According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing can be defined as:

A technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience to drive profitable customer action.

This marketing strategy isn’t new, but it’s a lead-driving tactic that is as relevant today as ever before – especially as Google and other search engines prioritize content that is meaningful to consumers and reward brands who produce said content with better SERP rankings. 

Essential Types of Content Marketing

There is an opportunity for content marketing strategies for every content marketing type that exists. When it comes to deciding what type of content to develop for your brand, there’s really no way to choose too much. Research has shown that 47% of buyers view at least 3 to 5 pieces of content before deciding to speak with a sales rep. Ready to jump into content marketing but not sure where to start? Check out our top 5 essential types of content marketing below!

Blog posts

Blogging creates content that drives website traffic, promotes goods and services, and helps build trust with potential customers. The key to effective blog posts is to create content that is relevant to the product or service your business is selling, is trustworthy in its display of knowledge on the subject matter, and effectively demonstrates the value of the good or service. These qualities in a blog post increase both lead volume and search engine quality rating. 

Videos

Video content strategies can demonstrate to prospective customers exactly how your product or service would be of value to them by showing it happen. Your brand’s trustworthiness may increase with prospective buyers when they see it vouched for by the company behind the sales. Why? Well, no brand worth giving money to is going to demonstrate a product that isn’t working. 

 

 

With tools such as TikTok and YouTube at marketers’ disposal, video content pieces are easier than ever to disperse. Even for brands with small followings on these platforms, having videos linked from a landing page will increase a product or service’s credibility. Additionally, brands can partner with influencers to disperse video content related to their products, as a form of user-generated content. Research has shown that 87% of buyers give more credence to content that’s shared by an industry influencer. 

 

 

Infographics

Infographics are a type of content marketing that helps brands develop visuals that are easy to digest, educate an audience, and establish brand authority. As a bonus, it creates content that can be used as visuals in blog posts, shared on social media, and included in email blasts. Some consumers prefer a highly-consumable piece of content that informs without being text-heavy. Because effective infographics are heavily visual, they may help a brand expand its overall reach by appealing to people with different preferences.

Newsletters

Newsletters (or e-newsletters as they’re more commonly referred to today) send informational and product-focused content to a subscriber list, composed of both potential and existing customers. Because most people are accustomed to receiving a hoard of newsletters in their inbox each morning, it can be difficult to develop content that effectively stands out from the pile. Impactful newsletters, built in user-friendly email platforms like Mailchimp, either educate a target audience about a product or service category to build value, provide entertainment, or announce a promotion.

Brands should use newsletters as a marketing effort to disperse other types of content such as videos, infographics, or to promote a recently published blog post. Creating backlinks to the brand’s website and social channels further instills brand authority and consistency for a customer.

Social media posts

Social media posts are likely the most common type of content marketing piece. Branded pages have the opportunity to display content in both textual or visual formats to establish a clear brand voice, tone, and overall aesthetic. Posts make it easier to increase authority and trustworthiness, connect with a following, share customer testimonials, and more.

What is evergreen content?

Evergreen content describes pieces of content that can be reused on multiple marketing channels at multiple different times. Meaning these pieces of content won’t become outdated, reflect old branding, or lack relevancy.

Brands can schedule evergreen content to be shared through branded channels several times during the year and the content should still be relevant. Examples include sharing staff profiles, information about your company, and articles that will stand the test of time.

Achieve content marketing harmony by cross-posting content pieces of all kinds to various platforms. For example, trim a YouTube video to fit on Instagram, or share an infographic on Pinterest, in an Instagram Story, or as the background of a TikTok video. And as we mentioned before, all of this content can link back to the website or product page to help convert customers.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the basic process of content marketing?

The basic steps to content marketing are: create measurable goals, perform market research, plan content, create a distribution plan, and report on results.

How can you create a content marketing plan?

Content marketing plans should include your campaign goals, target audience, content types, distribution channels, and a calendar schedule.