We’ve been working with a really fantastic customer recently who had a shedload of amazing content that just didn’t fit on their regular pages. There was also so much of it that it was almost “information overload” – but it was a bit too important to get lost across blog posts. So we suggested they consider a knowledge hub.
What is a knowledge hub? Well the name is fairly self explanatory, but in its simplest form it’s a series of articles that contain searchable, categorised content.
What does it look like?
Like this:
Don’t let appearances fool you, although this looks a little salesy and bland, it’s a fantastic idea. In fact “Echo Knowledge Base” is the plugin we’ve used most recently, and it works brilliantly.
When should you use a knowledge hub?
If you have a large amount of content that you know is important, will need to be referred to often, or would hugely benefit your site visitors, then a knowledge hub might be right for you! This content possibly doesn’t fit well on your site, either due to the volume, or the number of pages it would cover. Knowledge hubs are also useful if you don’t want the information hidden away in blog articles, as they would make it difficult to organise and search.
Some good examples are:
- You’re an estate agent and you want somewhere to store and show all of the details around renting, being a landlord, selling a property etc… Visitors will be able to search your knowledge hub and read important articles on what they need to consider before taking their next steps.
- Perhaps you’re a wedding planner and you know that all couples tend to ask you the same questions, or need similar information – regardless of their situation. In which case, a knowledge hub would be a fantastic resource for you to share with your site visitors.
- You have one or more products with lots of bells and whistles and want to build a reference library of “how to” and “help” articles to support your customers.
This sounds a lot like a blog…
Yes and no; a blog is a living breathing thing that is updated regularly, content is revisited, shared on social media, and read by the masses (hopefully). A blog is a marketing and engagement tool. We’ve written an article about why blogs are great in the past, so if you think a blog might be better suited then make sure to check it out.
A knowledge hub is for specialised content. People come here for specific information about a certain topic and leave again. It’s a dedicated tool for sharing important and concise information.
While you will hopefully update your knowledge hub and expand it regularly, you won’t necessarily be using it as a marketing tool. It’s to support your sales/implementation process and customer service.
I know what it does, now why would I want one?
Truth is, you might not. But think of it this way, you could have a central repository of help and support articles for customers/site visitors to help themselves before contacting you. With a knowledge hub, potential customers can glean an insight into your products or services, saving you time that you would otherwise be using to teach them. Making your general knowledge easily accessible might set you apart from your competitors as well; you’re being open, upfront, and helpful before you’ve even learnt your customer’s name. That goes a long way to building trust and authority for your brand.
Summary
A knowledge hub isn’t for everyone, and it only really works if you have enough content to justify one. But for those of you sitting on masses of valuable content and documents that you wish your customers could digest themselves, a knowledge hub might be the answer. If you’d like to explore if a knowledge hub would work for you, get in touch and chat it over with us.