The PMMs Guide to Successful Product Marketing
Having good ideas is great for business; but for an idea to become a reality, it needs to be conceptualized first. An idea without a concept breakdown is simply a dream.
To turn an idea into a business action, you need a concept map to analyze, brainstorm and capture all the details. That’s where concept maps come in handy.
However, concept mapping your ideas is tough when you don’t know where to start. In this article, we share 12 stunning concept map templates to get you started on the right foot plus some essential knowledge you need to create effective concept maps.
Let’s flow.
A concept map is a graphic organizer that visualizes one central concept and its relation to further concepts through statements and relationships. Concept mapping has long been an essential learning tool for all levels of education, business management and employee training.
Concept maps can help with many aspects of business; brainstorming, processing, development and analysis. For example:
Concept mapping’s widely appreciated characteristic is its effectiveness in thought development and idea capture. But they not only help break down an idea or project into parts; they also support development and implementation.
An effective concept map leads seamlessly into a plan, strategy and roadmap.
In a concept map, the statement “Digital marketing includes social media marketing, content marketing and email marketing” would look like this:
Like many business processes, concept mapping takes time. You can save a considerable amount of prep time with pre-designed templates. They can help you visualize an idea or project as you fill in the placeholders with your content.
Likewise, professional concept map templates turn messy concept maps drafted on the office whiteboard into shareable visuals to add to reports and other business communication documents.
Concept maps comprise three essential ingredients:
Shapes with text called “nodes” represent the main concept and its subconcepts. Nodes can be circles, squares, diamonds or ovals. Using different shapes or colors for different areas of the concept map can help with cluster analysis.
Lines and arrows express the relationship between nodes/concepts. Lines visualize non-dependent relationships, and arrows express a process or flow from one node to another.
These connectors can include a linking word to identify the relationship. Linking words can be verbs or words that create relationships. For example:
Choosing the perfect linking word is paramount to an effective concept map. The wrong linking word could confuse or lead to misinterpretation.
When using Visme to create concept maps, you have access to numerous tools and design elements specially designed for diagramming and mapping. Here are three insider tips for designing your concept maps with Visme.
1. Use shapes and colors to create visual clusters. Group-related subconcepts visually by using the same shape and color. Add some white space between clusters for an added visual effect.
2. Use strategic lines and arrows to visualize relationships. Lines that connect concepts together should be joined with their connected shape to avoid confusion. Ensure arrow directions are easy to differentiate.
3. Use the integrated diagram builder for faster mapping. Don’t waste time adding shapes and lines from scratch. Pull pre-built diagrams from the left toolbar and adapt to your own concept.
You might have seen concept maps and mind maps referenced as the same thing. They’re not, but they do have similarities aside from their differences.
Both concept maps and mind maps are visual processing tools to help you understand a topic better. They are also essential in brainstorming sessions.
A concept map helps brainstorm a structure about a concept and others that relate to it, while a mind map helps with brainstorming and ideation in a more free and loose style. Mind maps tend to be bigger, and relationships between ideas aren’t necessarily expressed.
The main differences and similarities you need to know about concept maps and mind maps are visualized in this infographic.
Made with Visme Infographic Maker
Are you looking for information about mind maps or mind map templates? We have a blog post about making them, another with a collection of mind map examples and an entire category of templates.
Concept maps are so versatile; they have many purposes. They are used to:
There are four types of visual thought-processing tools that incorporate nodes, relationships and linking. Since they all follow the same articulations, they’re all considered concept maps. Let’s take a deeper look.
Spider concept maps are named after their visual resemblance to spiders and spider webs. The main concept is housed in a central node, from which statements branch out using linking words and more nodes.
Nodes can branch out in any direction and as far as necessary. If you want to share the finished concept map with an audience, you’ll have to customize and adjust the nodes and links until you have a visual composition that makes sense.
All concept maps have a hierarchical structure, but a hierarchy concept map expresses it visually. The main concept is at the top, and the sub-concepts branch downward in consecutive levels, similar to org charts.
There can also be a relationship horizontally between clusters and subtopics. Hierarchical concept maps are best suited when the main concept is the most important and the connected nodes are subtopics.
Flowcharts are concept maps that visualize processes or dichotomous keys. You’ll see more arrows than lines in a flowchart as one concept leads to the next progressively.
Use the Visme diagram maker to build a flowchart that makes sense and is easy to follow. Create process flowcharts for work processes employees and team members must follow and include them in the digital handbook.
In a system concept map, the relationship between nodes is expressed with multidirectional arrows. Unlike the other three concept maps that visualize relationships in one direction, system concept maps can go forward and backward and connect to nodes in multiple ways.
Visme concept map templates are available in both the editor and whiteboard. All are professionally designed to aid you in concept map creation for your business.
“Some templates you stumble upon and are blown away that someone put the time and effort into creating them and you did not know you needed them in your life until that minute.”
- Lorens | Graphic Designer
Here are 12 examples you can use immediately.
This spider map template visualizes the concept of a marketing strategy. Secondary nodes spread out using linking words like “includes,” “involves,” and “provides,” which in turn branch out to the ideas that complete the statement. The rounded shapes and sans font deliver a sense of freshness to what could be a page in an informative ebook or report.
Visualize risk management characteristics with this concept map template in agreeable pink hues.
Add or remove any nodes that don’t relate to your business, and include this as a page in your training manual for employees that want to join the risk management team. Or take out all the content and input whatever concept you want in minutes.
This concept map uses longer statements to visualize relationships that describe the concept of human resources. Creating a concept map on an infographic canvas with Visme allows you to create a vertical flow of information.
Simply drag the bottom bar and increase the length of the canvas. Use different shapes and colors to separate clusters and linking words visually. Add a few illustrations to add visual value to the concept map.
Visualize a concept with categorical characteristics that can be separated into nodes of equal hierarchy with subsequent statements each. This concept map’s layout is a little different to most, but that’s what makes it special. Use this concept map template to create an interactive infographic to share with your audience as a lead magnet or blog post graphic.
Try unique shapes and icons to visualize your concept map. Start with a central icon representing your main concept and use descriptive icons for the linking words.
The lines in Visme’s flowchart maker are deeply customizable. Create bends where you must open up the composition to fit more concept nodes. Make it symmetrical by using smart guides to snap the lines at the same level.
You can also create concept maps in Visme’s infinite whiteboard. This whiteboard template is a great foundation for creating a different concept map that avoids connecting lines altogether.
The relationships are expressed through the boxes' size and the up-to-down information flow. Keep track of objects copied and pasted on an infinite whiteboard with a feature that allows you to locate copied objects faster.
Create a system concept map in the infinite whiteboard where you can add nodes and connectors freely without restraints. This omnichannel marketing whiteboard concept map template is the ideal foundation for a system map of any concept your team needs to visualize. Use a monochromatic palette of your brand colors to stay on brand while sharing concept maps with employees and team members.
Collaborative concept maps are great team-building tools, especially when you use the Visme infinite whiteboard. Invite team members to your workspace to work together on a company values concept map.
Begin the remote meeting with the central node, “What drives our business?” and let others add more nodes. Use the template as an example of what is possible and let everyone take a turn adding their thoughts and beliefs about the main concept.
This template is one of numerous system diagrams, also called system concept maps. These maps can help you visualize and conceptualize processes and systems and in your organization. Use the concept map functionality to take the viewer from point A to point B and all the steps in between. Use this template to standardize processes and train staff on how things are supposed to work.
Try a dichotomous chart to welcome new clients into your system. Ask them to follow the flowchart by answering yes or no to each node. In this case, it could be a great addition to an email or website page for new leads.
Embed an interactive version of this negotiation flowchart in a landing page design, creating more engagement with visitors and prospects.
Are you looking for a unique way to represent your team in an infographic? This concept map infographic is the perfect template for that purpose.
Create a hierarchy flowchart as an org chart using avatar illustrations and name labels. Incorporate brand colors and fonts into the design using the integrated brand kit. If you want to use illustrated avatars, add images inside circular frames all the same size.
Concept maps can use icons instead of words in nodes. A network diagram with icons for computers, servers, and routers will say all it needs to say without a single word. Start with this template and customize the interconnected icons to match your particular network.
Keep it as a reference when something breaks or use it as teaching material in a training manual. Try cutting the lines, leaving a bit of separation for visual balance when using icons.
Let’s answer your most pressing questions about concept maps.
Creating conceptual maps—or concept maps as they are generally called— is easy when you have Visme as your content authoring tool. Here’s a quick step-by-step:
Learn more with our in-depth guide on how to make a concept map.
Four types of visual thought organizers use nodes, connectors and linking words. They are:
Concept maps are always a great idea for thought processing. But what makes a concept map good? It checks these three boxes:
A concept map example is a concept map template or concept map wireframe that doesn’t have any content in it. You can use a concept map example or template as a foundation for your own concept map.
Are you looking for a particular concept map example? Browse our extensive collection of templates and choose any of the four types of concept maps.
In this guide, we covered all the essential information you need to know about concept maps. We also shared 12 concept map templates covering the four concept map types: spider, hierarchy, flowchart and system.
Now it’s your turn to create a collaborative concept map to help your team better understand systems and processes. Don’t let your ideas turn into unattainable dreams and use a concept map to structure all the knowledge related to it.
Try Visme, a concept map creator with limitless design capabilities that’ll help you easily visualize, organize and analyze concepts.
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