Every business or brand needs content to succeed online. It is the currency of the web, after all. The more content you can create—and the more different kinds of content you can create—the greater your opportunity to contribute to your company’s bottom line. Whether it is blog posts, infographics, videos, white papers, or other forms of content like toolkits, ebooks, and guides, there are hundreds of different types that brands can focus on creating to engage audiences, reach new target markets, provide value to customers, and entice new prospects.
This is because the internet runs on multiple types of content. So much so, that focusing on a certain type can be a challenge. Content can be any piece of digital text that delivers information related to your business, products, or services. However, it is not just the content itself that matters, but how it is shared across multiple channels. And when your company can successfully engage with users using customized content in all the right places, you will be well on your way to better brand awareness and increased revenue.
It is important to pinpoint the type of content that will help you generate leads for your business and engage new prospects, as well as how to use the content. If you don’t have your content strategy down or need to get up to speed, start with these types of content.
1. Blog posts
Blogging is quite possibly the most powerful tool in your internet marketing arsenal. You should know what you are writing about, or else it will be difficult for you to write good content. It is better to pick topics you are familiar with rather than trying to understand a new topic if it is your first time writing a blog. Sometimes it is good to try something new because by doing so one can explore his or her own capabilities and areas of interest. Blog posts can be a great way to attract organic traffic. Given the right title and meta description, your blog can stay at the top of search results for months. You can start blogging immediately, so what are you waiting for?
2. White papers
A white paper is a document that delivers information to answer specific questions or solve important problems, and it is helpful for almost every type of business. By writing a well-written white paper you increase your credibility and provide helpful information to both potential and existing customers. The white paper serves as a great lead generation tool because it provides an excellent overview of your product or service. It helps readers understand the problem they face and educates them on your solution for this problem. You can also create a sales letter to accompany the white paper, which will help enhance the sales process.
3. Videos
Did you know that consumer behavior shows that video is more likely to influence purchases than text, audio, images, emails, etc? In fact, it’s been reported that people are likely to click on a video ad as opposed to a text ad. If you have created a product, a video component to help boost sales is a no-brainer. Video can tell a story better than words in some cases. It has the ability to grab the audience’s attention and keep it longer than an article or blog post. And in some industries, you simply must have a video component for your product if you want to catch your audience’s attention.
4. Ebooks
Ebooks have been a staple of the digital marketing industry for a number of years. An easily overlooked tool, they offer a modern take on a traditional format and should be included as a mainstay in every digital marketer’s strategy. The purpose of your ebook can vary. It can be designed to add value to your main blog, or to stand alone as a standalone product that represents you and/or your company. You could write an ebook aimed at people in a particular industry and become their go-to for help. An ebook can also be written to rank and drive traffic to your website and blog by using the power of Google's search engine algorithms.
5. Listicles
Listicles are no new thing, but they have experienced a huge surge in popularity lately. A listicle is a form of web content consisting of a numbered or bullet list. On the web, people want to be able to glance at a particular block of text and immediately know what it’s about. It’s all about the experience and making it as easy as possible on their eyes. People can skim lists faster than they can read paragraphs, thus why listicles gain more traction on the web. Make the listicle interesting for your audience by focusing on the introduction and conclusion, where you can include a strategy or bonus detail that wasn’t just spelled out in the list.
6. Infographics
If you’re still not convinced of the power that infographics can give to your marketing campaigns, then this blog post will open your eyes. Infographics are one of the most popular content types because they provide a lot of information in a digestible way. They are easy to look at, fun and engaging, and great for visual learners. Have you ever heard of the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words?” That means an image — infographic — can be more effective at conveying information than plain text. Because infographics are an easy way for lots of people to consume information it’s also great for SEO.
7. Press releases
Press releases can be a valuable asset. The purpose of a press release is to announce something that is interesting to the public. That could be a new product, project, service, client acquisition, rebranding, award you received, partnership...you get the idea. It doesn't matter what the subject of your press release is, as long as it's interesting enough to make people want to read about it. A lot of people think press releases are just for the media, but the truth is that it's just as important for you because once it hits the news, it becomes a part of your online and offline marketing strategy.