Forward of Anna and I started contentki, we went to a cafe, pulled out a notepad, and began brainstorming all the services we could offer given our abilities and experience.

We were given right here up with content material subject matter writing, search engine marketing optimization, and content material subject matter methodology. From there we dived even deeper into every magnificence together with search engine marketing blog writing, idea control, landing internet web page replica, and social media to our list.

I’m satisfied we took the time to break this down early on, as it gave us a clear sense of who we have been correct from the start, slightly than working out our services on the transfer.

The harsh cool animated film in our pocket guide was once as soon as what’s professionally known as a thought map. It’s a tool you’ll use now not only when starting a business however along with ideate and in moderation research new concepts forward of bringing them to market.

Table of Contents

• What’s an idea map?
• Sorts of Idea Maps
• Create a Idea Map
• Growing My Personal Idea Map

What’s an concept map?

An concept map is a visual representation, steadily inside the kind of a diagram, that presentations the relationship between various ideas or concepts. It’s a great tool for structuring and organizing knowledge. It generally contains two elements:

• Nodes. The ones represent concepts and are to be had inside the type of circles, ovals, or packing containers.
• Arrows. The ones connect ideas. They are going to include a connecting word or verb to explain the relationship between concepts, as an example, “leads to” or “is part of.”

An concept map helps wreck complicated topics/ideas into further digestible portions.

Kinds of Concept Maps

Forward of I discuss concerning the types of thought maps, right here’s a list of the very best mind-mapping instrument you’ll check out that will help you create your own thought map.

Spider Maps

I’m sure it won’t wonder you to hear that the ones thought maps resemble a spider web. The principle thought is inside the middle, with similar subtopics branching outward. This development lets you uncover a few aspects of the central idea.

create it:

• Put your main idea during the diagram.
• Draw strains coming out from the center to represent a key subtopic attached to the main idea.
• Add sub-branches from every subtopic to dive even deeper into the topic.
• Use labels or fast words to better show the relationship between concepts.

When to use it: Use it to analyze a big topic in detail.

Flowcharts

A flowchart represents a linear or sequential process or workflow. It uses symbols and arrows to show how knowledge flows, steadily along with alternatives or actions.

create it:

• Define the process or task you wish to have as an example.
• Draw arrows to show the flow of steps. Use packing containers or other shapes to represent every step or movement.
• Use a diamond shape for selection problems, and expose different branches consistent with certain/no or every other requirements of your variety.
• Continue until you conclude.

When to use it: I find flowcharts are great for explaining processes, similar to the onboarding of recent employees.

System Maps

As an alternative of specializing in the main idea, machine maps highlight the relationships and interactions between different concepts. They lack a hierarchical development and emphasize how various parts artwork together.

create it:

• Define the necessary factor machine portions.
• Get ready them consistent with how they’re interrelated instead of in a hierarchical order.
• Draw strains between portions to show how they’re attached. I imagine it’s helpful so that you can upload words like “influences” and “depends on” to better explain the type of relationship.
• Make larger every part of the machine via spotting feedback loops, inputs, and outputs.

When to use it: Use machine maps to grasp and analyze complicated strategies, similar to offer chains or organizational networks.

Hierarchy Maps

A hierarchy map illustrates how elements are interconnected in a hierarchical development, showing their relative status. On account of this ideas have a greater status while others, a lower status. The principle thought or the easiest score part is at the best, while the lower-ranking ones are positioned beneath it.

create it:

• Put the main thought or the highest-ranking one at the best of the map.
• Define the primary subtopics that fall beneath the main idea and place them straight away underneath. Connect them via strains.
• Division downward to show lower-ranking concepts while conserving a clear hierarchical development.

When to use it: I imagine it’s useful for showing knowledge with a few authority levels or importance, as an example, government structures or Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Create a Concept Map

Forward of you get began running on your thought map, I like to recommend downloading HubSpot’s idea map template — it’s going to make the process an entire lot more straightforward.

1. Define your main topic.

Get started via choosing the main idea or topic that you wish to have to analyze. It’s going to need to be massive enough to allow a few subtopics to division out.

Put the primary thought each at the best or middle of your map, depending on the type of map you’re the use of. It’ll act as the foundation from which your entire other ideas will also be developed.

2. Identify a very powerful concepts.

While you’ve discovered the main idea, get began brainstorming additional topics you’d love to find. Recall to mind as many as you’ll, alternatively instead of striking them straight away on the map, list them first — this is known as the “automotive parking space” manner.

After your list is ready, organize the tips from one of the commonplace or massive to one of the specific. I imagine it’s highest to create a hierarchy with a very powerful/massive ideas at the best and the additional detailed ones beneath them.

3. Switch concepts from the automobile parking space to the map.

Now, you’ll switch your concepts from the automobile parking space to the map.

Put the main idea inside the heart or at the best, with similar subtopics branching out from it. Every additional topic must be attached to a decided on magnificence, in the long run forming a hierarchy.

While arranging the tips, I like to recommend the use of linking words to explain the relationship between ideas. This will likely strengthen the working out of the best way every thought connects to the others.

4. Take a look at accuracy and coherence.

The additional connecting ideas you’ve, the upper the chance of making a mistake. So, it’s highest to test every connection to verify it links to the right kind thought.

Use cross-links to go looking out ideas positioned in a definite part of your map. This fashion would possibly help you connect them to additional concepts, creating a further whole and interconnected development that reveals a lot more insights.

5. Make larger and revise.

Your thought map isn’t set in stone. As new ideas emerge, you’ll keep together with them to the map to create new connections.

I acknowledge that the map is flexible, letting you rearrange, remove, or add new sections as you succeed in a deeper working out of the topic.

The process doesn’t end with the main fashion; I like to recommend you continuously read about if your map is entire and similar. Make revisions when very important.

Rising My Private Concept Map

Let’s get all of the approach down to look at. I will now create an concept map for my own freelance business.

Step 1: Identify my primary topic.

Since I’m a freelance content material subject matter marketer, one of the vital areas that I deal with is search engine marketing optimization, which will also be my primary topic.

Step 2: Identify a very powerful concepts.

I’ll wreck it down into a few subcategories: on-page search engine marketing, technical search engine marketing, and use of search engine marketing apparatus. For the sake of this example, I’ll only indicate 3, alternatively be happy to come up with as many as conceivable, like off-page search engine marketing and local search engine marketing.

Write they all down.

Step 3: Switch concepts to the map.

Once I’ve listed the main concepts, it’s time for me to 0 in on every of them and list similar subcategories. For instance, on-page search engine marketing may also be broken down into substeps like “keywords” and “content material subject matter optimization.”

If I wanted to transport even deeper, I might add “keyword research,” “long-tail keywords,” and other smaller concepts beneath the “keywords” subtopic.

I’ve completed this with all 3 main topics and wrote two subcategories for every, together with ideas for added branching.

Understand how the map helps us needless to say search engine marketing is a multifaceted thought and that — while it’s most steadily an area handled via promoting and advertising and marketing — it overlaps with areas like technical website/app potency.

Step 4: Double-check for accuracy and coherence.

In this step, I assessment if I’ve assigned every idea to the right kind magnificence.

For instance, I ensured that “shopper intent” is situated beneath “content material subject matter optimization” slightly than “website pace.” Understand that some concepts like “keyword research” would in all probability are compatible in a few magnificence.

Step 5: Make larger and revise.

I’ll care for this concept map as my first fashion. The additional time I spend brainstorming ideas, the additional subcategories I will add.

I might enlarge my map to include “URL development,” “inner linking,” “indexing,” and “protection” — all of which relate to search engine marketing optimization.

Moreover, as mentioned earlier, it’s vital to identify relationships between different categories. For instance, I might create a link between “search engine marketing apparatus” and “keywords,” as the guidelines from the search engine marketing apparatus I take advantage of will have an effect on my keyword selection and inform my normal search engine marketing methodology.

When you occur to’re a content material subject matter marketer like I’m, right here’s a content material mapping template that will help you organize your artwork.

Some of the most straightforward tactics to create an concept map is to use a ready-made template.

I truly like brainstorming, alternatively now and again I generate such a large amount of ideas that I get out of place, and inside of of five minutes, I’ve forgotten a part of what I were given right here up with.

An concept map is a useful gizmo for organizing your concepts and ideas. It’s serving to with exploring a decided on topic in detail, ensuring a deep working out. You’ll be capable of get began small, and enlarge on your map as you generate further ideas.

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