5 Popular Content Types and How to Use Them Successfully
Content marketing opens the door to more interactions with prospective customers. Recent Google research found that 53% of shoppers do some research before making a purchase. Good content is the way to connect their search queries to your website, and it also makes up the substance of where they're getting their research information.
Not all content focuses on that direct product research role. Companies of all sizes and niches see success from publishing how-to educational content, emotionally engaging content, customer reviews, success stories, and breakdowns of their products and services. There are so many options for content formats and focus areas.
Do I start on a social media calendar first?
Why is everyone talking about podcasts?
What happened to gated content — is that still a consideration?
Building a plan is one of the most critical first steps in organizing our content marketing efforts for 2023. That involves two main tasks: deciding your goals and deciding your content types. In this guide, we will focus briefly on that first task — defining success — and then zoom in on the most helpful forms of content for most business goals.
What Does Content Marketing "Success" Look Like in 2023?
Sending content into the Internet void is not a successful strategy; instead, it needs to be targeted, functional, and of value to your audience. So before you refine your go-to list of content types for the upcoming months, decide what success looks like for you and your organization.
Putting more of your keywords in the #1 spot on Google, or at least on the first page. According to Ahrefs: "The average #1 ranking page will also rank in the top 10 for nearly 1,000 other relevant keywords."
Measurably increases lead generation: According to the Content Marketing Institute, 67% of marketers tied content creation to successful lead generation; 63% also said it increased customer loyalty.
Reducing marketing spend without losing ground: Demand Metric states that content marketing can generate three times the leads of outbound marketing at about a third of the cost.
Ultimately, the goal is to increase brand awareness, sales, and customer retention. But by selecting specific areas of factors and business-critical metrics, you can start to intentionally choose the types of content that will help you achieve those goals.
5 Popular Content Types to Help You Reach Your Marketing Goals
Online and offline marketplaces are buzzing with content designed to engage readers, keep shoppers informed, and make a lasting positive impression. Much content marketing focuses on online channels: search engines, social media, niche websites, and podcast apps. This list of five popular content types focuses on digital platforms. Your marketing team can take these ideas and make them your own for virtually any way to share information.
Five popular content types that can help you achieve your 2023 marketing goals are:
1. Videos
Videos are everywhere online, so they must be on your marketing to-do list. High-quality videos of all types and formats can aid your business. Video ideas you should consider are:
'About Us' or 'About Our Company' videos for your website
How-to videos and tutorials
Short promotional or results-based videos for social media platforms
Interviews
Informational videos that complement articles
Audiences often prefer videos because they allow for a faster and more engaging transfer of ideas. Videos with bright colors, moving graphics, and little to no text are more shareable, attention-getting, and memorable. However, it is essential to focus on quality.
How to Execute Your Video Content
Build a robust library of evergreen content.
Publish it on your web pages and third-party platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
A great example of this is Bon Appetit. Its videos include the video itself, a short description, and a transcript (great for SEO and accessibility).
2. How-To Articles
How-to articles can tell your audience precisely how to use your products (either in the form of how to apply or operate the product or how to perform a task that will involve your products). Alternatively, you can create high-value how-to guides in your niche that do not directly discuss your products but establishes your expertise. This content style will tell humans and search engine algorithms that you're a topical expert.
How to Execute Better How-To Articles
Avoid using AI to generate how-to articles: the technology needs to be more sophisticated to create helpful, safe, or actionable how-tos.
Go long: Long-form articles can boost your authority more than short-form content. Also, longer, detailed how-tos that provide real value are resources your audiences will trust and share.
Any one of HubSpot's many how-to articles is an excellent example. They create both tool-specific guides and general professional guides of all types.
3. Listicles
Both listicles and how-to guides may fall under the general umbrella of blog content, but they are very different. With how-to guides, readers expect to know precisely how to perform a task. Listicles, on the other hand, can discuss the benefits of an action, describe events or types of action, or any number of subjects. Listicles also break down a lot of information into an easily skimmable article that readers enjoy reading and can better remember different snippets.
How to Successfully Use Listicles
Create niche listicles for different long-tail keywords: You can create highly detailed listicles for each buyer persona you want to target. Readers will only read some of your listicles, so take this opportunity to tailor content to narrow sections of your audience.
However, keep listicles from dominating: Listicles are some of the most accessible content to create well enough to gain traction, so make sure you create a balance of different article types instead of always defaulting to listicles.
This article is an example of a listicle. While there are many how-to tips, the primary purpose is to help readers walk away with a list of ideas for their content creation.
4. Case Studies: Super-Powered Testimonials
A case study is an in-depth look at one specific example or use case. In marketing, case studies feature a customer's journey with a particular product or service. It will dive into the customer's unique problem, how the featured product solved it, and the results of solving it in that specific way. These are hard-hitting pieces of marketing content. Social proof is a potent force, and on-the-fence audiences will be far more moved by testimonials, reviews, and case studies than internally generated descriptions.
How to Successfully Use Case Studies
Get permission: Get the customer's consent (either on a case-by-case basis or through your terms of service) before featuring them in a case study. You want to avoid accidentally oversharing information that is not yours or jeopardizing a good client relationship.
Make them easy to find: Audiences likely will not be browsing through your blog for case studies, so feature them on your home page, product pages, and everywhere that makes sense.
Adobe's case study of how RBS uses its products is the go-to example of a case study done right. It uses quotes, statistics, USPs, and evidence well.
5. Original Research, Conducted by Your Own Company
Backlinks are a powerful tool on the Internet. This article even started with links to other organizations' research; you may have clicked on those links. When your company conducts research and publishes it, you can keep those backlinks for yourself and route prospects deeper into your website. Also, other companies might see your valuable research and cite it in their articles. This is an excellent way to spread the word about your brand and reach new audiences online.
It establishes your expertise and authority in your niche. Rather than turning to other knowledge experts to prove your point, you are the knowledge expert. As you conduct the research, your product teams will gain insight into use cases, surveyed opinions, and more. Teaching and publishing research is excellent for business.
How to Get the Most Use Out of Original Research Content
Make it pretty: Instead of publishing plain text research, stylize in PDFs, infographics, and nicely formatted articles. This makes the information more engaging and shareable. (It also makes it look more official, boosting your brand's reputation in the same way high video production quality does.)
The Most Important Step in Content: Creating It
To say nothing of your content strategy needs to be uniquely suited to your business and your audience. Crafting high-quality content takes time and effort, so invest your resources in the types of content that align best with your goals.