Earlier than Anna and I began contentki, we went to a restaurant, pulled out a notepad, and started brainstorming all of the providers we might provide given our abilities and expertise.
We got here up with content material writing, website positioning optimization, and content material technique. From there we dived even deeper into every class including website positioning weblog writing, thought management, touchdown web page copy, and social media to our checklist.
I’m glad we took the time to interrupt this down early on, because it gave us a transparent sense of who we have been proper from the beginning, moderately than determining our providers on the go.
The tough sketch in our pocket book was what’s professionally generally known as a idea map. It’s a software you should utilize not solely when beginning a enterprise but additionally to ideate and completely analysis new ideas earlier than bringing them to market.
Desk of Contents
What’s an idea map?
An idea map is a visible illustration, typically within the type of a diagram, that exhibits the connection between numerous concepts or ideas. It’s a terrific software for structuring and organizing information. It sometimes consists of two parts:
- Nodes. These characterize ideas and are available within the form of circles, ovals, or containers.
- Arrows. These join concepts. They may embody a connecting phrase or verb to clarify the connection between ideas, for instance, “results in” or “is a part of.”
An idea map helps break advanced matters/concepts into extra digestible parts.
Kinds of Idea Maps
Earlier than I talk about the varieties of idea maps, here’s a checklist of the best mind-mapping software you’ll be able to try that can assist you create your individual idea map.
Spider Maps
I’m certain it gained’t shock you to listen to that these idea maps resemble a spider internet. The primary idea is within the center, with associated subtopics branching outward. This construction helps you to discover a number of elements of the central concept.
Find out how to create it:
- Put your foremost concept in the course of the diagram.
- Draw strains popping out from the middle to characterize a key subtopic linked to the primary concept.
- Add sub-branches from every subtopic to dive even deeper into the subject.
- Use labels or brief phrases to higher present the connection between ideas.
When to make use of it: Use it to research a broad subject intimately.
Flowcharts
A flowchart represents a linear or sequential course of or workflow. It makes use of symbols and arrows to indicate how info flows, typically together with choices or actions.
Find out how to create it:
- Outline the method or process you need to illustrate.
- Draw arrows to indicate the move of steps. Use containers or different shapes to characterize every step or motion.
- Use a diamond form for choice factors, and reveal totally different branches based mostly on sure/no or another standards of your alternative.
- Proceed till you conclude.
When to make use of it: I discover flowcharts are nice for explaining processes, just like the onboarding of latest workers.
System Maps
As a substitute of specializing in the primary concept, system maps spotlight the relationships and interactions between totally different ideas. They lack a hierarchical construction and emphasize how numerous elements work collectively.
Find out how to create it:
- Outline the important thing system parts.
- Organize them based mostly on how they’re interrelated as an alternative of in a hierarchical order.
- Draw strains between parts to indicate how they’re linked. I feel it’s useful so as to add phrases like “influences” and “relies on” to higher clarify the kind of relationship.
- Increase every a part of the system by recognizing suggestions loops, inputs, and outputs.
When to make use of it: Use system maps to know and analyze advanced programs, reminiscent of provide chains or organizational networks.
Hierarchy Maps
A hierarchy map illustrates how parts are interconnected in a hierarchical construction, exhibiting their relative standing. Which means that concepts have the next standing whereas others, a decrease standing. The primary idea or the very best rating aspect is on the high, whereas the lower-ranking ones are positioned beneath it.
Find out how to create it:
- Put the primary idea or the highest-ranking one on the high of the map.
- Outline the most important subtopics that fall underneath the primary concept and place them immediately under. Join them by strains.
- Department downward to indicate lower-ranking ideas whereas holding a transparent hierarchical construction.
When to make use of it: I feel it’s helpful for exhibiting info with a number of authority ranges or significance, for instance, authorities buildings or Maslow’s Hierarchy of Wants.
Find out how to Create a Idea Map
Earlier than you begin working in your idea map, I counsel downloading HubSpot’s concept map template — it would make the method a complete lot simpler.
1. Outline your foremost subject.
Start by selecting the primary concept or subject that you just need to analyze. It ought to be broad sufficient to permit a number of subtopics to department out.
Put the first idea both on the high or center of your map, relying on the kind of map you’re utilizing. It would act as the inspiration from which all of your different concepts shall be developed.
2. Establish important ideas.
When you’ve discovered the primary concept, begin brainstorming extra matters you’d wish to discover. Consider as many as you’ll be able to, however as an alternative of putting them immediately on the map, checklist them first — this is called the “car parking zone” methodology.
After your checklist is prepared, set up the ideas from essentially the most common or broad to essentially the most particular. I feel it’s finest to create a hierarchy with a very powerful/broad concepts on the high and the extra detailed ones beneath them.
3. Transfer ideas from the car parking zone to the map.
Now, you’ll be able to transfer your ideas from the car parking zone to the map.
Put the primary concept within the heart or on the high, with associated subtopics branching out from it. Every extra subject ought to be linked to a particular class, ultimately forming a hierarchy.
Whereas arranging the ideas, I counsel utilizing linking phrases to make clear the connection between concepts. This can improve the understanding of how every idea connects to the others.
4. Confirm accuracy and coherence.
The extra connecting concepts you could have, the larger the prospect of constructing a mistake. So, it’s finest to evaluate every connection to make sure it hyperlinks to the right idea.
Use cross-links to search out concepts situated in a special a part of your map. This strategy could allow you to join them to extra ideas, making a extra complete and interconnected construction that reveals much more insights.
5. Increase and revise.
Your idea map isn’t set in stone. As new concepts emerge, you’ll be able to preserve including them to the map to create new connections.
I recognize that the map is versatile, letting you rearrange, take away, or add new sections as you acquire a deeper understanding of the subject.
The method doesn’t finish with the primary model; I counsel you commonly verify in case your map is full and related. Make revisions when mandatory.
Creating My Personal Idea Map
Let’s get all the way down to apply. I’ll now create an idea map for my very own freelance enterprise.
Step 1: Establish my major subject.
Since I’m a contract content material marketer, one of many areas that I take care of is website positioning optimization, which shall be my major subject.
Step 2: Establish important ideas.
I’ll break it down into a number of subcategories: on-page website positioning, technical website positioning, and use of website positioning instruments. For the sake of this instance, I’ll solely point out three, however be at liberty to provide you with as many as doable, like off-page website positioning and native website positioning.
Write all of them down.
Step 3: Transfer ideas to the map.
As soon as I’ve listed the primary ideas, it’s time for me to zero in on every of them and checklist related subcategories. For instance, on-page website positioning may be damaged down into substeps like “key phrases” and “content material optimization.”
If I wished to go even deeper, I might add “key phrase analysis,” “long-tail key phrases,” and different smaller ideas underneath the “key phrases” subtopic.
I’ve achieved this with all three foremost matters and wrote two subcategories for every, together with concepts for additional branching.
Discover how the map helps us perceive that website positioning is a multifaceted idea and that — whereas it’s most frequently an space dealt with by advertising and marketing — it overlaps with areas like technical web site/app efficiency.
Step 4: Double-check for accuracy and coherence.
On this step, I evaluate if I’ve assigned every concept to the right class.
For instance, I ensured that “consumer intent” is positioned underneath “content material optimization” moderately than “web site velocity.” Keep in mind that some ideas like “key phrase analysis” would possibly slot in multiple class.
Step 5: Increase and revise.
I’ll deal with this idea map as my first model. The extra time I spend brainstorming concepts, the extra subcategories I can add.
I might develop my map to incorporate “URL construction,” “inside linking,” “indexing,” and “safety” — all of which relate to website positioning optimization.
Additionally, as talked about earlier, it’s vital to establish relationships between totally different classes. For instance, I might create a hyperlink between “website positioning instruments” and “key phrases,” as the info from the website positioning instruments I exploit will affect my key phrase choice and inform my general website positioning technique.
For those who’re a content material marketer like I’m, here’s a content mapping template that can assist you set up your work.
One of the simplest ways to create an idea map is to make use of a ready-made template.
I like brainstorming, however typically I generate so many concepts that I get misplaced, and inside 5 minutes, I’ve forgotten half of what I got here up with.
An idea map is a good software for organizing your ideas and concepts. It helps with exploring a particular subject intimately, making certain a deep understanding. You can begin small, and develop in your map as you generate extra concepts.
