Applying the 3H Model in Content Marketing

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The 3H model—Hygiene, Hub, and Hero—has quickly become one of the most popular content marketing strategies, helping businesses build and maintain a diverse and effective content strategy. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of the 3H model, explain how it works, and explore its application in website content writing, especially from the perspective of a marketing director and marketers.

What is the 3H Model in Content Marketing?

Definition

The 3H model (Hero, Hub, Hygiene) is a comprehensive content strategy targeting specific audiences. Each type of content serves a different purpose:

• Hero: Standout content that creates brand awareness and wide visibility.
• Hub: Hub content is designed to engage and maintain relationships with the audience. It often focuses on a specific topic or audience segment, fostering a loyal audience.
• Hygiene: Hygiene content provides essential information, answering common questions and addressing specific problems for customers. This type of content is frequently updated and easy to find.

Importance of the 3H Model in Content Marketing

For Businesses

• Optimizing Content Performance: It helps businesses create content aligned with their business goals and customer needs, thus optimizing the content’s performance across digital platforms.

  Example: A technology company might use Hero content to introduce a groundbreaking new product, Hub content to maintain engagement through product tutorials, and Hygiene content to answer common technical support queries.

• Increasing Online Presence: The 3H model helps build a strong and diverse online presence by providing content that meets the customer’s needs at every stage of the buyer journey.

• Enhancing Reach and Engagement: Classifying content into Hygiene, Hub, and Hero categories increases the potential to reach new audiences and foster engagement through valuable, educational, and entertaining content.

For Content Marketing Teams

• Clarity on Goals and Scope: It provides a clear framework, helping content creators identify goals, scope, and the type of content to develop.

  Example: A content team might know they need to focus on engaging Hub content, such as industry-specific blog posts, while still supporting SEO efforts with consistent Hygiene content.

• Encourages Creativity: It challenges content creators to explore new ideas and develop fresh, unique content serving all three types of content—Hygiene, Hub, and Hero.

• Improving Storytelling Skills: It allows content creators to enhance their storytelling abilities, from addressing specific problems to creating compelling brand stories.

For Marketing Directors

• Supporting Strategic Decisions: The 3H model provides a strategic framework for marketing directors to shape and implement both long-term and short-term content strategies.

  Example: A director might prioritize Hero content for a major product launch while ensuring Hygiene content continues to drive steady traffic from SEO.

• Budget Optimization: It helps allocate the budget efficiently across different types of content, optimizing ROI.

• Improving Team Coordination: The 3H model clarifies the roles and responsibilities within a team, improving collaboration and overall performance.

• Measuring and Optimizing Performance: It offers a foundation for measuring and comparing the effectiveness of different types of content, enabling marketing directors to make data-driven decisions to optimize the strategy.

Origins and Development of the 3H Model

The 3H model—comprising Hygiene (now also known as Help), Hub, and Hero—is more than just a marketing structure designed to improve content performance. It also reflects a natural evolution in how brands approach their audiences across digital platforms.

In the early 21st century, as the internet and social media grew, brands recognized the importance of not only attracting but also retaining audiences. This led to the development of various content types, from educational content that provides valuable information to entertaining content that evokes emotion and engagement. The 3H model was designed to unify and integrate this approach into an overarching strategic framework.

Google played a crucial role in popularizing the 3H model. They observed that to optimize content performance across digital channels, brands needed to categorize their content into three main types, each serving a distinct purpose and stage in the customer journey.

Key Components of the 3H Model

1. Hero Content

Definition: Hero content is special content designed to grab major attention and leave a strong impression on the audience. It typically consists of large-scale campaigns or standout content with viral potential.

Role: Create brand awareness and enhance brand recognition on a large scale.

Example: A beverage brand might launch a “Share the Joy” campaign with an emotional music video about the value of sharing and connection, which goes viral on social media platforms and YouTube.

2. Hub Content

Definition: Hub content focuses on building and maintaining a community around the brand. This content is updated regularly and centers around a specific topic or field of interest to the audience.

Role: Encourage engagement and create brand loyalty.

Example: A fashion brand might create a YouTube series on seasonal styling tips, featuring interviews with designers and stylists, inviting viewers to share their thoughts and experiences about fashion.

3. Hygiene (Help) Content

Definition: Hygiene content provides value by addressing the audience’s specific problems and questions. It is essential, “searchable” content that boosts the brand’s visibility in search engines.

Role: Attract potential customers through SEO and retain them by offering helpful information.

Example: A travel company might create blog posts offering packing tips, must-visit destinations, or travel safety advice.

Steps to Build a 3H Content Strategy for Your Business

1. Define Goals and Target Audience

• Set specific goals for your content campaign, such as brand awareness, lead generation, or driving sales.
• Research your target audience to understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors.

2. Develop Engaging Hero Content

• Create standout, shareable content such as videos, blog posts, or infographics.
• Use compelling headlines, eye-catching visuals, and valuable content to capture the audience’s attention.

3. Create Hub Content that Provides Value

• Develop comprehensive and useful content that offers valuable information to your target audience.
• Use various formats like blog posts, eBooks, or videos to dive deeper into relevant topics.

4. Ensure Comprehensive Hygiene Content

• Produce basic content that offers essential information about your brand, products, or services.
• Ensure that this content is easy to find, easy to understand, and regularly updated.

5. Measure and Optimize Content Performance

• Track key metrics like views, shares, and conversions to assess content performance.
• Use this data to optimize and improve results over time.

Challenges in Applying the 3H Model

Budget and Resource Constraints

Producing Hero content and maintaining frequent Hygiene and Hub content can require significant budget and resources.

Solution: Focus on quality over quantity, repurpose content, and leverage internal resources.

Difficulty in Measuring Content Effectiveness

Tracking the specific impact of each content type can be complex and requires deep analytical tools.

Solution: Invest in analytical tools and platforms to accurately track user behavior and content performance.

Rapid Changes in User Behavior and Trends

User behavior and market trends change quickly, which can make older content outdated.

Solution: Stay updated with market trends and be ready to adjust content strategies in line with shifts in user behavior.

By applying the 3H model effectively, businesses can create a holistic content strategy that meets both immediate and long-term marketing goals