Content Modeling: What It Is and How to Get Started

WHAT IS CONTENT MODELING?

The process of defining the structure and relationships between various types of content within a system is known as content modeling. It entails identifying the various content types, their characteristics, and how they interact with one another.

A well-designed content model ensures that content is organized and presented in a way that users can easily navigate and comprehend. It also allows content creators to create, manage, and reuse content across multiple channels and platforms.

Content modeling can be accomplished through the use of a variety of tools and techniques, such as entity-relationship diagrams, user stories, and user journey mapping. Collaboration among stakeholders, including content strategists, designers, and content creators, is required to ensure that the content model meets the needs of all parties involved.

BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS CONTENT?

Anything and everything can be considered content. It is any digital asset or piece of information that you create or use for the benefit of your audience. Text, media assets such as images or video, metadata, user data, and product inventories are all examples of content. At its core, content is meaningful information expressed through a medium for human consumption.

HOW TO STRENGTHEN A CONTENT MODEL?

There are two critical components at the heart of any content model:

Content Types: A content type is similar to a template that you can use to create multiple pieces of content in the same style. A university, for example, may use the content type ‘template’ for course pages, subject areas, and academic bios. The ‘template’ is reused to create multiple pieces of content in the same format.

Content Attributes: Content attributes are the various elements that come together to form the content type ‘template’. For example, your course page content type could include attributes such as course name, description, modules, fees, and so on.

TO GET STARTED WITH CONTENT MODELING, FOLLOW THESE STEPS

Define Project’s Purpose and Scope

The first step in content modeling is to understand the project’s goals and objectives. This includes defining the project’s purpose, intended audience, and project scope. Understanding these factors will allow you to determine what types of content are required and how they should be organized.

For example, if you are developing an e-commerce website, the project’s goal is to sell products online, and the intended audience is consumers. The project’s scope would include the types of products sold, the website’s features, and the channels used to promote the products.

Decide Content Types

The following step is to determine the various types of content that will be used in the project. Articles, images, videos, product descriptions, customer reviews, and other media may be included. By identifying these content types, you can begin to categorize them and understand how they relate to one another.

For an e-commerce website, for example, the content types could include product descriptions, product images, customer reviews, and related products. These content types would be classified as product pages, category pages, and search results pages.

Define Characteristics

It is critical to define the relevant attributes or characteristics for each content type. These attributes help to describe and organize the content, allowing users to navigate and find what they are looking for more easily.

For example, the attributes of a product description could include the product name, price, description, features, and specifications. These characteristics would be used to develop a standardized format for product descriptions, ensuring consistency across the website.

Establish Relationships

After you’ve identified the various content types and their attributes, the next step is to figure out how they relate to one another. Understanding the relationships between different content types and how they fit together to create a unified user experience is required.

The relationship between products and related products, for example, is critical for an e-commerce website. You can provide users with suggestions for similar products they may be interested in purchasing by identifying related products.

Make Use of Content Modeling Tools

Entity-relationship diagrams, user stories, and user journey mapping are some of the tools that can be used for content modeling. These tools aid in the visualization of the content model, making it easier to understand and organize.

An entity-relationship diagram, for example, can be used to map out the relationships between various content types and their attributes. A user journey map can help you understand how users will interact with your content and how it will fit into the overall user experience. 

Iterate and Improve

Content modeling is an iterative process, and it is critical to keep refining the content model based on stakeholder feedback and testing. You can identify areas for improvement and make necessary changes by testing the content model with users.

ARE YOU READY TO CREATE YOUR CONTENT MODEL?

If I’ve convinced you of the value of content modeling, it’s time to create your own. We’ve created an extremely simple email content model template to assist you in getting started. It tells you everything you need to know about your email content items.

Once you’ve completed your spreadsheet, it’s time to work on the structure with us. Canary Mail’s Components feature makes it easier to create accurate email content models. This feature assists you in establishing consistency and scaling your email content decisions throughout your content workflow.

CONCLUSION

You’ve learned what content modeling is and how to create a flexible content model using an atomic content structure and a composable approach in this guide. You’ve also seen how Canary Mail can support flexible email content models, allowing you to serve email content to any front-end presentation layer.

Canary Mail focuses on enhancing email productivity through its AI capabilities which simplifies content modeling, which assists you in the definition, structure, and creation of content models and APIs. You can easily define and reuse the standard components you need to serve your customers through multiple content channels thanks to its atomic content structure.