There is no way to talk about digital marketing nowadays without including ‘content marketing’ in the very first sentences. The increasing need for online content has turned every business into a publisher and content marketing is now proudly considered a powerful weapon for a complete digital strategy.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is all about creating valuable, relevant and insightful material for your audience, shared in ways that educate, strengthen existing customer relationships and position your business, with an approachable & authoritative tone, in front of potential clients.
Consumers’ habits have changed, and traditional marketing is not as effective anymore. That’s what creates the need for every business to provide the right conversation for the right audience. Thus, when consumers are ready for their next purchasing decision, your content could bring the value they need to trust your business.
Myth: content marketing is all about blogging
There is a misconception that content marketing is another phrase to describe blogging. Yes, blogging may be a significant part of your strategy and you need to prioritize on-site content, but there are more options to explore, which may turn out even more effective, depending on your niche.
Going beyond blogging
Content marketing may focus on visual content, including video, infographics, presentations, graphics, or any type of visual element that could still be useful for your business. Sometimes an image, or a video, may be worth even more than a thousand words, as it’s all about grabbing your audience’s attention by creating appealing material that speaks on its own about your business.
Video, in particular, is in increasing demand during the past year, as it offers numerous ways to boost your business, while the consumers also love it!
What’s more, there’s also the option of doing a podcast, focusing more on listening this time, which is ideal for the busy consumers who love multitasking. You could also consider the creation of ebooks, white papers and any type of longer content that is provided in a downloadable form, taking your expertise a step further and offering even more chances to showcase the authority of your business in the particular field.
What types of content should my business use?
Depending on the field your business belongs, there are many ways to combine several types of content. For example, if you feel that you have enough visual content (or you can easily create it), then you certainly need to invest in visual content marketing, using it on the right social networks to boost the online presence of your business.
It has been observed that shoppers who view video are 1.81X more likely to purchase than non-viewers.
What’s more, you can even think outside the box and create the type of content that is unexpected for your field, beating the competition and spotting a ‘gap’ that your content could fill for consumers.
Let’s say you are a dentist and want to promote your business online. It’s easy to think that visual content would be appealing for your patients and infographics and video would certainly work well. However, you could also consider the idea of creating a white paper, or a podcast, as another way to showcase your authority, your general knowledge and even your willingness to help your patients improve their dental health.
After all, infographics are liked and shared on social media 3X more than other any other type of content.
How does that sound?
Mix it up, but keep a balance
There’s no need to focus in just one type of content, and it’s important to experiment between several types until you find what works better for your business. By the time you find your most successful cases though, it’s time to include them in your content marketing strategy. Find the balance between your blog and the other types of content that will turn your content marketing efforts into your online success story!