Take the first steps by identifying the core of your content model to set the foundation and the heart of your business’s narrative. From there, branch out the core into a network of connections, like a seed grown into a tree. Your content model extends from this core that shapes your content production, representing your business’s goals, values, and offerings.
In the coffee industry, each coffee has a preferred brewing method. In the insurance industry, articles should increase insurance sales. Similarly, content that relates together should be modeled that way too.It’s essential that the content model is approved by all stakeholders. That’s why we recommend involving at least one stakeholder from each department in all steps of this article.Now, let’s get to it!Start by pinpointing the content types that are the center of your content production. Check all content repositories – your websites, apps, and all types of storage for files like PDFs or Microsoft Word documents – and group them based on their purpose.Pick a tool to start visualizing your content model – a whiteboard, software for diagrams (for example, diagrams.net), content model visualizer, a spreadsheet, or a mind-mapping app. Paper is fine too, though frequent redrawing may slow you down.Throughout this tutorial, we’ll refer to Safelife, a fictional insurance project. Picture customer testimonials that live on the website and as PDFs in a shared drive. Treat both formats as one content type and illustrate that content type as a rectangle, labeled
Testimonial
.
Work through the rest of your content the same way, with relevant, clear labels for each piece of useful content that has a purpose. Every useful information, whether public-facing (for example, Blog post), or internal (Global brand identity), gets its rectangle with a clear label.
Once you note your core content types, it’s time to extend each content type with elements to build structure. Look for elements that somehow define the content type and what the content type consists of. Add those elements to the content type’s rectangle.
Going back to the testimonial example from the previous step, such a content type may have elements like a Tagline, Quote, Author, and Author’s headshot. Or, similar to blog posts, they often consist of a Title, Lead paragraph, Content, and an Author. But there can also be other elements in the structure, such as related blog posts or CTAs.
In this part, try to focus on the actual content. You don’t need to include metadata, which will be described in the next chapters. Do not include elements used for formatting purposes, such as color, font, or layout type.
If you’re already familiar with the different elements used in Kontent.ai, also consider the element’s type. You can also check out other terminologies to aid you in perfecting your core content model.
Consider whether the content accuratelyreflects its essence, rather than focusing solely on its presentation.For example, a content type called Page focuses on the fact that the content in it is going to be represented as web pages. However, if you introduce a mobile app, that will no longer be true and your content model will become obsolete. Instead, use a content type called Article to ensure that you think about the content from the point of view of its meaning.On the other hand, some parts of the content model will always relate to their appearance. A content type called Landing page will usually end up being landing pages, no matter what medium you’ll be using. In that case, calling them a “page” is not a problem.
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This is not the beginning of the content modeling journeyIf you just got here and are unsure what content modeling is or why you should invest your time into it, we recommend reading our introduction to content modeling first.
Figuring out what your core content types can be?If you’re wondering what your organization’s core content types can be, you can check out some of the ready-to-import bundles of content types and elements in our content modeling accelerators to kickstart.
Additional support during content modelingTo maximize the results of modeling your core content types, we recommend organizing a core model workshop.You can also use our Customer Success Services, in which our Solution Consultants guide you through this process.
Boris Pocatko, Tomas Nosek
8 minutes
