With all the different types of content out there, it can be difficult for marketers and brands to know which to focus on. Different content types serve different purposes. While some drive traffic, others are all about data collection, so content marketing wisely is important to getting the most out of your content.
So let’s take a look at 4 types of content and how you can use them to drive growth and sales.
e-Book
An eBook is a form of long-form content created as an electronic book, available as a PDF download or in HTML format.
This genre of content can provide you with a great outlet to share your knowledge and expertise on a particular topic. Ebooks have many benefits, including generating leads, building authority, growing your email list, and providing added value to your overall content.
E-Book Best Practices: The main focus of an e-book should be to provide a solution, otherwise it has no value to your readers. So spend as little time as possible on advertising and focus more on generic solutions. A good rule of thumb for ebooks is to keep promotional elements to a minimum, since you’ve already captured the data for them.
You should also invest some time in your headlines and design as this will attract and captivate your readers. This type of content requires research, time, and high-quality writing, so it’s best to have a plan before you start.
Case studies
Case studies are a great type of B2B content that use real-world or client feedback to illustrate usual pain points and challenges your audience may face.
This is a great content choice because it fosters strong relationships and builds loyalty by showing potential customers how your brand, product, or service can help solve a problem they may be facing.
Case Study Best Practices: First, summarize the problem your customer is facing. Next, walk through the solution and provide actionable, step-by-step examples that potential customers can use to repeat the process. Finally, summarize what your customers have achieved with your product or service.
Video
According to the 2021 State of Video Marketing report, video is a successful form of content, with 93% of marketers saying it is an important part of their marketing and 78% saying it increases sales.
Video content include the possible to engage your audience, increase shares and comments, drive conversions and drive traffic to your website. Video types to consider include interviews, demo or how-to videos, behind-the-scenes and explainer videos.
There are many platforms to share your videos, from YouTube to Instagram, to the rising star TikTok.
Video Best Practices: The primary goal of a video should be to add value to the viewer by answering a question, providing a solution, addressing a pain point, or otherwise providing relevant information.
How-to Guides
How-tos content is like long-form blog posts, detailing step-by-step instructions on how to do everything from completing tasks to building content.
The content of the guide will depend on your audience and industry, but this type of content is great for sharing expertise, building trust, and growing your email list.
Conclusion
Content marketing is an effective and affordable way to engage and engage audiences at all stages of the funnel. Content is the cash of the web, and there are many types of content brands can target on to engage audiences, reach new markets, and create value for customers.
