You spent hours sweating over a blog post to make it as appealing and complete as possible. You spent weeks of intensive preparation to produce an eye-catching video. You finally have your content in shape and publish the end result. You promote it with a few tweets and updates on Facebook and LinkedIn. And then? Don’t just cross your fingers and hope for the best. Turn to mapping to ensure your content reaches your target audience and makes the biggest impact possible.
Plotting your content map enables you to think ahead about the possible extras that could result in additional content without spending too much time.
Plotting your content map enables you to think ahead about the possible extras that could result in additional content without spending too much time.
Decipher “content
mapping”
Content marketers
more frequently use the term “content mapping” to refer to the
concept of mapping content creation to the needs of your users or the
goals of your organization. In this case, though, I use the term to
talk about mapping content to other content, which is done for
content curation purposes.
Content mapping for
curation purposes is a logical derivative of the phenomenon of mind
mapping — a diagram is drawn to visually organize information,
frequently around a single concept represented as a circle in the
center of the map.
An experienced
content mapper can easily chop the topic into separate thoughts or
ideas. But less-experienced content mappers can brainstorm, using the
map as a physical manifestation — drawing a tree, for example, and
jotting down in the branches all the different subjects that come to
mind.
Map your content in
5 steps
Follow the
mind-mapping process with these steps, and see how to do it with the
topic of content mapping in each how-to example.
1. Select your
topic.
What subject do you want to gain people’s attention? You
don’t need to start from scratch. Have you posted an interesting
article on your blog recently? Does your magazine contain an article
about which you would like to focus more attention? The subject also
could come from a new content vehicle — a publication, a film,
etc.
Specify the source
of the topic’s content. Where does it link to your messages? Will
you link to the main topic’s primary content on a page on your
website? What about as a video on YouTube? This content’s home
becomes the source file to which you will link in as many posts as
you can. But always remember the golden rule: It has to be relevant.
2. Divide into five
subtopics.
Think about how relevant your subtopics are, but bear in
mind that these subtopic posts may not be in a ready-to-share
format.
- Definition of content mapping
- Content mapping in practice
- Explanation of content mapping benefits
- Useful tools for content mapping
- Don’t forget
3. Create four
perspectives for each subtopic.
Think, too, about
the way to convey each perspective’s message. Will it work best as
an interesting headline or a quote, or should it be an infographic or
a photo collage? Or how about a snappy quote on video? In this step,
you create 20 linking messages for the primary topic to draw in your
audience. You also can use these later to create additional updates
or content.
4. Specify the
content types and channels.
Of course, you won’t be able to create
all your perspectives for the same channel. Think about how you want
to distribute your messages. Take into account the specific
characteristics of the network or medium you choose. For example,
don’t place too much text on Facebook. And while your tone of voice
on Facebook will often be informal, LinkedIn users expect a more
formal language.
How-to Steps 3 and
4:
Definition of
content mapping
- Post the title and a link to the complete article on Twitter.
- Post the title, a few sentences of summary, and a link to the complete article on LinkedIn. (Instagram wouldn’t be a logical choice here because it’s a visually oriented distribution vehicle.)
- Write a 400-word summary and post to the company’s website.
- Record a short explanatory film such as, “Content Mapping Explained in 60 Seconds,” and publish video to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
Content mapping
in practice
- Write a clear and simple list of five steps for creating a content map and publish that text on LinkedIn.
- Create an infographic on five steps for creating a content map and publish it via Facebook and Pinterest.
- Use a quote from a client (Judith) and her content tree, now tagged as “Judith’s tree.” Include a photo of Judith, a quote, and the logo for her company to share on Facebook and Twitter.
- Develop an example map — an illustration of the content tree included in the original article — and publish it on Pinterest.
Explanation of
content mapping benefits
- Write three reasons for content mapping to be used as a short text update for LinkedIn and include the link to the original article.
- Create an infographic that compares the reach achieved without using content mapping to the reach achieved with content mapping and post to Facebook.
- Design a cartoon that illustrates the role of timing and platforms in content mapping (for example, a cartoon on how your Twitter followers likely won’t see your tweet because they aren’t looking all day long). Publish the cartoon on Twitter, Facebook, and maybe Pinterest.
- Publish a number of case studies showing the value of content mapping on the website.
Useful tools for
content mapping
- Write an overview on the top five tools for monitoring when your followers are online. Publish as an update on LinkedIn and a link to the update on Twitter.
- Create a table mat with 25 pre-printed content trees and include a link to the original article and a link to an online print store so viewers can order copies.
- Identify the top 5 apps to create visual content. For most updates you will need visual content. Share a list of apps to create films or images very easily.
- Share how to secure a blank content-mapping tree. Give users the option to print through an online store or download a PDF.
Don’t forget…
- Develop the do’s and don’ts of content mapping, such as “stay on topic” and “don’t repeat yourself.” Create a graphic representation that can be posted on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Draft a text update with four practical tips for dividing your content into chunks.
- Create a trailer — a short promotional video to promote the article.
- Make an audio clip where the article is read out loud and publish on your website and via a link on the original content site.
5. Schedule your
posts over a longer period.
Now that you’re ready to schedule your
posts, decide on what period you want to focus attention on your
topic and schedule updates accordingly. Vary the times of day at
which you post. This way you’ll get the most viewers (unless your
aim is a small audience and you’ve decided you want to repeat your
message).
