Modular content
Description
In a traditional content workflow, information is often trapped in linear formats like Word documents or PDFs. If a company updates a product specification, they might have to manually find and edit that specification in a user manual, a website FAQ, a sales brochure and a training video. This process is slow, error-prone and difficult to scale.
Modular content solves this by treating information like building blocks. Instead of writing a "document," authors create specific modules – such as a safety warning, a technical description or a promotional paragraph. Each module is stored in a central repository (typically a Component Content Management System (CCMS)) and enriched with metadata that defines what it is and how it can be used. Because the content is separated from its formatting, it becomes agile. A single module can be pulled into a printed manual, displayed on a mobile app screen or fed into a chatbot response. When that module needs updating, the author changes it once in the source, and the update propagates automatically to every location where that module is referenced. This approach is essential for delivering omnichannel publishing experiences.
Example use cases
- Marketing: Dynamically assembling email newsletters by selecting specific content modules.
- Compliance: Managing critical safety information as a single locked module reused across files.
- Field service: Delivering bite-sized troubleshooting steps to a technician’s smartphone.
- Websites: Sharing core brand and product modules across regional sites.
- Chatbots: Feeding conversational AI agents with precise, topic-specific modules.
Key benefits
RWS perspective
RWS champions modular content as the foundation of the intelligent enterprise. Through Tridion, we help organizations break free from the limitations of document-based thinking. Our platform provides the architecture needed to create, govern and deliver modular content at a global scale.
We combine the precision of structured content authoring with the flexibility of headless CMS delivery. This means our clients can enforce strict governance for regulated content while giving marketing teams the creative freedom to build dynamic digital experiences. Our Human + Technology approach ensures that while automation handles the assembly and distribution of modules, human experts retain full control over the quality, tone and accuracy of the source information.