10 Types of Content Your Audience Will Love
Even if you have a business blog that generates a high ROI, did you know that there are other types of content that you can leverage to help increase your organic traffic rankings? Here are some content types your audience is sure to love:
Blogs
Blogging is a cornerstone of content marketing and a great way to improve your search engine optimization (SEO). By using relevant keywords in your niche, you increase the likelihood that search engines like Google will rank your website higher. With the inclusion of a business blog, you can also boost the chances that other websites will link to yours, creating valuable backlinks. All of this helps with discoverability and provides value through your written content.
How-To Articles
Articles are generally longer-form content, usually more than 2,000 words. One of the best articles to write is a how-to guide. Chances are, you are an expert within your industry and can provide invaluable information that your audience wants to know about.
Let’s say you are a mechanic. A great how-to article might be, “How to Change Your Oil Without Screaming in Frustration.” You may be hesitant since you offer that service directly, but consider that when someone searches this phrase and finds your website, they will often decide to get it done cheaply and efficiently rather than struggle to do it themselves.
How-to articles are great for sharing information and alerting customers to new products and services they may not have otherwise known about.
News Stories
One of the biggest mistakes we see in content marketing is brands oversharing content, especially content created by someone else. It’s a fantastic idea to share news stories, but what value are you adding to that story?
Instead of just sharing the news article, why not create a new commentary on the story? For example, if you own a law firm and there has been some legislative change, have attorneys create a post highlighting the details of the changes and what this might mean for your target audience.
Case Studies
Your business has likely helped a lot of customers. Why not brag about it? Each of these customers has had a unique problem to solve or a unique approach that you have had to take in helping them. Choosing a previous customer to highlight not only shows the successes you have had in the past but is also helpful to future customers.
Your audience wants to see what you can do for them, and by reading case studies, they can see exactly how your services and products will benefit their specific needs.
White Papers
Often confused with case studies, white papers are focused on data. These reports offer a problem and show how, using a specific methodology, your organization was able to solve it.
While case studies are focused on the problem and solution, white papers are focused on the statistics and numbers. They are for the parts of your audience that want a technical look at how you can do the same for them.
Infographics
A picture is worth a thousand words, which means visual content is great for engaging your audience. Infographics take a large chunk of information, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and explain the topic with illustrations.
Not only do audiences like infographics because of the illustrations, but also because they are highly shareable. It is much easier to absorb an infographic than some of the other content listed.
Testimonials
It’s good practice to ask for a testimonial each time a service is rendered or a product is sold. That’s because, based on marketing research, customers are more likely to decide on a brand that has a proven track record with past customers.
Just think of when you were last hungry in a new city. How many times have you turned to Yelp before deciding which place to check out? Reviews matter!
You can provide a customer satisfaction survey upon checkout or with a physical form in the case of a brick-and-mortar store. These testimonials can then be highlighted as shareable content.
Customers that have a degree of brand loyalty not only want to cheer on the companies they love, but this also offers additional social proof that your business is successful and puts the customer first.
Interviews
You can provide a great deal of value with interviews. Whether you interview your own customers, industry professionals, or company staff members, your audience wants to see relevant information that helps them better understand their own needs.
Interviews not only work to showcase your company as relatable but also position your business as an expert in its industry.
Product Reviews
Product reviews are a great way to engage with audiences, especially if you find another brand to perform cross-promotion with. For example, if you are an accounting firm, you can review a digital marketing firm you have worked with and vice versa. Your audience will love this honesty, and your review will lead to an increase in brand loyalty.
Videos
For several years now, video has become the most shared online content. This is because video not only offers visual communication but is also seen as a more relatable piece of content. This is especially true for video content that features staff members, company owners, or customers.
According to a study conducted by Statista, 85% of all internet users in the United States watched online social media video content monthly on any of their devices. Another study, conducted by Hubspot, noted that 54% of all consumers surveyed indicated that they wanted to see more video content from brands they support.
Finally, as noted by Animoto, 73% of all consumers studied say that video is their favorite type of content on social media, more than pictures, pictures with text, gifs, etc.
Quite simply, video is content that your audience will love. It’s also possible to use this to help your content marketing platform. How? Many search engines now pick up search engine optimized videos, such as those hosted on YouTube (which is considered the second largest search engine).
Want to include new content in your inbound marketing strategy? We can help!