Content buckets - do we just throw them away?

If you're in marketing, content, or copywriting of some description you'll likely have heard and indeed use the term content bucket. For those not in the know, a content bucket is a subject or theme that you use to create and organize your content around.

It could be anything from fashion, technology, travel, lifestyle, food (which is then further broken down into subcategories), and so on; if it's a topic you want to talk about or is being discussed online there is potential for creating content buckets around it.

Although rarely, I've used the term myself and I'm not sure I'm overly happy with it. I read an article recently about how actually "bucket" doesn't really feel like the right term when you're joining together content pieces. For me, a bucket feels like it's something you throw your content into, maybe you mix it up, maybe you throw it away, maybe it leaks out of the bottom of the bucket.

Marketing content does not exist in a vacuum – it serves as the pathway to your ultimate goal. Instead of striving for perfection at the endpoint, focus on connecting with those who will benefit from what you have to offer and draw them towards that ideal ending.

It feels like we could be using a stronger phrase.

So piling my buckets up next to me, when building out a content plan for a customer, I often use the term content pillars. These are typically broader topics that can have multiple "lines" of content beneath them, much like the columns of a building support the structure above them - pretty simple right? Content pillars are your foundation and each serves to strengthen the topic at hand. This sounds good and is indeed really easy to visualise so that all parties can see and understand what you're working towards.

The problem with pillars

The problem I've been having with pillars though, is they don't allow the flexibility to weave in other relatable content items in the pillars on either side of you. Much like when building the foundations of a building, when you build a pillar, it's set in stone, immovable, and hard to adjoin at a later date. Whilst you could keep growing the pillar and make an even bigger support system for your building, would the term "content bridge" be better?

The benefit of pillars

I'm absolutely not saying pillars are wrong. In fact, I like to use pillars not just to work on content areas but to also ensure there is a mixture of content that is then relatable to audience needs, so at a quick glance, we can see if we are sharing stories that fit into our overarching topic. This helps to ensure the customer gets a holistic view of what we are trying to do, rather than individual pieces of content designed for one purpose or another without any clear direction.

For more information about formualting your audience needs based content, have a look at our 2022 article titled Audience needs and why you need to know them.

Content bridges

Content doesn't work in isolation. It's always growing, always evolving, and needs to be responsive to not just what's in your longer-term content plan, but to what is happening today. So it needs to be flexible.

A content bridge builds together, interconnects, and creates a bridge between multiple topics. It's like weaving together different content pieces to create one big web of knowledge - much like the web of bridges that connect major cities, we can build our own "web" of content pieces. Did you know Hamburg has over 2,300 bridges, connecting all parts of the city? Yep, me neither, but taking a birds eye look down, it makes sense.

What is a content bridge?

A content bridge is a concept used in content marketing that refers to the strategic use of content to connect with an audience and move them closer to a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service. The content bridge can be thought of as a metaphorical structure that helps guide your audience across a gap between their current state and their desired state.

To create a content bridge, marketers often use a series of content pieces that are designed to build trust and establish a relationship with the audience. For example, a content bridge might start with a blog post that provides helpful tips on a topic of interest to the audience. From there, you may offer a more in-depth guide or ebook that provides even more value. Finally, you might offer a product or service that directly addresses the needs of the audience. There's your bridge of content.

However, it's not just about linking to even more valuable content (those ebooks we mention above), it could also be how you relate multiple pieces of content across your pre-existing pillars too.

The content bridge is a powerful tool for building relationships with an audience because it helps establish trust and credibility. By providing value through helpful and informative interlinked content, you can demonstrate your expertise and build a relationship with the audience that makes them more likely to take the desired action.

Here's an example

Say you've got a content subject around fashion, and your next piece of content is about eco-friendly activewear. Instead of just throwing that into the fashion bucket, why not weave it together with topics such as sustainability, health, or ethical issues? It's still related to fashion but now has much more context and can lead visitors on a journey of discovery to other relatable content pieces that you've created.

At the end of the day, it's only really a term, and there are similar outcomes from whichever phrase you use to creating and organizing your content - buckets, pillars, bridges; they all have their place in our content strategies - personally, I just don't want to see content kicking the bucket...

Before you make any decisions about your content plan (you can read our 2022 article about content calendars and content plans here) , it's important to understand the purpose of each piece of content, the subject, and the subsets, and then figure out how to utilize them for the benefit of your overall content strategy.

How do you build a content bridge?

* Start by identifying the core content subjects you already have in place or that you wish to talk about.

* Decide which pieces of content can be pulled from each pillar and used to create a content bridge between topics - draw your spider diagram, and show how the content interlinks.

* Look for connections and points of interconnection that are interesting, relevant, timely, and useful to your customers.

* Take the time to think about how you can use content bridges to create a cohesive narrative that flows between topics and further develops customer understanding.

* Lastly, write your content pieces in a way that can link together seamlessly - this should include using keywords or phrases that draw the subjects together in a smooth manner so that you're not just throwing links in for the sake of it. If you lead someone down the wrong path, it's likely they may not return.

Need help building your content bridges? Get in touch, we create content, so you don't have to.