The field of content marketing is growing and if you want to be competitive, you should invest time in exploring the various types. Content marketing is a process of attracting and engaging your target markets. Customers, leads, and audiences want you to provide them with a variety of useful content. You must deliver the content in a way that feels natural and organic to the audience, rather than being intrusive. You might find it difficult to decide which types of content marketing will make an impact on your business. When you want your marketing to stand out, there are several options available to you.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a long-term strategy that is designed to cultivate a strong relationship with your target audience by providing them with relevant, high-quality content. The process of developing, distributing, sharing, and publishing content via channels such as social media, blogs, websites, podcasts, applications, press releases, and print publications, among others, is known as content marketing. The goal is to enhance brand exposure, sales, engagement, and loyalty by reaching out to your target audience.
Why is content marketing important?
Content marketing is critical for the following reasons:
- Notify your leads and prospects about the products and services you offer.
- Increase the number of conversions.
- Establish customer-business relationships that result in increased loyalty.
- Demonstrate to your audience how your products and services answer their problems.
- Create a sense of belonging for your brand.
Reminder: Across all of your distribution platforms, your content must have a distinct and unmistakable voice, style, and tone. Consistency in content is what will generate credibility, build trust, and strengthen your brand. As a result, we understand that the content you provide must be consistent. But first and foremost, why is content marketing so beneficial? The following are the most important advantages of content marketing.
Benefits of content marketing
Your audience will stay for a longer period of time
Content that provides your potential customers with good experiences is a great asset. It attracts attention and reinforces your brand image over time. It’s your ticket to attracting the attention of your target audience and reinforcing a positive brand image over time.
Your social media presence will improve
Growing your social media following across multiple platforms is one thing, but creating trending content is quite another. You need to start using content marketing to benefit your business if it isn’t gaining any traction, despite having a large following. The growth of your business’s social media can be enhanced by quality content.
You will gain your audience’s trust
Content creation contributes to the development of a relationship between your business and its target audience. You can connect with customers and answer their inquiries. Your audience is more inclined to trust your advice and suggestions if you provide value without expecting anything in return. Ultimately, your brand’s reputation will increase when your content appears in the right location, at the right time, with the right audience. Customers are more likely to have a favourable impression of your business if they see more high-quality content.
You’ll generate more and better leads as a result of your efforts
Leads can be generated through content marketing. Your audience is more inclined to buy from you in the future if they see your content. Additionally, calls-to-action (CTAs) embedded in your content can help your sales staff generate new leads. Typically, you develop content to deliver free, helpful information to visitors. CTAs can be placed anywhere in your content, including the inline, bottom of the post, in the hero, and even on the side panel. The more satisfied a visitor is with your content, the more likely they are to click on your call-to-action and move onto your landing page.
Conversions can be improved by using original content
Conversions are influenced by the content you publish. It allows your audience to interact with you while also providing them with the knowledge they need to make informed purchases. Furthermore, if you are utilising blog content to drive traffic, consider using unique visuals rather than stock photographs, as marketers say the latter is the least successful at helping them achieve their objectives. Additionally, your content should always include a call to action (CTA) that directs your reader to the next step.
Because of SEO your business will become more noticeable
The more consistent and high-quality content you create, the better your SEO efforts will be. For example, your content should aid in the visibility of your business online as the development of trust and authority among your target audience. Furthermore, your content should help you have a well-developed content strategy, such as a pillar content/cluster model.
Great content can help your business establish itself as an industry leader
Creating high-quality content will also aid in the development of your online authority. You’re more likely to rank higher in search engines if your business has established itself as a reliable source of information. Besides that, if your consumers see you as an industry expert, they are more likely to trust you. Your content should demonstrate your knowledge of the subject matter and provide useful solutions to your audience’s questions.
Brand awareness can be increased by using high-quality content
Anything can help you raise brand awareness, but content marketing is one of the most effective ways to do so. Create a content strategy that achieves more than just a first-page rank for your blog article. Make your content visible to potential customers wherever they are looking for your product or services. Write about issues that your customers care about so that they start to identify your amazing content with your business.
You’ll nurture loyal brand fanatics
Taking brand awareness, a step further, all of the people who talked about your content and linked all of those wonderful sentiments with your company are quite likely to become brand advocates before ever buying your product. Brand fans can be just as devoted and influence the purchasing decisions of their friends and family as new customers realise that a business delivers value to its present customers. Content marketing is one of the most effective ways for businesses to achieve this.
Your marketing strategy will be less expensive
Content expenses appear to be high upfront, and this is a valid concern. The cost of blog content ranges from £150 per post to £3,000 for a freelance writer, but you could hire a full-time staff writer to provide content on a regular basis. When compared to paid advertisements, video marketing, and traditional marketing, content marketing always triumphs over finance in the long run.
Types of content marketing
1. Social Media Content Marketing
It’s simple to see why so many businesses invest in social media marketing, given that there are over 3.6 billion social media users worldwide. There are various platforms to work with (for example, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat) and several ways to generate and publish content on each of them (e.g., photos, live videos, pre-recorded videos, stories).
2. Infographic Content Marketing
Infographics present facts, statistics, and information in a visually appealing way. Infographics are a wonderful approach to successfully express your content since they combine basic words, concise assertions, and clear imagery. They’re great for simplifying a complex or instructional issue so that everyone in the audience can grasp it.
3. Blog Content Marketing
Blogs are an effective form of inbound content because they provide a great deal of flexibility in terms of aim and topic. You can use a blog to link to other internal and external material and blog entries, add social share buttons and include product information, among other things.
4. Podcast Content Marketing
A growing number of businesses and media entities have begun to produce and distribute their own podcasts. Podcasts offer a great deal of creativity because they can be about anything. You also decide on other aspects of the podcast, such as the frequency of episodes, who will be on it, how you will promote it, and how long the episodes will be.
5. Video Content Marketing
69% of consumers prefer to learn about a brand’s product or service through video, according to a Wyzowl study. Video marketing may also help you increase conversions, increase ROI, and establish relationships with your audience. You can post your video material on social media sites, landing pages, or on the website of a co-marketer.
6. Paid Ad Content Marketing
Paid advertising may help you reach a large audience and position yourself in all of the places you want to be seen – they’re especially useful when used in conjunction with inbound marketing. Paid adverts can be shared in a variety of venues, including social media, landing pages, banners, and sponsored content.
Content marketing examples
Blogs
Having a blog on your website that is relevant to your product and market can attract potential customers who are looking for the solution your business provides. Blog postings help with SEO and can be an affordable approach to increase organic traffic. Keep the following points in mind when creating blog posts:
- Make your content SEO-friendly.
- To organise your blog subjects, use a pillar or cluster model.
- Maintain a laser-like focus on your product through your content.
Example:
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Videos
Videos have a high level of viewer engagement. According to Single Grain research, viewers retain approximately 95% of a video’s message, so it is no surprise that marketers will commit more money to video marketing in the future. With almost 250,000 members, Shopify is an outstanding example of video content marketing done well. Their service is a platform for small to medium-sized e-commerce businesses, with a focus on solopreneurs. As a result, their channel is primarily comprised of how-to videos that instruct viewers on how to run an e-commerce store. Every video is advice from real consumers, which is the twist that makes their videos so successful.
Example:
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Infographics
Infographics are a lot of fun and may help a marketing strategy stand out by providing eye-catching content. They’re bright, colourful ways to present data or processes. Marketers love infographics because they are quick and low-cost. Take LinkedIn Marketing Solutions for example. They are devoted to assisting marketers in connecting with people efficiently using the LinkedIn network. Their infographic marketing is aimed at delivering knowledge and insights that will benefit marketers in general. Their colourful infographics provide an endless stream of important information to help marketers work smarter, whether it’s ideas on how to design the perfect marketing mix (visualised as food) or the people who need to establish a great marketing team.
Example:
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Consider how you can provide actual value to your infographic marketing by including tips, tutorials, or other information that will benefit readers in some way.
Case studies
Case studies are useful for leads who want to learn more about your business directly from your customers. Buyers may see a customer’s journey from beginning to end and see similar use cases in action using case studies.
Example:
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This LinkedIn case study delves into how Adobe uses LinkedIn to market its business and attract applicants. It includes statistics and screenshots from Adobe’s campaign, as well as examples of how the business has used the workplace platform to measure its success. This case study may be useful to other firms looking to explore how using LinkedIn in a similar way might help them enhance their talent pipeline.
eBooks
Consider an eBook to be long-form blog content if you’ve never published one before. They’re not a novel, and they’re not a multi-page advertisement for your business. Instead, they’re a tool to provide essential information to potential clients. Let’s look at Intercom. Intercom makes the most of its expert interviews by highlighting them with stunning visuals to entice the reader and provide a personal touch.
Example:
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Intercom, a conversational relationship platform, has released a series of eBooks as part of its The Sales Handbook: which is a terrific way to convey expertise on a big topic without overwhelming the reader. It also increased the amount of time a reader spends with the business, lengthening the buyer’s journey and increasing brand recognition.
User-generated content
Because it involves customers, user-generated content is an excellent content marketing method. People respond to those who are similar to them, and this is more likely to pique their interest in your business. The social media accounts of sparkling water La Croix are filled with user-generated content. La Croix’s feeds are filled with content made by people who clearly adore the product, from fan art to photographs of young adults – its target audience – posing with their favourite flavours. Despite the fact that the content originates from a range of sources, La Croix manages to keep a consistent brand image.
Example:
Checklists
Checklists are useful to potential customers, especially small businesses. They can be designed to meet your social media pages and illustrate a step-by-step technique for solving a problem.
Example:
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This example by PrettyLittleMarketer tells you everything you need to do in preparation for your dream job interview. A before and after checklist will keep your audience on track to success.
Tip: Think of how your product or services fit in with your target audiences’ daily routine.
Memes
Memes are a newer form of content marketing, but they’re incredibly effective. A meme is a picture with culturally relevant text that is widely shared on the internet. It’s a smart approach to drive traffic if you can time a meme right and fit it with your social aesthetic.
Example:
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The online retailer Very frequently uses mems as a form of entertainment. What is the underlying goal? Keeping in touch with their followers. After all, it doesn’t always have to be about you. Memes necessitate a thorough examination of the present social climate to determine where your business fits in. That’s where social listening comes in.
Testimonials/Reviews
Testimonials and customer reviews, like user-generated content, are generated directly from your audience. If you’re in a specialised market, testimonials might help you explain why your business is unique.
Example:
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With a particularly striking headline about the “world’s best companies” employing InVision, InVision immediately gets the attention of web visitors. While the header is effective at grabbing visitors’ attention and getting them in the appropriate frame of mind, InVision also makes additional strategic judgements. They show that actual people profit from utilising the product while also showing that there are huge business names behind them by using two images for each testimonial.
Whitepapers
These are not eBooks, as they are frequently misinterpreted. Whitepapers are more tightly packed with data and information than other types of lengthy content. Your message must be remembered if your objective with whitepapers is to promote your services and generate leads for your business.
Example:
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HP and Red Hat collaborated on this one-of-a-kind white paper. It outlines how they use their consulting and migration skills to assist clients with digital transformation. They’ve even highlighted one of their clients, DreamWorks, and how they were able to achieve digital transformation. This white paper is a great illustration of how they’re bringing their proposition to life.
How-to guides/academies
How-to instructions are essential in content marketing if you are offering customer relationship management (CRM) or any other type of software. Training courses are an interactive approach for new and potential buyers to test drive your product before committing, from GoogleAds to Skillshare.
Example:
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Google for Non-profits have put together a variety of guides for you to download which can all help towards the success of your business. However, if you are a small business that can’t afford an academy, Instagram Reels could be the solution. Reels are short, entertaining videos that inspire your audience. Rather than creating a whole guide, you can create multi-clip videos for up to 30 seconds, and get creative with easy-to-use text, AR filters, and audio (you can even upload videos from your gallery, too).
Influencers/Paid Ad content
Influencers in the industry can be quite helpful to a marketing strategy. Having influencers promote your content can bring in a whole new audience that you wouldn’t have been able to reach otherwise. Simply email their representative with a press release or contact their firm or manager directly to connect with an influencer in your sector.
Example:
Dunkin’ Donuts, which began collaborating with TikTok star Charli D’Amelio in 2020, is a great example of a brand recognising which influencers genuinely care about their brand. Long before the brand decided to put any money behind it, Charli was known for making TikToks with her trusty Dunkin’ drink. When the brand and the creator of TikTok teamed together to produce The Charli it triggered a surge in sign-ups and a 57% rise in daily downloads of the Dunkin’ App. The collaboration was well-received because Charli’s audience knew she genuinely loved the product.
While some of these are content marketing must-haves, this is by no means a comprehensive list of content marketing types. When it comes to content marketing, pick the types that best suit your business, and don’t be scared to try new things!
