domains. They add a new layer to your folder hierarchy. 

Domains are your address on the internet. Instead of using the default subdomain created by Rock Content for your Ion console, you can create branded domains and subdomains.

Portfolios are the main folder we have when it comes to content hierarchy. Before you can build any content in Ion, you must first create a Portfolio.

Campaigns are sub-folders that live within a Portfolio. Before you can build any content in Ion, you must first create a Campaign within any existing Portfolio.

Creative is just another name for an interactive experience. This means that when you start a new Creative within a Campaign, you’re building interactive content.

URLs are the actual address that allows us to locate things on the internet. You can create one or more URLs for each Creative, and when doing so, choose between your current branded domains and/or subdomains.

Final Settings

Then, before you hand the experience over to QA, double-check the final settings.

They could be a set of rules, tags, conversion point, actions or behaviors, form fields, data fields, data values, or SEO meta tags, among others.

Just make sure you test your content with a designer's perspective to see if it is:
Responsive
Functional
Appealing
Engaging
Easy to use

Quality Assurance

Next, your content needs to be tested and revised. 

In case you’re the one responsible for the quality assurance of interactive experiences, remember to do a full test and look for:
Responsiveness issues
Errors in form
values or rules
Navigation
problems
Elements that aren't properly tagged
Errors throughout the text
That might seem like a lot, but you can always ask your team to help you out. Having different people test your content is the best way to ensure no problem goes unnoticed.

Now, when it comes to tools, for a better QA process we recommend using:
Preview tool
Double-check all topics above using Preview. Make sure you also go over the Collected Data.
Testing URL
Create a testing URL to check for data issues and test accessing the content from different devices.
Adjustments document
Create a shared document with your team so they can write down suggestions. Make sure you list these adjustments for the designer and/or copywriter.

Launch

After you make all the adjustments needed, it’s time to launch your experience!

Yep. Now’s the time to share the amazing interactive content you created with the rest of the world — more specifically, with your audience.

For a successful launch, always remember to:

1. Change your content status to Engaged


2. Create new URLs based on traffic source


3. Set up the correct category and subcategory for data analysis


4. Run an A/B test with two versions of that content if needed

1. Change your content status to Engaged


2. Create new URLs based on traffic source


3. Set up the correct category and subcategory for data analysis


4. Run an A/B test with two versions of that content if needed

1. Change your content status to Engaged

2. Create new URLs based on traffic source


3. Set up the correct category and subcategory for data analysis


4. Run an A/B test with two versions of that content if needed

1. Change your content status to Engaged

2. Create new URLs based on traffic source


3. Set up the correct category and subcategory for data analysis 


4. Run an A/B test with two versions of that content if needed

1. Change your content status to Engaged


2. Create new URLs based on traffic source


3. Set up the correct category and subcategory for data analysis


4. Run an A/B test with two versions of that content if needed

Brand Spaces are add-ons that allow you to organize branded domains. They add a new layer to your folder hierarchy. 

Domains are your address on the internet. Instead of using the default subdomain created by Rock Content for your Ion console, you can create branded domains and subdomains.

Portfolios are the main folder we have when it comes to content hierarchy. Before you can build any content in Ion, you must first create a Portfolio.

Campaigns are sub-folders that live within a Portfolio. Before you can build any content in Ion, you must first create a Campaign within any existing Portfolio.

Creative is just another name for an interactive experience. This means that when you start a new Creative within a Campaign, you’re building interactive content.

URLs are the actual address that allows us to locate things on the internet. You can create one or more URLs for each Creative, and when doing so, choose between your current branded domains and/or subdomains.

Pretty simple, right? 

I know it might seem like a lot of steps at first, but as we covered in previous modules, you can have different people on your team responsible for each step.

You’ll also learn more about all of them throughout these and the next certifications.

But right now, it’s time to start building your very first experience in Ion.
 
Best of luck!
🖤