Content atomisation, also known as creative slicing and dicing, refers to serialising a major topic into multiple bite-sized chunks published on different channels and in diverse formats. This edition of Muse explores the values of atomic content as an asset in your communication arsenal.
Content atomisation vs content repurposing
As they share the common task of breaking down a topic, atomising and repurposing are often used interchangeably or mistakenly viewed as the same creative tactic.
In contrast to breaking long-form texts down into several verbatim installments, atomising involves creating a series of niche texts that complement each other based on a chosen topic or long written content. In other words, each piece of atomised content is more of a fresh asset than a stale duplicate, yielding several benefits regarding reach and industry positioning.
Ensure your reach to fragmented audiences
As different groups of audiences consume information in their respective manners, publishing atomic content puts you ahead of “the war of relevance”. It delivers the same messages in tailored formats across several channels, thus helping to secure optimal reception of your creative outputs. This is particularly important if your brand targets a broad audience with multiple micro-segments.
Nike’s past event, Breaking2, is a prime example of content atomisation. Before and after Breaking2, Nike was reported to produce a series of blogs featuring race strategies, the outcomes and the combination of traditions and science that constitute marathon champions. Two documentaries related to the event were also produced to further appeal to their audiences.
Establish and strengthen your status as an industry expert
Your industry authority is an essential factor that cultivates consumer trust in your organisation. Creating serialised content on diverse platforms that comprehensively covers an industry issue or topic effectively showcases your expertise or leadership to intended audiences, thus shaping their perception of your leading position over time.
To reap its benefits, you need to sow the “atomisation seed” early by deciding on a content framework with inputs from different creative teams beforehand. Continue to our next blog to find out how to initiate your first atomic content!