The different types of content
When you hear content marketing, what do you think of? If you’re like most businesses, probably blogging that is integrated social media marketing.
While blogging is beneficial, there are a number of types of content that you can and should add to your content marketing strategy.
Using different types of content can help you connect with different customers in a number of ways. In many cases, a variety of content types
is ideal for reaching and connecting with users at different points, here’s how and why you should create different types of content:
Blogging
For many brands, blog posts make up the central part of their marketing strategy. There’s a good reason for this, blog posts typically don’t take too long to write, they’re easily found by Google, users are happy to read and share them and it is a quick way to offer value at a relatively low cost. Blog posts are ideal for building relationships with your readers, which can eventually help with lead nurturing conversions, maintaining a consistent blog with frequent, high-quality posts.
Long-form content
Long-form content that is free and available online can be a fantastic way to build thought leadership and increase subscribers. This type of content won’t just be 1,000 words; it might be 5,000 to 15,000 words long. There may be several chapters or sections and because of this, they offer immense value. Users don’t have to go anywhere else for information on a subject, because you have literally covered it all.
Case Studies
Case studies are in-depth examinations covering specific scenarios, for example, should provide both knowledge and actionable information. They’re fantastic for several reasons; they allow you to establish thought leadership, be unique and are highly sharable. Case studies are most effective when following a model; you want to summarise, explain, show results and have a solution for your case study as well as asking ‘why does this matter?” treat your case study like a blog post and use storytelling elements, focusing on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ parts of your research.
Infographics
Infographics allow you to pack a ton of information into one image in a way that is usually interesting and easily understood. If you’ve got a lot of data and statistics, then an infographic with visual representations, charts and graphics can interactively show your data. There are plenty of different types of infographic to choose from; one thing to remember is to keep the designs simple and clean, so users don’t get overwhelmed.
Video
Video isn’t always associated with content marketing but it should be. Videos are dynamic, engaging, and more users are watching videos than reading text, so it’s essential to include it in content marketing strategies. Distribute video in both content marketing and social media campaigns. The easiest way to use video is to upload them to Youtube, coordinate them with blog posts and embed them in blog posts you write.
Blogging can make up the cornerstone of your content marketing strategy; it shouldn’t be the only type of content you’re using to increase traffic. A diverse content marketing strategy will always help you to get significant results out of your marketing campaigns.
