One marketer might brag about their fantastic YouTube series. Another person might talk about SEO topic clustering tactics. Another might brag about how they collaborated with renowned bloggers to build Instagram and Snapchat visual content campaigns.

That’s because “content marketing” is frequently used as a blanket term to describe all of the ways you advertise your content strategy.

However, content marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. You have to classify the different types of content marketing because each comes with unique benefits. Once you know how to use each one effectively, you can craft a cohesive content marketing strategy.

When analysing various content marketing examples, keep in mind that people acquire various ways. It’s true that different types of content appeal to different segments of your audience.

Some people prefer to listen to podcasts because they are auditory learners. Others, visual learners, enjoy films, infographics, or presentations. Text-based material appeals to others, such as blog posts, white papers, and reports.

As a result, you may appeal to a wide range of learners by using various types of content in digital marketing.

Continue reading to learn about content marketing, how to use each to increase your ROI, and where to find a digital marketing company in Staffordshire.

There Is No “Best” Content Marketing

Content marketing is beneficial as part of an inbound marketing strategy. Other formats can play a significant role in an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy. Similarly, certain content is designed to help your sales team.

Furthermore, certain types of content are better suited for specific consumer journey stages than others. Blog entries, articles, and videos, for example, can be a wonderful method to engage with folks who are still in the awareness stage.

You may communicate with prospects at any stage of their journey by utilising various types of content.

Each type of material has its advantages. A well-rounded content marketing strategy should include a variety of material kinds that may be used for various objectives.

Blogs

Driving more traffic to your website is the primary reason for blogging, but blogging also allows you to build your brand and establish authority in your niche.

Suppose you use your blog to answer questions and solve problems. In that case, you’ll be providing an invaluable service to your audience. Long-form content is the perfect way to do this because it gives you more room to address issues thoroughly.

Optimised, high-quality blog postings can improve your SEO by performing highly in search engines. Long-form material tends to be more evergreen than other sorts of content marketing. As a result, the content you publish now will be able to drive traffic and generate leads for many years to come.

Another perk of blogging is that it emphasises the personality of your company. If your company is creative, intellectual, or hilarious, blogging gives you plenty of opportunities to express yourself.

Case Studies and Success Stories

Case studies and success stories are great ways to generate leads at the bottom of the conversion funnel. When prospects read about how similar customers had positive experiences with your organisation, they see that they can trust you and make their purchase decision easier.

For higher-cost, higher-value products and services, case studies are extremely significant. This form of content focuses on marketing ROI while minimising the danger of huge expenditure.

Customer Testimonials

Customer reviews are a sort of social proof-based content marketing that is unique. They’re particularly useful for overcoming arguments from prospects and reducing their fear of taking a risk.

When Google sees a lot of favourable reviews for your brand, it knows it’s trustworthy, and your website should be positioned higher in search results than brands with less positive ratings.

The following are some easy techniques to boost the number of reviews and testimonials you receive:

• Inquire directly with existing customers.
• Create an automated follow-up request for customers when they make a purchase.
• Offer clients a markdown or other incentive for giving their feedback.
• Include a review/testimonials widget on your website’s home page and other important pages so that visitors may provide comments without ever leaving your site.
• On your home page and any other relevant pages of your website, prominently display testimonials and reviews. Place testimonials and reviews on pages most contextually relevant to the content.

eBooks and White Papers

eBooks and White Papers allow you to build your thought leadership, gain credibility, and position yourself as a professional by sharing detailed information beyond what you’d be able to cover in a blog post.

These documents tend to be longer and more technical than blog posts. Write white papers and eBooks when you have too much information or a unique perspective on an issue. When it comes to white papers and eBooks, it’s critical to distribute high-quality content that meets the expectations.

This content marketing strategy works especially effectively at the middle and bottom of the sales funnel. You’ll need to educate prospects on the problem they’re having, the solution and digital marketing services you offer, and why you’re a better option than your competitor at this time.

Infographics

Infographics are great for presenting the information you want your audience to read. They are especially useful for statistics, maps, events, and timelines. Infographics can be used alone or with other content, such as a blog post or a white paper.

Infographics, in addition to being visually appealing, are well-suited for social media marketing efforts, and particularly intriguing ones are likely to be extensively shared.

Additionally, suppose an infographic is featured on a page of your website. In that case, you can quickly produce a little snippet of HTML code that allows people to embed the infographic on their websites.

When someone embeds the image on a website, the HTML can be designed to automatically include a backlink to your website as part of the description. The more people that share your infographic, the more backlinks you’ll obtain, which will help your SEO.

Interactive Content

Quizzes, assessments, checklists, applications, tools, and games are all examples of interactive content that may be utilised to entertain your target audience while simultaneously collecting vital data. Similar interactive content can generate new leads, solicit consumer feedback, increase retention and engagement, or create an initial audience for remarketing. Of course, there’s the option of entertaining them.

Market Research

Market studies are a fantastic way to capture media attention and establish your company as a thought leader in your field. This form of content marketing is aimed at decision-makers that want a large amount of market data to develop a strategy.

Market share, spending, trends, technology, consumer behaviour, and other topics covered in reports.

Moreover, what sets them apart is their capability to generate high-quality media mentions, backlinks, and leads (assuming you gate the report).

Podcasts

Podcasting is becoming increasingly popular as a form of content marketing and brand promotion. One of its biggest benefits is that it allows you to create long-form, high-value content without putting in a lot of effort.

It lets you share your knowledge and stories with your audience straightforwardly. It lets you engage with potential clients on a more personal level, which aids in establishing relationships.

The portability of podcasts is another big benefit. When reading isn’t an option, they’re great to listen to on the way to work or during a cardio workout.

You’ll have the extra advantage of using your podcast to generate leads if you interview guests on it. You can invite representatives from companies you’d like to do business with and spotlight them as a way to 1) produce podcast content and 2) build a relationship with a new lead.

Social Media

With billions of monthly active users, any social media could be a valuable asset in your content marketing armoury. The biggest advantage of social media is that it allows you to interact directly with your audience. It’s a real-time feedback loop that lets you figure out what your audience cares about and conduct direct dialogues with them to learn more.

Social media can also direct your audience to deals, promotions, and events for select brands. Furthermore, social marketing provides a direct way for you to share your material with your target audience while also letting you display your brand identity.

Knowing your audience’s favourite platforms and the types of postings they find important is essential for social media marketing success.

For example, suppose you manage an eCommerce company that sells rock climbing gear, and your target demographic is Millennials and younger. In that case, you might prioritise adventure-themed postings on Instagram and TikTok.

If you’re trying to reach people in their 50s who are serious about saving for retirement, YouTube videos or Facebook posts with links to long-form, text-based content might be better.

Build relationships with many influencers in your industry to increase your social media marketing performance. Influencers might have devoted followers and communities, which can help your material go viral.

User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is one of the few content marketing solutions that drive engagement. This customer-generated content is content that features your brand in some form and is published by your customers.

For instance, someone takes a selfie while using your goods or tagging your brand in a post. It may be a customer who shoots a product unboxing event on YouTube. Your customers might also upload photos in response to a contest your company is running.

UGC is extremely powerful because it uses both word of mouth (WOM) marketing and social evidence. Prospects, after all, are significantly more likely to trust other customers than your marketing materials.

When someone likes your product and participates in user-generated content, they’ll most likely tell all of their friends about it, further expanding your brand’s reach.

Videos

Videos are fantastic because it helps you to engage with your target audience in a visual, engaging way that many other forms of material do not allow. Consider the following scenario:

• 60-second explainer videos are a quick and easy approach to educate prospects on a subject swiftly.
• How-to videos instruct clients on how to tackle a specific problem.
• Demo films allow clients to see your product’s capabilities rapidly.
• Interviews provide your consumers with a glimpse into the human side of your company. Customer interviews allow them to realise what they could accomplish on their own.
• Long-form videos can present a story that emotionally connects with the audience.
• Short social media snippets catch people’s attention and keep them engaged.

Webinars

Webinars help you educate your prospects and customers on various topics, such as utilising a product to its full potential, expert insights on a given issue, solving a specific problem, etc. Most webinars are on the longer side because they feature a strong instructional component (30+ minutes).

You can utilise your webinar to interview actual prospects, similar to how podcasts are used, allowing your webinars to double duty. You’ll be able to create unique material while establishing a relationship with a new lead once more.

Another significant advantage of webinars is that they allow real-time interaction between the presenter and the audience. Viewers can ask in real-time, and the presenter can answer in real-time, resulting in a more intimate connection than traditional, more static types of material.

The Secret to Creating An Effective Content Marketing Strategy

The most important tip for content marketing success is putting your heart and soul into it and understanding your audience’s needs. The more you experience it, the better you’ll be able to communicate it to your audience and address their needs.

You may need to play around in your marketing efforts to figure out what types of content would best speak to your customers, but having access to analytics data makes it easy to see your success.

Conclusion

It requires a lot of patience to play the long game with content marketing, but you’ll likely see compound effects over time if you gain traction. This might have a significant influence on your company. Your company may save a lot of money on traditional advertising by using strategies like SEO to guarantee that your content reaches its target audiences organically. If you need to deep-dive into the complexities of content marketing and maximise results, you can also seek digital advertising companies to support you.

Stellified is one of the leading digital advertising companies in Staffordshire that can help you boost your content marketing strategy. Contact us to know how we can enhance your company’s online presence!