Types of Content Marketing: Should You Do ALL of Them?

Around 82% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing because of its effectiveness at bringing more traffic and leads. It does this while improving client retention and building loyalty among its customers.

There are many types of content marketing strategies. Some of the most common content marketing questions we receive from clients involve the different types and which ones they should use for their website.

Consider the most common types of content marketing and see if these strategies will work for your products and services.

Types of Content Marketing

Blogs

Marketers consider blog posts to be one of the major cornerstones of content marketing. Blogs are one of the best ways to engage with your customers. You can appeal to them through text, stories, infographics, images, and more. There are numerous tools available online, such as WordPress, that make blogging even easier.

Videos

Video is another form of content marketing that can be just as effective as blogs. Customers respond to visual stimuli better. For example, if you’re promoting a product, customers will be receptive to a video that displays the product, how it works, and how it benefits them.

It’s also an excellent storytelling tool. For example, creating a commercial for your services with a great story elicits an emotional reaction from your customers, and they become more likely to sign up for your services.

Social Media Posts

Over half of the world’s population is on one or more social media platforms. Social media has become a crucial marketing ground for companies seeking out their target audience. Here, you can do content marketing through creative posts, images, infographics, and videos.

You can target your posts to audiences who find your products interesting through sponsored posts or advertising tools such as Facebook ads.

Using social media also allows you to share user-generated content easily. Customers enjoy seeing their photos or words broadcast to a larger audience by big brands.

User-generated content on your social media pages shows that you’re a company that interacts with its customers. It builds a relationship between the company and the customer base, and when prospective leads see the user content, they’ll be more likely to make a purchase from your brand as well.

Infographics

Infographics are an image or series of images that visually display information. They’re often used to communicate statistics, step-by-step instructions, or comprehensive checklists. It allows the audience to digest the information more easily.

For example, you might want to create an infographic of statistics regarding your company’s industry. If you’re in the automotive industry, you could show an infographic of how car trends have changed over the decades. You can also create an infographic displaying a map that shows how many branches you have nationwide.

Case Studies

Case studies are a great way to showcase how you can help solve your customers’ problems. For example, if you’re an internet installation company, you can detail a case where you helped a previous customer install ultra-fast fiber optic internet into their office space. Case studies contain valuable information like the strategy you used and the numbers and stats to show its success. This can show potential customers that you know what you are doing and have successfully helped others before.

eBooks

Industry professionals and specialists can use eBooks as part of their content marketing to share their knowledge with the audience. Some campaigns may have a short eBook from the company downloadable for free. It boosts interest because customers love freebies.

Then, you can use it to funnel customers towards an eBook subscription or video seminar on the same topic. Furthermore, the company can prompt the user to enter their name and email address into a pop-up field during the downloading process. This allows them to populate an email marketing list that they can use for more promotions or get them to sign up for the website.

Testimonials and Reviews

This may be one of the most valuable pieces of content a website can add to its pages. Approximately 93% of customers rely heavily on reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations from other users. They put significant weight on the reviews when considering whether to make a purchase.

Having verified customers provide glowing reviews and testimonials about your company’s products or services grows the audience’s trust. It reinforces your company as knowledgeable and effective in the industry. More customers transform into leads because others have proven that they are satisfied by your services.

Guides and How-Tos

For companies or brands that offer products for sale, guides and how-to posts act as valuable content marketing while providing customer support. You can preemptively answer many standard product questions your customer support may receive through a comprehensive description of how to use your product. You can even create a visual presentation that responds to frequently asked questions.

Guides also help the company by showing potential customers how your products or services can be useful. Even if they haven’t thought about using your product before, you can show them scenarios or instances when it becomes relevant to their needs.

Should You Use All of Them?

Ideally, companies should consider a comprehensive content marketing strategy that uses three or more varieties. You can do blogging, social media content, and videos simultaneously. This way, you’re able to cover multiple platforms and reach out to your customers in every way possible. However, this all depends on the nature of your business and your target audience. It also crucial that the strategy is well-planned and well-executed.

On this end, it’s always best to consult with professionals in marketing. Specialists can employ tried and tested strategies that will allow you to maximize the benefits of a content marketing campaign. Creating long-form blog posts, for example, require knowledge of the kind of content, keywords, and presentation that will get your audience’s attention.

Interested in learning more about content marketing? Check out this blog post we wrote that talks about the importance of blogging! Blogging is one digital marketing tactic you don’t want to skimp on.