Organize Complex Content With Mind Maps
Posted on 14. Nov, 2011 by twanless in B2B Marketing, complex writing, Content, expertise marketing
Do you cringe at the thought of creating complex content for posting in e-books, white papers, case studies, articles, or analytical reports ?
It’s no wonder: These tasks are very large organizational projects made even more difficult when the content involves scientific, technical, or business writing.
Not only do you have to create a cogent thought line in your copy, you also have to ensure that it’s understandable. And then, just for a triple threat, you have to make it readable and perhaps even entertaining.
And, oh yeah, and can we get that ASAP? Like tomorrow?
Try to keep your hand away from the panic button. It can be done. The art of complex content creation is in the start.
How to start a complex content piece
Writers tend to form a half-thought out premise in their minds before starting. They think they know what they want to say, and believe that the “how are you going to say it” will work itself out as they go along. That’s how writing supposedly happens.
Truth is, that isn’t how it happens. A piece of complex content is like an engineering project. It has to be planned, examined, and, sometimes, rethought to more properly hold together. It has to be organized logically.
Okay, you’re a wearing your writing hat, not your engineering hat. If you wanted to be a gearhead, you wouldn’t have enrolled in arts courses in college. So how do you organize and plan a complex content piece so that every piece fits together perfectly and pleases your more scientifically-minded client or boss ?
Use a mind map.
Mind maps allow you to plan your structure and your organize your arguments and demonstrate proof.
In a typical mind map, you start with the big ideas, such as your three or five main points. Then to each of these you successively add detail points. If you carry this through far enough, you’ll almost have most of your piece written before you ever sit down to “write” it.
This then lets you concentrate on the words, not the thoughts. You can turn even the most boring piece of content into a gem that will entertain as well as inform.
Mind maps can also be a bonus
Better yet, you’ll have a great visual representation of what you’re saying. This can sometimes take the place of a large piece, or supplement it and enliven it. Think of it as a bonus you’re providing to the end users (oops, readers) of your content.
To see how a mind map can change your copywriting for the better look at our How We Do It page elsewhere on this site.
So don’t run and hide when that big job lands on your desk. Get mapping.
