UNIT 1

Introduc�on to Content & Content Management

1.1. What is Content

1.2. What is Editorial Content
1.3. What is Content Management
 UNIT 1
1.1 Content

Content can be defined as anything that conveys information and is published on a

particular medium to be consumed by the audience and further distributed. The end goal
of content is to deliver some kind of information, enjoyment, or entertainment. It also
delivers value.

Content can take various forms for e.g. – it can be written content, audio content or visual
content. You can consume content in countless ways – books, websites, marketing
material, academic material, newspapers, videos, serials, movies, advertisements,
interviews, articles, infographics, songs, music, audiobooks etc.

1.1.1. The essen�al elements:

1. Purpose – There is a lot of fluff content on the internet, but even that was uploaded
by someone who wanted to send across a piece of certain information to the public. From
blogs to case studies, each piece of content has a specific purpose. For example, The New
York Times aims to inform and entertain its readers. Their content types include news,
podcasts, documentaries, and more, aim. Their goal is served through the content kinds
they produce, such as news, podcasts, documentaries, and more.

2. Structure – A good piece of content has personality. The structure of a piece of content
serves two purposes: it informs audiences about what to expect and allows organisations
to reuse certain elements in novel ways. As an example, consider a case study that is used
as a reference for a supplementary blog post.

3. Social Validity – Engagement is one of the primary reasons for content creation. And it
is true that with great content you can not only retain your audience but also build a
community. For instance, social media influencers like Kylie Jenner post content to expand
their personal branding, which in turn helps them develop a loyal following.
1.1.2. Main types of Content:

There are several types of content you can use in your content marketing campaigns. Not
everyone consumes content in the same way and that is the biggest reason you should
use different types of content. Also, it gives you an opportunity to create one piece and
then reuse it in another form too. Here are the most popular types of content that you
can use to attract and engage your target audience:

1. Website Content

This is what forms the foundation of your website. Website content relays all the
information that you, as a business, need to convey to your target audience.

2. Blogs and Articles

In general terms, a blog or an article is a web page that talks about a certain topic and
also involves multiple related sub-topics. Depending on the need, a blog can be purely
informational, partially transactional, or fully transactional.

3. Short-form Content

Although some marketers set the limit at 1,000 words, short-form content is commonly
defined as having less than 1,200 words. Short and simple-to-digest content tackles a
specific section of a topic rather than going too in-depth or detailed.

4. Long-format Content

This type of content usually covers a topic in great depth and requires a lot of research.
The advantage of such content is that it gets more engagement, tends to fetch more
traffic, is preferred by Google, and helps in organic lead generation. Ebooks, pillar pages,
and guides are some popular examples of long-form content.
5. Visual Content

Visual content is primarily image-based online content. Pictures, diagrams, charts,

infographics, online videos, graphics, animations, infographics, webinars, memes, and
slide decks are all examples of visual content.

6. Interactive Content

Any type of material that encourages user participation to convey its message is
considered interactive content. As a result, the content experience shifts from passive
consumption to active participation. Calculators, quizzes, ebooks, videos, and animated
infographics can all contain interactive elements.

7. Audio Content

Audio content is content that is consumed by listening. This type of content is well
represented by music, radio, and podcasts.

1.2. Editorial Content

Editorial content can take many shapes and forms.

Editorial content is content, whose primary purpose is to educate readers on a specific topic
or issue. Editorial content is cra�ed and published by brands and organiza�ons with the
inten�on of informing, engaging, or entertaining an audience. It differs from tradi�onal
marke�ng and is non-promo�onal in nature.

1.2.A Editorial Content in Journalism

Editorial content in journalism has the same defini�on. It is any relevant wri�ng published on
print or digital channels that aims to inform and educate readers. In journalism, editorial
content is never a form of adver�sing content.
1.2.B Editorial Content in a Newspaper and Magazine

They say editorial pieces are the main features of every newspaper and magazine. This type
of content is usually a short essay on current events where the writer shares their opinion.

It is essential to know that the writer’s opinion of the piece reflects the entire publishing
house or newspaper company. Even if it’s a guest post, the same disclaimer is shared.

The content crea�on process of newspaper editorials is similar to other forms of editorials.
But their target audience is more general since different people read newspapers. Their
primary editorial content strategy is to cri�que events and evoke different feelings in the
reader.

1.2.1. Different Types of Editorial Content

Interpretation Editorial

The goal of an interpretation editorial is to provide information on the most important current
events or issues. These pieces are based on facts and no opinion is expressed, rather they
attempt to explain the meaning or the significance of a situation or event.
Examples include news reports and featured articles about world affairs.

Criticism Editorial

A criticism editorial presents a news event through the eyes of a writer, who might either
explicitly express an opinion, strive to influence the reader or inspire solutions to a problem.
Examples of criticism editorials are opinion-focused articles and columns.
Editorial of Appreciation

This type of editorial praises people who have done well in their line of work and recognize
their achievements.

An example of an editorial of appreciation is an article focused on someone who discovered

a new technology or won a prize.

Entertainment Editorial

As the most popular form of editorial content, these pieces are light in nature and cover a
variety of topics, including pop culture, fashion, television and cooking.
Examples include columns, fashion “lookbooks,” travel pieces and book reviews.

1.2.2. Purpose of Editorial Content

Editorial content seeks to provide an objec�ve truth while educa�ng audiences on a par�cular
topic. This form of content seeks to be unbiased and does not promote a product or service.
Editorial content can cover industry news and current events.

Editorial content plays an essen�al role in any content marke�ng strategy. By publishing pieces
that are genuinely informa�ve and relevant, marketers can connect with their target
audiences by delivering value in a way that feels more authen�c and credible than a purely
sales-driven approach.

1.3. content management (CM)

Content management (CM) is the process for collec�on, delivery, retrieval, governance and
overall management of informa�on in any format. The term is typically used in reference to
administra�on of the digital content lifecycle, from crea�on to permanent storage or dele�on.
The content involved may be images, video, audio and mul�media as well as text.

Content management refers to the end-to-end process of sourcing, crea�ng, managing, and
delivering content.

Content management refers to the crea�on, storage, access, delivery, and op�miza�on of
digital media on one central pla�orm

1.3.1. Content management process

This can lead to differences in steps or terminology.

The stages of the content management lifecycle are the following:

1. Organiza�on. The first stage where categories are created, taxonomies designed
and classifica�on schemes developed.

2. Crea�on. Content is classified into architectural categories.

3. Storage. Content format and storage decisions are made based on ease of access,
delivery, security and other factors dependent on the organiza�on's needs.

4. Workflow. Rules are designed to keep content moving through various roles while
maintaining consistency with the organiza�on's policies.

5. Edi�ng/versioning. This step involves managing mul�ple content versions and

presenta�on changes.

6. Publishing. The stage where content is delivered to users, which can be defined as
website visitors or internal publishing via the Intranet for employees.

7. Removal/archives. The final stage where content is deleted or moved to

an archive when it is infrequently accessed or obsolete.
1.3.2. Benefits of Content Management

Some of the benefits of content management for businesses include:

• Increased efficiency: Content management helps businesses automate and organize

content publishing and edi�ng processes. This leads to increased efficiency and
produc�vity.
• Improved customer service: With content management, businesses can create self-
service portals where customers can find answers to their ques�ons without
contac�ng customer service.
• Reduced opera�ng costs: Automa�ng tasks with content management strategies can
help businesses save money on labour costs.
• Enhanced online visibility: Streamlining the content management process enables
search engines to rank websites and display them to poten�al customers.

Some of the benefits of content management for individuals are:

• Convenient informa�on: With content management, individuals can find the

informa�on they need without searching through a jumble of unorganized data.
• Greater content control: Individuals can use content management to determine who
has access to their content and how it is used.
Simple dissemina�on: Content management makes it easy for individuals to share their
content through social media, email, and other channels.

1.3.3. Content governance

Content governance provides content creators with structure and guidelines. Digital content
management governance can help determine priorities, provide detailed standards, assign
ownership for content and provide access control. This helps to create a consistent user
experience, minimize content bloat and create internal controls.

Common governance tools that organizations use include content workflows, taxonomies and
style guides, along with records management tools which include audit trails for compliance.

1.3.4. Types of digital content management

For just about every category of digital content, there is a corresponding tool or process for
managing it.

• Social media content management. Social media content management tools help
to create an organized social media marke�ng strategy with defined goals and to
analyse engagement. Some social media content management systems include
Sprout Social, Google Analy�cs and BuzzSumo.

• Web content management. Web content management is used to create, manage

and display webpages. A web content management system (WCMS) is a program
that provides organiza�ons with a way to manage digital informa�on on a website
without prior knowledge of web programming and can include components for a
specific industry, such as a content management applica�on (CMA) that automates
the produc�on of HTML.

• Mobile content management. Mobile content management (MCM) provides

secure access to corporate data on smartphones, tablets and other devices. The
main components of MCM are file storage and file sharing.
 • Enterprise content management. An enterprise content management (ECM) system
has components that help enterprises manage data effec�vely. ECM components are
geared to goals such as streamlining access, elimina�ng botlenecks and minimizing
overhead, along with version control, rou�ng, archiving, content governance and
security.

1.3.5. Content Management Strategies

These strategies are vital to ensuring the success of any content management framework

• Map your priori�es: It's essen�al to understand what’s important to your organiza�on
and then align your content management strategy with those priori�es. To educate
users or point them to one of your organiza�on's products or services.
• Define your target audience: Iden�fying a relevant audience for your content is cri�cal
in ensuring accurate delivery and engagement. You can define a target audience
through market research, keyword research, and sen�ment analysis on social media
pla�orms.

• Determine your content channels: Determining which content channels are essen�al
to your audience is cri�cal. Whether via email or social media, finding relevant content
channels helps create the proper content management framework.
• Establish a content crea�on process: This involves the phase of crea�ng content, from
idea�on to publishing.

• Leverage the right technology: It takes a website development pla�orm, analy�cs

tools, and other asset management tools to assist with website content crea�on,
organiza�on, dissemina�on, and performance analysis.

1.3.6. Content Management Examples

Organiza�ons use content management strategies for a variety of purposes. For example, a
company might use content management to:
 • Share informa�on internally: Businesses use content management strategies to share
informa�on internally via a company intranet, such as documents, images, and videos.
• Publish a website: You can use content management to publish its website. This would
include storing website files, tracking changes made to those files, and publishing
changes to a live website.
• Create an online store: A company might use content management to create an online
store. This would include managing product informa�on, such as descrip�ons, pricing,
and availability.
• Develop a mobile app: Businesses can use content management to develop a mobile
app. This would include managing app content, such as text, images, and videos

1.3.7. Content Management Frameworks:

A content management framework is a platform that supports digital content creation,

management, and delivery. It includes the processes, policies, people, and technologies
needed to manage digital content throughout its lifecycle.

There are five main types of digital content management frameworks:

1. Web Content Management Systems (CMS): A web CMS is a platform that helps you create
and manage websites. It provides a way to store website files, track changes made to those
files, and publish changes to a live website.

2. Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECM): An ECM is a platform that stores,

manages, and delivers enterprise-level content. This includes documents, images, videos, and
other forms of content that are important to an organization.

3. Digital Asset Management Systems (DAM): A DAM is a type of CMS used to store and
manage digital assets, such as images, videos, and audio files. It helps organizations keep track
of their digital content and ensure that it is organized and accessible.
4. Social Media Content Management: This framework involves planning and publishing
content on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The goal of social media content
management is to help create a robust social media marketing strategy with clear goals.

5. Mobile Content Management (MCM):An MCM platform makes information available on

smartphones, tablets, and other smart devices.