It’s no surprise that content has skyrocketed to the top of every company’s marketing efforts. It is the leader in providing:
- Credibility
- Authority
- Drive Conversions
- Increase traffic to Site
- Build Brand Awareness
- Educate your customers
- Position yourself as an expert
- Push buyers through the customer journey
- Improve SEO & Online visibility
- Attract more qualified leads
- Increase engagement
And the list goes on…
There’s no doubt that this is the right decision for you. The real decision is which type of content to create. For starters, there’s no limit. So feel free to create as much as you’d like. But where to start?
Below, I’ve worked out a few of the top types of content preferred by most businesses to attract the largest audience and for all the reasons you see above.
1. Infographic
Infographics, when it comes down to it are a premium way to educate your customer. Many companies will use an infographic to really position themselves as an expert in their field by using stats, graphs and other sorts of visual contents. Most consumers respond well to visual data to understand better why something is of value or how it works.
2. Case Study
Case Studies can be used as your greatest form of social proof. Ultimately, you’re sharing the story of one of your clients, how they used your product and the results they received. Assuming these are positive results (because why would you share the negative, duh) this can allow other companies to visually apply the same solutions to their problems and consider the same outcome. Plus, your goal here is to use a widely known company to help build credibility.
3. White Paper
White papers are a type of long-form content that tends to be a bit more information-dense, data-driven, and detail-focused. This makes them one of the best types of content marketing for B2B and other small businesses that want to build thought leadership and gain more respect in their industry.
4. Video
Video Content is at its highest right now. Most consumers will argue that they prefer to watch a video before purchasing a product. Therefore, most businesses are using video to sell their product. It should be included in every company’s marketing plan as a top priority for content. It makes sense to even develop your own video marketing campaign to help align your content goals with your overall marketing efforts.
5. Podcasts
Podcasts are, by far, the hottest trend in marketing. Similar to case studies and white papers, podcasts allow for a very in depth look at a specific topic. This allows you to establish yourself as an expert. You also can bring in guests to speak on any given topic creating a sense of credibility and authority. You can also link into your community and start to build a relationship with your audience.
6. Blog
Blogging is probably the most common types of content used today. It is one of the easiest ways to use your words for SEO, drive more organic traffic to your site, and get your point across in the most efficient manner. Blogging doesn’t necessarily have to be exceptionally long, it really depends on the goals you are trying to achieve but the average post runs around 1150 words. For more information on writing a blog, read Five Tips to Writing a Blog for Beginners.
7. Landing Page
Landing Pages focus around your brand. This is going to be a page on your business website, so it must align with the branding on the entire site. This does however, pose a wonderful opportunity for you to provide a boatload of educational information about your product or service, while taking advantage of the opportunity to build SEO and increase organic traffic.
8. Newsletter
Newsletters offer you the opportunity to maintain an ongoing relationship with your audience through regular engagement. Sending weekly, monthly or even annual newsletters keeps your name in the reader’s heads. You have the benefit of discussing your product, updating information on your company and keeping in touch with your subscribers.
9. Testimonial
Testimonials are your strongest sell for any product. Just like a case study they provide a form of social proof only in short form. You can use testimonials pretty much on any other type of content or even on your websites (in fact, you should absolutely be using them on your websites and everywhere else). Testimonials (or a more in-depth, success story) allows your audience to build a sense of trust towards your product and earns you credibility.
10. Interviews
When I say interviews, I mean you conduct an interview with an industry expert. Depending on your industry and product, this can even be one of your clients. This is ideal in that, again it’s positioning you as a leader and building credibility. This interview can be steered in a way that promotes your product and describes the challenges overcome by using your product. Interviews can come in different forms including webinars, YouTube video, written interview for blog or podcasts even (you see how many content types can intertwine with each other).
In Conclusion
No matter the content, they’re all going to benefit your company in a multitude of ways. You have to take advantage of these free/cheap opportunities as long as they come along. Once you’ve created your content, decide how you want to market it; even plan to incorporate it into your email marketing campaign. Content can easily be one of your best marketing strategies.
But before moving forward with any content, make sure you develop a clear content marketing plan to develop your goals and make sure you aim all efforts towards accomplishing them.
For more information on this topic or any others, check us out at www.dotlayer.com.
