One of the most difficult things about coming up with a content creation strategy for your business is wrapping your head around just how much variety there is to leverage.
Where do you even begin? And is there a way to include everything in your broader strategy?
In this article, we’re going to cover x 10 of the main content types and how you can utilise them for your benefit. Here’s everything you need to know…
1. Blog Posts
Blog posts are the bread and butter of content creation and this is because you can create your own blog, on your own website, and have total control over the process.
The idea is to regularly publish high-value content that is relevant to your industry, helpful for your audience, and optimised in accordance with Google’s strict search policy.
This is the key to consistently attracting qualified leads to your website in the hopes of nurturing and ultimately converting them into customers.
- Conduct your keyword research and cover each topic in as much depth as possible.
- Develop an intuitive UX (user experience) with internal linking, compressed images, helpful infographics, and useful on-page elements such as an interactive contents section.
- Create high-value content that other marketers are likely to reference and link-back to (e.g., factual information with statistics and cited studies).
2. Emails
Email is another very useful form of content creation and one that is frequently under-valued.
Through proper email marketing you can nurture your own contacts and provide them with quality information that will increase the likelihood of them either converting into business, or returning again and spending yet even more money.
- Create weekly newsletters with industry insights designed to convert your qualified leads.
- Share VIP discounts and promotions to keep your contacts coming back for more.
- Send regular sales emails to leads who have yet to convert into business and promote the benefits of working with you.
3. Social Media Content
Given the fact that there are billions of daily users across social media, being active on a multitude of platforms is an effective way to get your brand and business in front of as many people as possible.
The best part? You can create content and target a highly specific audience in order to find those “perfect customers”, resonate with them, and convert them into loyal business.
First you need to identify:
- Which social media platforms are most relevant to your business?
- Where are your ideal customers hanging out?
- When are the best times to be active on social media? There are specific days and times that can help you reach optimal engagement.
- Which content types are best suited to each platform?
- The great thing about social media is that your blog posts can be repurposed to suit each individual platform. As an example:
- You can share a blog post on Facebook;
- You can then break that blog post down into several tweets for Twitter;
- You can screenshot those tweets and turn them into an Instagram carousel;
- You can transcribe your blog post into a video for YouTube.
- And so on…
4. eBooks
eBook are excellent tools that can be used as an alternative to blog posts – especially when there is an awful lot of information.
For example, if you wanted to share the definitive guide to SEO in 2023, rather than write a 5,000-word blog post, it could be repurposed into a stunning eBook with lots of visual elements and then given away as a free, high-value resource.
eBooks are typically used as lead magnets for email marketing. This is because your prospects will struggle to resist a free resource packed with all of the information they need.
In exchange for their email address they can claim their free eBook and join your mailing list – which gives you even more opportunity to nurture them and convert them into loyal customers.
5. Case Studies
Case studies are frequently undervalued, especially in the B2B industry. They can be used to share your success stories with your prospective clients which is very helpful for converting any prospects who are perhaps especially untrusting.
Take this SEO consultant in the Gold Coast as an example; if they are dealing with a potential client who has been ‘burnt’ in the past by an SEO scammer or an agency who promised them results and failed to deliver, with over 100+ real life cast studies from recognized brands, these prospects will have a much easier time investing with total confidence.
Case studies = proof of your authenticity and capabilities. If you are as good as you say you are, prove it!
6. Video Content
Video content is a great way to engage and convert your prospective customers.
According to a study conducted by Wyzowl back in 2018, almost 8 in 10 users purchased an app or piece of software after watching the brand’s video.
Particularly if you have a younger target audience, 97.8% of US internet users aged between 18 and 24 prefer video content.
(You can find even more insightful video marketing statistics here).
The best part? You can use video content in a multitude of different ways:
- Transcribe your blogs.
- Add ‘how to’ product guides to your product description pages.
- Add social proof videos to your service pages.
- Unboxing videos on social media.
- And so much more!
7. Press Releases
Do you have a new and exciting product launch on the way? Perhaps you have an up and coming event you want to create some buzz about?
Or maybe you have recently hired a new manager who’s going to help take your brand and business in a whole new direction?
Whatever the case, press releases are a great way to inform the media and your target audience about what’s happening in your camp!
Press releases can:
- Increase brand awareness,
- Generate buzz,
- Gain greater publicity,
- Spread word of mouth,
- Attract backlinks,
- And attract new leads!
8. Webinars
Webinars are similar to video content, only they are live events that can be tailored to your qualified leads who are quite far down the marketing funnel – thus driving conversions.
- Share industry-expert tips.
- Give a ‘behind the scenes’ look at your business.
- Explain the benefits of working with you.
- Offer incentives for people to sign up for the webinar and take part (e.g., freebies!)
9. “How-to” guides
‘How-to’ guides can take the form of video content, blogs, or eBooks – and they are an awesome way to demonstrate your authority in your field and establish yourself as a thought leader.
The more information you provide on a given subject, and the better presented it is, the more likely Google will be to recognise you as an authority and reward you with greater visibility.
There are many how-to guides on the internet, but most are lacking because they are hastily thrown together for the sake of pleasing Google.
Instead, provide your audience with the best possible guide and smoke the competition.
10. Whitepapers
White Papers are detailed reports that are packed full of intelligence, with research-backed solutions, certified statistics, and unseen studies.
If you want to establish yourself as a true authority and thought-leader in your industry, publishing whitepapers is the way to go about it.
Of course, the goal here is to not simply rehash other people’s research, but to provide never-before-seen solutions of your own.
Conclusion: Variety Is The Spice Of Life
There are seemingly endless ways for you to create content and engage with your audience online today.
You should endeavour to use everything at your disposal if you wish to gain a competitive edge and start dominating with a far-reaching online presence.
Of course, if you are trying to manage a business as well as handle your own content marketing strategy, it may be worth hiring the professionals to take some of the strain off.
It’s better to create high-value content then rush it out because you are stretched too thin for time.
In any case, we hope that this article has been insightful and that you now have a better idea of how you are going to include these content types in your broader content marketing strategy.
Good luck!