Using a Mind Map for Social Media, Blogging, and Content Marketing

The internet probably wasn’t designed to be a virtual playground for social media and content marketers, but it is now. Yet, as it constantly evolves and we communicate more, an entirely new set of challenges arises; and as the amount of information multiplies and attention spans shrink, marketers will be all the more pressed to stand out.

The 3-5-7 rule illustrates how to navigate a crowded environment of sales pitches. It claims that you only have 3 seconds to get someone’s attention, 5 seconds to continue engaging them, and past 7 seconds, if they are still engaged, then your mission will have been accomplished. That may seem unfair to have so little time available to effectively market a valuable service or product, but, truthfully, that is the state of the world we now live in requiring us to constantly innovate.

You got 3 seconds to grab the attention

You’ve got 3 seconds to grab their attention

Innovating means reassessing stagnant methods, making improvements, and redesigning for ergonomic or economic purposes. Essentially, innovation is about taking inspired action; it’s what provokes the internet marketer to ask: what hooks a potential buyer to focus in on my product in the middle of the hoopla? When content is the keyword of content marketing, a mind map holds a viable solution to rid the marketing madness shuffle once and for all; it is the alternative way of creating the right hook that marketers are looking for.

Realistically, it’s going to take time for someone to learn about a topic well enough to understand it. When you want to educate your consumers–some of whom are averse to paying attention long enough to learn anything at all–the trick is being able to guide them and get them to tune out the endless 140-character messages, pop-up ads, or those incessant notifications blaring from each one of their digital devices.

You must tell these casual internet browsers that their time will be well-spent paying attention to what you’re selling. As the 3-5-7 rule predicts, you have a decent chance to convert them from browsers into buyers if they are still hanging around after 7 seconds. You won’t be able to rely on fancy words and stellar copy alone, though. Because of this, mind maps increase your advantage and the impact of your sales pitch by giving the viewer alternative ways to process new information.

Understanding Visual Learning to Improve Your Content Marketing

Western society is expected to be predominantly literate, but literacy doesn’t automatically entail the interest to read. Penn State York presents a case about how people who learn primarily from a visual stimulus, indicating that they tend to more easily remember information presented in pictures, charts, or diagrams. There is some debate among neuroscientists and psychologists about whether or not there are any hierarchies of the learning styles many educational systems have adapted. There may be such a thing as a kinesthetic learner, an auditory learner, and a visual learner. On the other hand, as some might argue, there might be no such thing.

Regardless, some individuals are going to have more visual-spatial intelligence than others. Anyone with sight is going to retain information at least to some degree from illustrative images. Tap into the psychology of what makes strong, captivating content marketing and you will hack your way into the minds of your new customers. 

Mind Maps: A Versatile Marketing Resource

Mind maps are good tools for organizing business meetings as well as other general concepts into a more cohesive idea. Ironically enough, mind maps are useful for more than mind mapping itself. If you were to construct a mind map and embed it in a website or blog, you instantly have for yourself an infographic. Another good reason to appreciate visuals is that they encourage social sharing. A link on Twitter to your blog won’t be as impactful especially when the rocking content you’ve curated can’t be seen firsthand. When you or your audience share images on content-driven sites like Pinterest, Instagram, and Flickr, your reach will expand even further. The very fact that there are social media platforms created just for images should motivate you to factor in visual data in all your sales and marketing goals.

4 Ways to Use Mind Maps in Digital Marketing

  • Devise a social media marketing strategy using a mind map.
    There are many social media sites and few more pops up every day. Keeping track of them and updating them is a total headache. You can create a mind map template for this task. For instance, you can create a simple mind map with few social networks for everyday updates while maintaining a bit more complex one with all social sites for important updates. There are endless options so you can take a pick.
  • Develop or refine the niche for your blog’s content.
    We all have suffered the writers’ block at some point. Which is why it’s critical to have a strategy to brainstorm ideas for your next blog posts or article. Mind maps are perfect for that too. Or you can consider creating a concept map which is very similar to a mind map. Keep in mind that mind maps drawn using Creately can be shared with others for instant feedback. Finding and collaborating on ideas just got easier.
  • Design an infographic.
    Info-graphics are a powerful marketing tool. However creating info-graphics is a complex time-consuming task. It’s a combination of many tasks like finding data, analyzing and extracting data, initial mock-up and finally creating the info-graphics. And these main tasks have subtle sub-tasks attached to them. If your planning on using them heavily in marketing it’s a good idea to maintain a mind map so you can easily repeat the steps.
  • Explain a business model or its services page for your website.
    Want to explain your business model in a visual manner? Mind maps are perfect for that too. If creativity is your thing you can probably use a mind map for your FAQ page as well. Time and again studies have proved that visually appealing content makes it easier to grasp an idea. So showcase your business model using a mind map and see the difference.

    A mind map for breaking down a web design project

    How to plan a web design projects ( click on image to use as a template )

Let your mind map guide you to clarity about new business developments. Use it to compliment your sales copy. Let it be the tool that gives you that precious 7 seconds that will convert your browsers into buyers. Creately offers remarkable mind mapping software to help you do all these things and more. Contact support to learn more about the neat visuals, diagrams, and charts that you can construct using our product. We would also love to hear your feedback and stay connected. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Ken Myers is a father, husband, and entrepreneur. He has combined his passion for helping families find in-home care with his experience to build a business. Learn more about him by visiting @KenneyMyers on Twitter.

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Comments

  1. Mansoor Bhanpurawala

    Thanks for the infographic. Great article and very informative for me about mind map digital marketing. New lesson to me about marketing.

  2. Adam Jackson

    Great post! Very informative.Thank you for sharing this informative article! Good read!

  3. Rommel Asuit

    Hii,

    I agree that nowadays digital marketing should be considered. It is a rising industry. Content Marketing is time consuming and hard to create but is so rewarding. Thank you for sharing this informative article! Good read!

    Regards,
    Rommel Asuit

  4. SY Abuzar

    Great tips to generate more traffic to a website. I personally believe that well-curated content with enough information, along with proper search engine optimization and social media optimization can do wonders to generate more traffic to a particular website. Thanks for these useful tips anyways.

  5. Jeannairon

    Hiii…Buddy!!!
    I love using mind maps, I just never thought about using them for my blog….Thanks for sharing such a wonderful article about “Mind map”. Mind map is one of the best concept, we should have to implement in our business, career, blogging, even in our day-to-day life…Overall great post and I will surely try this ….
    This article was spot on! Content marketing play such an important role in a marketing mix. Since it’s fairly new a lot of it seems to be done on a trial and error basis.Story telling should help demystify content marketing at its core.
    Thanks for sharing …keep posting!!!!!!!!
    Have a nice day!!

  6. Hai Tran

    I’m using Mind Map too but I never used it for building a website before. This might be a smart way to not missing anything. Thank you for this helpful information.

  7. Janet Nevins

    Great post! Very informative. I love making mind maps to stay organized.

  8. Genifer

    Hey buddy I liked your post…it’s an awesome one.

    A useful information is shared i.e. 3-5-7 rule which is actually benefits people in fascinating customers.

    Getting attention is the most prior step. If you are fail in getting attention of people, then you can’t be able to run your business, because marketing cant help you if you are not able to get attention.

    Second thing is an interaction with people who seems to be interested in your products.

    The third thing is obvious. Tf you are able to succeed in first two steps then the third will automatically come to you.

    I am going to apply this rule as one of the effective strategy in my business.

  9. Yogesh Shinde

    Mind mapping and having a vision really help us to plan various strategies. These strategies help us to stay focused and help us to improve our productivity and management. Thanks for sharing.

  10. herafatima

    Mind up for unavailable digital and marketing .
    Thanks for share this information

  11. Julio Soares

    Since I know mental maps, it help me a lot with study. Now can help me with digital marketing to.

    Great Post!!

  12. Very interesting. I never thought that the rule can be applied on blogging too. Great job on the very informative and helpful post for newbie and seasoned bloggers alike.

  13. Nguyen

    Wow,
    This is the first time I have heard about 3-5-7 rules. However I have a question for sure: It means 3+5+7=15 or we just have 7 seconds to have a royal audience?
    I love the ways you show me how to use mind maps. I have used it some time, but in this way, I have not. Thank you. I will try it to my website jobs. They are crazy now!
    Regards,

  14. Very interewt8ng point re the 3-5-7 rule – I had never seen it expressed like this and it’s both very true and critical that peopole understand this. Great infrographic by the way – I used mind-meister to create my first ever product online. Many thanks for this great share of info

  15. Really enlightening article! I have to (shamelessly) admit that I didn’t know the 3-5-7 rule… But it is now something that I will definitely have to to employ in my marketing efforts!

    Thanks!

  16. Payal bhalodwala

    Mind map is a kind of diagram that visually organize information for content. which helps to use in social media, blogging and content writing. Rule 3-5-7 is basically effective to cover any kind of business through social media.

  17. Tom

    Mind Map unbelievable for digital marketing

  18. Hai Tran

    I’m learning about making Mind Map for learning in university, unbelivable it can be used for Blogging too, Thanks for your post.

  19. I had heard about the 3 – 5 -7 rule but did not know what it meant. Thank you so much for explaining this to me.

    In regards to mind maps, it never dawned on me to use them as an infographic. That is super cool.

    In the past I have used Mind Mapping to plan out blog post and to get ideas on content.

  20. I never think of using a mindmap as digital marketing tool. A lot of time, I used mindmap to create the entire business model and strategy but to converting into infographic and embed in your site can help you convert as well.

    However, here is the question, infographic vs video, which convert the best? What I realize is that infographic get more social shares than video, but video definitely has higher conversion rate than infographic.

    What should we use in this case? I am looking forward to your reply

  21. swetha

    Hi, Thanks for sharing this useful information…

  22. John

    Thank you for sharing these tool.I am unaware about mind map tool.I think it will help my digital marketing business.

  23. Having a plan on paper is very helpful and what better way than in a mind map….this has just always made planning easier.

  24. usman

    nice post i like it thanks for sharing

  25. John White

    Using a mindmap has ALWAYS helped me keep tasks organized. I do a lot of marketing campaigns with unique strategies and having the map puts it all on one document and easy to read. many people don’t know about it but i recommend they give it a shot!

  26. John Wheeler

    I’m not familiar with mind map until I found this article. I’ll definitely try it out. I read a lot of positive reviews regarding mind map that it’s good for content marketing.

  27. Veronica

    Thanks for this awesome post. I really learn a lot from this and i will definitely implement this on my marketing startegy to improve conversion.

  28. Very helpful write up! The 3-5-7 rule is something I will definitely have to try harder to employ. Getting inside the mind of our user can be one of the trickiest parts of IM. Thanks again!

  29. Dawn Dawn

    I really liked the 3-5-7 idea/rule. Marries with the 7 times show an ad on average to engage someone.
    Thanks for infographic. Great article and very informative for me about mind map and we are into email marketing.
    Anyway, mind maps are definitely a great idea; something I’ve been using for years in life.
    Thanks and great post.

  30. Marco Baer

    This idea is really nice to make marketing more successful. Social media campaign are best approach to use now days because it covers billions of audience .

  31. Yosua Jimmy

    I think mind map is the best tools , thank for sharing ^^
    Nice Info (y)

  32. Adi

    That’s a nice post and I must say one thing that content is king.

  33. Prasad

    Thats was really great post

  34. Nice tutorial. I usually use Google Spreadsheets for this type of planning, but I have to say, the visual component of mind maps is very appealing.

  35. Tejwinder

    Now this is called the well written informative article. You guys are amazing. You explain everything so well that all the points covered in the article. I thing i would like to add here is that – Scheduling or time management is must in social media, we need to promote our content on the right time so more and more people get engaged with it. Thanks for sharing this awesome article.

  36. Really liked the 3-5-7 idea/rule. Marries with the 7 times show an ad on average to engage someone (thus the spate of FB retargeting plugins). Re the use of infographics, and the complexity of setting them up you might want to check out Hook Pages, which is a plugin that enables infographics out there in public domain to be used in sites and drive traffic. Cool stuff.

    Anyway, mind maps are definitely a great idea; something I’ve been using for years in professional life.

  37. mohamed

    thank you for this important article

  38. Neil Ferree

    I created a MindMeister MindMap back in early 2012 that contains many of the top social profiles you should have in your social link wheel as well as some of the automation tools and apps that can help you to syndicate your content to your top socials.

  39. ashfaq

    nice post helpful for begginer i think any other way to SEO tricks.

  40. Karan

    Hello,

    Really beautiful post.
    thanks for sharing. your blog is really nice,with many features.
    I enjoyed your article.
    thanks

  41. Bilal Ahmad

    Recently I was launching an eBook and I was not a ware of the advantage of a Mindmap.i just created one and found it very useful for my readers. It is no doubt a very useful resource.

  42. Alexander Stewart

    Great post and conversations. Regards !

  43. Thank you Nishadha Silva for sharing the info 🙂

  44. rashed

    really beautiful post.
    thanks for sharing. your blog is really nice,with many features.
    thanks ,

  45. Kotton Grammer

    I enjoyed reading this…great marketing content. I look forward to reading more of your posts.

  46. Naveena Taunk

    Very good article about content marketing. Keep up the good work!
    I like reading and blogging about various Business and Marketing strategies.

  47. Social media, blogging and content marketing all are equally important for getting top ranking. The bloggers know very well that content is the king, social media is the treasure of visitors and blogging is to earn money. In 2014 where everyone is talking about quality content, I think it is also important to research appropriate resources for content marketing. According to my opinion, social media is the best place to update people whats going on in your industry. However, the mind map for digital marketing discussed by you is good enough to understand the worth of internet marketing in today’s life.

  48. Jessica78

    Actually I think this is among the most vital information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But want to remark on some general things, the web site style is ideal, the articles is really excellent. Thank you for sharing with us. I think it would be effective for all. Good job, cheers!

  49. Thanks for the post anyways i do follow your steps nowdays .We are into email marketing . Nut normally into content .

  50. arman

    Thanks for the post,,,,,,,
    beautiful

    thanks,,,

  51. faheen

    This is an excellent article. I am very much appreciate you Thank you Nishadha Silva for sharing the info. Really informative

  52. Jissan748

    Nice post about The Marriage Analogy. Thank you for sharing with us. I think it would be effective for all posting. I like this post indeed.keep up it .

  53. Thanks for infographic. Great article and very informative for me about mind map digital marketing. New lesson to me about marketing.

  54. Tauseef Alam

    According to me Mind Mapping works best when you integrate it with visual aids such as infographics & videos. I’ve seen many bloggers are doing so to fetch attention of their readers.

  55. The first one (Grabbing attentions) is a bit tough and creative. however the remaining then becomes easy. Thanks for the info-graphics.

  56. Jas

    Hey nice and informative.
    I think online/digital marketing and advertizing is the best way to go today for targeted and fast results – especially social media advertizing.

  57. Bruno

    Dear Nisadha:
    Thanks for your information. Great post. Sometimes, I find these mindmaps not practical to print out. And when I print them, the content can’t be read, and I have to put tape between them so they make sense… Any suggestions?

  58. David Fladhammer

    This is what Darren (problogger owner) do. Mind map can help brainstorm even the content topic.

    Thanks for reminder me about mindmap

  59. Web Marketing

    Mind maps are definitely a good marketing tool undoubtedly. I like the versatility of this tool.

  60. Aman gill

    mind map is the best tool.Thank you Nishadha Silva for sharing the info
    thanx

  61. Ahtsham Raza

    Thanks a lot for such a nice post. Mind Maps do works better if you are an artist. No matter how much time it will takes but ALL WELL THAT’S ENDS WELL. Better to give it a try n i am sure Results will be positive…

  62. 3,5,7 is definitely not a lot of time to accomplish your content objectives, and without a doubt mind mapping tools offer a great way for you to literally do a mind dump and put some structure behind your thoughts. I use mind map tools for many things including, developing content & social media strategies, developing courses, developing blog content, etc. If used correctly – an amazing tool.

  63. You’re right about infographics and mind maps taking time. But if you have a super good graphic artist, it’s well worth it.

  64. bleau

    Mind map for digital marketing? Hmm i guess is worth a try!
    Thanks for posting Nishadha!This is very informative! I learn something new today.

  65. Oliverstanley

    Mind maps is the best tools for organizing business meetings and give all the details of a company model or its services page for your website. Thanks for posting such a nice blog.

  66. Jacksmith

    Thank you Nishadha Silva for sharing the info. Really informative

  67. Ricky

    Have you devised any digital marketing strategy using it? Mind mapping is definitely a best way to get creative ideas about the post but to be honest I have never used it beyond this.

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