While creating content sounds relatively easy for most marketers, the truth is, there is much more to it than what meets the eye. Content has become a cornerstone of any brand's marketing plan, generating the most relevant traffic, creating better awareness and cultivating trust with users like never before.
But remember, what works for your competition may completely fall flat for your platform, which brings us to our next set of questions.
How do we decide amongst several different types of content marketing?
What are the top-performing content marketing strategies that brands are using?
And most importantly, which ones will work wonders for your business in the post-pandemic world?
Well, look no further; this guide will answer everything for you.
Top-performing types of content marketing:
Blogging
Articles
Blogging is one of the most popular and effective types of content used in content marketing strategies. According to Forbes, websites that include blogs/articles have a greater probability of appearing on the first page of Google search results. This is because such websites have 434% more indexed pages than other websites, 97% more inbound links and more relevant keywords in their content.
All these factors collectively improve the SEO compatibility of the website, which ultimately helps businesses establish good relationships with existing and new customers.
Consistency in content is one of the key factors that helps users recognise a brand, and blogging is the best way to create awareness and foster connections.
Case Studies
Just like the brand benefits from knowing about its customers, the users too wish to discover if the brand has something substantial to add to their lives. They appreciate real connections, and case studies provide that kind of assurance.
Case studies are compelling customer stories that illustrate how the brand adds value to users' lives and businesses. Real-life examples cultivate trust amongst new customers and ultimately generate more leads.
The case studies become compelling when the brands talk about the journey they took with the end consumer to help them succeed. It's not about the brand but more about how the brand dedicated itself towards its customers.
How-to guides
These teaching guides in the form of long, detailed blog posts educate readers about any topic at hand. A good and informative how-to-guide is the one that actually solves a real problem for the audience.
For instance, a detailed blog post on how to create a content marketing strategy from scratch wherein we narrow down the entire process into a step-by-step guide with relevant visuals, graphics and videos, can work for your company.
The process of writing an effective how-to-guide can be further simplified with checklists and bullet points.
Videos
The digital marketplace is extremely competitive, which means grabbing the attention of your target audience could be quite a challenge. Video content is now more prominent than ever, and the reasons are obvious; visually appealing and engaging content in the age of declining attention span. It is one of the most effective types of content for marketing.
The pandemic has also altered the way people now consume content. Since they were unable to see or try the products before buying them online, watching a video of the same became the only viable option that helped them survive the lockdown restrictions.
From product unboxing to DIY videos, consumers now actually prefer to watch a product video before making a purchase. Several studies have also revealed that the landing pages with video content have a higher conversion rate. Short, attention-grabbing and informational content packed in videos helps engage users in the awareness stage, which certainly goes a long way.
Interviews & Webinars
Interviews with industry experts and customers is a great way to gain market insights. This helps brands develop a better product by addressing the primary needs and challenges of the target audience. Expert advice strengthens the brand value by helping brands adapt to the ever-evolving market requirements. Here are a few ways to use interviews as a part of your content marketing strategy:
- Written interview content in a blog/article
- A live interview through a webinar or live stream with Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat
- Recorded interview content made live on the website through YouTube
Podcast
Tapping into a tough network of workaholics who are always swamped with meetings has become challenging for marketers. This has given rise to an easy content marketing type that helps users gain quick on-the-go news insights that are incredibly engaging and informative.
Most content that comes in the form of blogs/articles, visuals or videos demands physical attention, which users find difficult to make time for. Podcasts are super convenient and a perfect content type for multi-tasking, where all a listener needs to do is hit play and listen. Switching your favourite playlist with light interactive content every once in a while isn’t much of a task for users, and that's exactly what they love the most about podcasts.
Infographics
Infographic is a visual content marketing format that helps readers visualise data or statistics in a super easy and engaging manner. They are one of the most eye-catching types of content in digital marketing. They feature information in the most segregated, presentable and simple ways.
Infographics are mostly used for helping readers retain the results of a particular study or survey that usually talks numbers. Of course, they can be used for everything, but choosing the right graphic for the right information could be a game-changer for your platform.
Interactive Content: Q&A and Quizzes
A successful Q&A session with the audience helps foster new connections. Inquisitive content evokes users' attention, increases brand awareness and helps brands exchange an honest dialogue with their customers.
In order to continually grow and prosper, brands need to facilitate an open channel where customers can give feedback and ask questions before making a purchase.
Quizzes in a blog post or listicle is also another way to collect data about your target audience or educate them about your product or service.
eBooks and Whitepapers
eBooks and Whitepapers are two types of long-form content that are used to maximise leads. Unlike other types of content marketing, the objective behind creating an ebook is to address the needs and challenges of your target audience and to answer all their questions about the brand.
This guide will automatically add credibility to your business which results in generating more leads. While white papers are similar to e-books in several ways, the key differentiator is the content which tends to be a bit more data-driven, detail-oriented and information-dense.
Social Media Content
The social media method of marketing aims to increase brand awareness and nurture relationships with customers. Consistency in communication is tough to establish, especially when there is a lot of informational and promotional content to disseminate on a daily basis.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or even Snapchat have made the task easier for businesses to communicate anything in terms of sales, promotions or additional information on new or existing products. It is one of the best types of content marketing strategies for lead generation and brand awareness.
Besides generating the most relevant and engaging content for a network of millions of users, marketers can also use social media analytics to gauge the traffic that social media is generating for your platform.
Social media can also be used to repurpose any type of content (blogs, vlogs, articles, videos, infographics, listicles etc.) that you are currently using to market your products and services.
GIFs and Memes
GIFs and memes are the types of content format that Millenials love engaging with. Memes are feature images with entertaining captions gone viral on the internet, and GIFs are animated short video files that are shared on a variety of platforms. The growing popularity of GIFs and memes is attributed to entertaining and providing relatable content that resonates with the young audience.
Information can come in various formats. The extremely light and mostly funny content brings excitement to current topics and draws attention. In fact, they can be integrated within a particular blog or even marketing emails to add the entertainment element, which is mostly missing in plain content. No matter how good the content is, a little humour is always a good addition.
Email Content
Another way to reach prospective leads and clients is through email. Customers can subscribe to receive regular updates about your brand that helps them learn more about your services, discounts and promotions.
If they're convinced, the call to action button at the bottom of the email can direct them to the respective site where they can make a purchase. Email marketing is one of the best and most effective types of content marketing strategies to meet potential customers.
The Success Hack for Your Business!
Whether it is a short snippet on a banner, a blog, an infographic, email, or a super descriptive article, communication is the key to success on any platform. However, this communication can only be effective if it truly resonates with your audience, therefore knowing what your audience is looking for is of prime importance.
Clearly, writing a compelling brand message in any content format isn't as easy as it appears. It needs the right blend of talent and approach, which is hard to strike. We can help you reach there with a platform that has the right talent and services for you.
Want to learn more? Read all about Scalenut’s content and design services here. Also, if you have some great insights on any content marketing strategy that has worked wonders for your platform, do share them in the comments below! As we mentioned earlier, everything begins with the audience and we’d love to start with you :)
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