Whether creating assets in-house or using content creation services, focusing on multiple content types is critical. While some marketers prefer focusing on YouTube or Tiktok videos, others might want to build thought leadership on blogs or spotlight customers in case studies.
None of those approaches are wrong – but ignoring one content type in favor of another is. For example, you might host a webinar full of data, insights, and resources your target audience needs during their buying journey.
But what happens if they don’t attend? That’s where using a variety of content types works to your benefit. You could turn that webinar into a resource guide and create spin-off blog posts. That same webinar could also serve as the source for infographics and social media posts.
Top 8 Effective Content Types for Marketing
All the content you create for your brand as part of your marketing strategy should have a defined purpose. That might mean attracting sales, educating audiences, entertaining prospects, inspiring, or any combination thereof. Here are the top eight effective content types to incorporate into your marketing strategies.
1: Blog posts
Creating relevant and high-value blog content is one of the best ways to increase engagement with your target audience and build brand awareness. The following statistics show us the value of maintaining a blog:
- Approximately 70 million new posts appear on WordPress sites monthly
- 60% of consumers research products and services after reading content about them
- Nearly 63% of readers believe that when a blog has multiple authors, it’s more credible
To ensure your blogs are effective, optimize them for SEO and keep topics focused and relevant to your brand’s offerings.
2: Case studies
Audiences want to see data-driven results, and one of the best ways to deliver that information is with case studies. Why should they care about your offerings? Don’t tell them – show them. Here are some examples of nDash’s most recent case studies:
Erika Goldwater, inriver’s director of communications, explains, “We not only had to find and retain each writer, but then we had the huge learning curve of getting them up to speed on our content and our style. And when those freelancers were on vacation or had something unexpected come up, we found ourselves at the mercy of their schedules. It was tough to provide a predictable stream of content for our organization.”
Aaron Lester, GoTo’s content strategist, explains, “From a process management standpoint, the nDash platform has had a huge, positive impact. We know how easy it is for the editorial workflow to get out of hand with things like email and shared drives. nDash allows us to consolidate all of our communication with writers; we know that anything we need — project communication, content briefs, drafts, etc. — can be found in the platform.”
3: Influencer content types
Turning to influencers is an excellent way to get your content in front of members of your target audience that you couldn’t reach previously. According to Digital Marketing Institute, 70% of teens trust social media influencers more than celebrities. We also learn from ION (Influencer Orchestration Network) that 49% of consumers depend on what influencers say when looking for product recommendations.
These statistics represent the growing demand for influencer content to connect brands with their target audiences. Connecting with influencers within your brand’s industry is an excellent way to ensure potential leads convert. There are several tools available to help connect with and manage influencers, including Influsoft and CreatorIQ.
4: Infographics
Sometimes, it’s easier for audiences to understand data and other statistics if you present them visually. For example, you might want to tackle a complex topic and support it with data or additional insights. Distilling this information in an infographic speaks to your target audience in ways text copy cannot.
Here’s an example of one of our infographics that breaks down information from this blog post: What Can I Put in My Freelance Writing Portfolio?
5: Multimedia content types (podcasts, videos, webinars)
There are many opportunities to turn the written word into multimedia content. These content types can include podcasts, videos, webinars, and more. Here are some statistics for multimedia content:
- Interactive content: These content types are two times more engaging than text or other static content
- Podcasts: Nearly 60% of American consumers listen to podcasts
- Videos: 78% of consumers state that they watch videos every week
- Webinars: Over half of B2B professionals watch webinars at least once weekly
Adding multimedia content to your marketing plan is a powerful and unique way to attract, engage, and nurture your audience. They’re also an excellent way to improve SEO, build stronger branding, and encourage audiences to stay on your site longer.
6: Resource materials (Checklists, ebooks, guides, templates)
Your target audience has questions, and it’s up to you to give them answers. That’s where downloadable resource materials come into play. These materials could be anything from a checklist to a guide. Use these resources to generate interest in your brand and its offerings by providing your audience with content they’re more likely to engage with during their research.
Here’s an example of a resource guide we provide to help marketers understand the ins and outs of paying freelance writers:
Content Creation Pricing Guide: What Every Marketer Needs to Know About Paying Freelance Writers
7: Social media posts
Instead of waiting for your audience to find you, why not meet them where they spend most of the time? Consumers spend their time on most social media channels, like Twitter or YouTube. Because tapping into these channels is an important part of content marketing, you’ll find tools specifically designed for achieving this goal.
Examples of social media marketing tools include:
8: User-generated content types
Publishing and sharing user-generated content is an excellent way of providing a trusted outlet for your audience as they research your brand’s offerings. Marketers benefit from tapping into content types like this one from an ROI standpoint because customers are typically close to making or are ready to make a purchasing decision.
Examples of user-generated content include:
- Reviews, like on G2, for example
- Social media posts
- Testimonials
The Benefits of Using Different Content Types
Creating high-value content consistently involves doing more than updating your brand’s blog once weekly. Think about what your target audience wants to learn, and then figure out their favorite content types they use for consuming that information. Beyond being beneficial to understand that, there are several other benefits of using different content types:
Increase brand awareness and extend your reach
Building a repository of resources your audience can tap into at any time helps increase your brand’s awareness. They’ll love that, throughout their research, the information you provide is resourceful and answers their questions.
Giving your audience the highest quality content often leads to brand advocacy. That means that because your audience enjoys your content and finds it useful, they’re more likely to share it with others.
Easier to scale
Scaling content production is challenging for brands across every industry. It isn’t impossible, though, when you determine what content types work, what your target audience wants to engage with, and what channels to use. Streamlining processes, making things repeatable, and reusing structures are just part of how to make things easier to scale.
These processes translate well when scaling multiple content formats. For example, use a template that works well for resource guides or case studies to repeat the process for future content. Content creation services are an excellent resource for finding repeatable processes that work, streamlining workflows, and scaling content in multiple formats.
Gives your audience more options (not everyone likes to engage with the same thing)
Not everyone in your target audience is always going to like reading text. Some members enjoy engaging with social media posts, while others prefer watching videos. Then, others want to attend webinars or listen to podcasts. The content types you share must adapt as your audience’s needs and methods for consuming information change.
How Content Creation Services Help Identify the Best Content Types
Do you need help determining which content types to include in your marketing strategy? Content creation services like ours are an excellent solution. Contact our sales team to learn how nDash can help you identify content types, ideation, production, and more.
FAQ
What content format is the most effective for marketing?
Because winning new business is often the goal, case studies are the most effective content format for marketing.
What is effective marketing content?
Effective marketing content focuses on quality, covers topics your audience cares most about, is search engine optimized, and factors in different content types.
What type of content is most popular?
There isn’t one content type that ranks as number one, but there are the top three. These include blog posts, ebooks, and videos.
What type of marketing is most effective?
One of the most popular types is using social media marketing. The main reason is that it allows marketers to experiment with and find the best content types to share with their audiences.