Level 3: Content Design

In this level, The Digital Engine begins to describe the functional components of the Digital Engine model and how to effectively create digital communications that will reach the right audience (WHO), with the right message (WHAT), and in the right location (WHERE). As we will discuss in this level, digital communication effectiveness (DCE) is about the WHO, WHAT, and WHERE of content design and management.

Diving into these ideas, the first chapter of this level discusses the WHO, that is, the processes of segmentation, targeting, and positioning within the context of digital inbound marketing. It highlights the use of different target marketing strategies across market segments. It also introduces a new component of the Digital Engine model, the engine starter, a core component of our model that relies heavily on created and curated content to outline the WHAT. The second chapter introduces the new concepts of message affinity and message sequencing in this chapter as they explain the importance and relevance of harmonious messages repeated across communication channels over time. The process is reinforced by the development of a content matrix, a tool used to focus on specific messages of content to promote, sequenced over an extended period of time. Finally, the last chapter discusses the WHERE by combining the previous two chapters into the creation of an 45-day rolling editorial calendar that helps digital marketers to plan, create, and schedule content for their brand or promotional campaigns. The chapter ends with a discussion on strategic email marketing principles to reinforce previously created content. By planning your content in this WHO, WHAT, WHERE design, you will be able to create effective digital communications during your practicum experience.

Assignments in Level 3 teach participants how to create a content matrix by identifying target market consumers of their content, along with identifying the specific content strategies and communication channel strategies for delivering content messages to their target market consumers. Each assignment adds an additional level of understanding to developing this important content design tool. Ultimately, in the next level, the content matrix will be used to create and deploy an editorial calendar that will help participants stay consistent with their content schedule. The editorial calendar will help to plan important content for weeks to months in advance, so that no one is left creating or curating content on the day it is promised to be delivered. The calendar helps relieve the stress of deploying consistent content on time and on brand.