Content marketing can help any business website generate traffic, build trust with the target audience, and increase conversions. There are different types of content that you can use for your online projects that have various benefits. In this post, you will learn about the top types of content that you share with your audience.
1. Blog Posts
The most popular type of content both for marketers and their audience is blog posts. Some niches can work better with videos, but blog posts are the most shared type of content on the internet.
The biggest benefit is that blog posts can generate traffic from search engines that are the primary traffic source for most websites. Search engines discover new content every day and rank it under relevant keywords. You can get very targeted traffic when people search for terms in your niche and find your website. But you can also turn your blog posts into other types of content to reach more people. You can share a blog post on social media or turn it on video.
There are discussions on blogs and forums about the different types of content. Usually, long-form blog posts get the most shares and have more chances to outrank the competition. Long-form content can be from 3,000 to 10,000 words.
2. Video
The second most popular type of content is video. According to a study, 85% of USA users watch at least one video per month. You can find videos on most online platforms like blogs, social media, forums, and online video platforms like YouTube.
If you have a YouTube channel, videos can work as an alternative to blogging. YouTube is a search engine because people use keywords to find videos, but it has a social part with likes, comments, and subscribers. Many niches have less competition on YouTube than blogging.
You can also share videos on social media. You can break down your existing videos into short parts and create multiple social media posts. Videos get more engagement than text and images on social media.
Lastly, you can use videos to make more sales. Videos on landing pages and sales pages get more conversions. It is easier to explain your offer in a short video and show your product on the camera.
3. Images
Images get good engagement on most online platforms. Images include most types of visuals except videos and infographics, and you can find them almost everywhere on the internet.
Today most blog posts include at least one image. Images help with search engine rankings and break down the content into smaller pieces that improve readability. Some types of blogs focus only on images, like art blogs and real estate blogs.
Many social media users publish images without any content because they get engagement. Of course, they must be high-quality images. Some popular platforms were created only for images like Instagram and Pinterest.
4. Email Marketing
Today there are over 4 billion email accounts, and over 300 billion emails are sent per day. It means that most internet users have at least one email account and receive multiple emails daily. Email is a great marketing tool. You can use emails to promote products and send traffic back to your website.
However, you need to figure out a way to get the email addresses of your audience. You can achieve that if you already have a source of traffic. For example, you can publish blog posts, get traffic, and ask your audience’s email addresses. Then, you can send your emails to your subscribers.
5. Infographics
This is a visual type of content that includes more information than an image. It can include stats, tips, or steps for a specific action. Infographics are easy to read and understand. If you want to turn a blog post into an infographic, you can use your post’s main points with relevant visuals.
Infographics tend to get a lot of engagement when they include helpful information. They can generate more traffic and are 30 times more likely to read than simple text. Lastly, they can get backlinks and shares on social media. Many bloggers use them for link building alone.
6. Case Studies
People love case studies because they provide step-by-step results and statistics on a specific strategy. You can make a case study about how your products or services benefit your niche.
We can find case studies on the top blogs of various niches. Usually, it takes time and resources to create a completed case study for your audience. It can include images and videos when they add value to the content.
Case studies are a quality type of content that requires a lot of work, so they tend to get ranked on the first page of Google for relevant keywords and get many shares.
7. Original Research
When you do original research, you put the time and effort into researching a topic by yourself. For example, you can buy a product and do a thorough review with images and videos. It would be better than most average reviews on the internet that include the same information.
Original research must be unique and better than you can find out there. This type of content gets more attention from the target audience because it stands out and the quality is apparent.
8. Ebooks
Ebooks are lengthier than long-form blog posts, and you can download them on your computer. In many cases, you can also find them on online marketplaces like Amazon.
You can write an ebook to sell or give it away for free to collect emails in exchange. Both options can work well in any niche. However, the quality of the ebook must be relevant to the price or the required action that you ask.
If you want to collect emails, you must give an ebook that is better than a blog post and is worth reading. When you set a price, it must be a great resource in your industry. An ebook can promote your products or services and include links.
9. Webinars and Live Videos
Webinars are videos that people can watch live and teach a technique or strategy to their viewers. Most of the time, marketers use webinars to promote something. Live videos are popular on social media. A user shoots live with a mobile phone or a camera and shares something. Both marketers and users love live videos because their followers are curious to see what they have to say.
Webinars and live videos can help marketers to promote products. 80% of consumers prefer to watch live videos than reading blog posts. So, they give an extra opportunity to get more leads and sales. Live videos can also help to get more organic reach and followers on social media.
10. Podcasts
Podcasts are not as popular as videos and blog posts but have a great audience. 37% of Americans listen to podcasts at least once per month, so you can find a new audience with this group of people.
You can easily turn a blog post into a podcast by using the main points and create a conversation around it. You can also turn a podcast into a video if you shoot it with a camera. Many popular podcasters have built an audience on YouTube and social media with this method. Podcasts tend to be informational and not for fun. So, you can teach your audience something or share information.
11. User Reviews and Testimonials
This is user-generated content, but it is valuable for many businesses. User reviews and testimonials are the best forms of social proof. Potential customers read the existing reviews and decide if they trust your business or not. 63.6% of customers visit Google to read reviews before buying a product.
Your customers will leave positive reviews if they have a good experience. You can also encourage them to leave a review and then share this content on your website or social media profiles. Positive opinions for your products will bring more customers in the future.
12. Surveys and Quizzes
Interactive content is more engaging than many other types of content because people participate in the outcome. If you want to do research for a topic, you ask for the opinion of your website visitors. You can be creative with this type of content.
Surveys, quizzes, and polls are three popular types of interactive content. It will take some extra work to create interesting questions and attract your audience, but it is worth it. Once they participate in your surveys, there are many chances to browse your website and check the content.
Conclusion
You don’t have to use all these types of content but use those that work for you. This post can give you new ideas if you want to increase your traffic and engagement. Most businesses include at least blog posts or videos on their content marketing strategy and then mix it up with other options.
