There are many different types of content marketing techniques that can help you land more sales. Blogs, videos, podcasts, webinars, case studies, and ebooks are just a few of the best content marketing tactics that can help you grow your business. The most successful businesses use a mix of content strategies to appeal to their ideal audience.
1. Blogs
Are blogs dead? Heck no. In fact, the proof that blogs are still a viable way to deliver content is the fact that you’re reading this right now. In my opinion, nearly all businesses can benefit from starting a blog.
Blog content can be hosted on your website yet promoted through a variety of channels, such as email and social media. Business websites that have a blog typically generate considerably more traffic than sites that don’t have a blog. Marketing powerhouse Hubspot found that 76% of their blog’s page views came from old posts — proof that content developed for blogs retain customer-attracting power long after they are first posted on your website.
You can also repurpose a collection of blog posts as an ebook that can be used as a lead magnet that can help you collect email addresses from your blog audience.
A well-organized and frequently updated blog can help you increase your organic search traffic, establish your authority, build trust, and connect to a targeted audience that wants to hear about your offerings.
2. Video
Many people — especially millennials and Gen Z — prefer to watch videos over reading information. A key benefit of videos as a content marketing tactic is that they are so versatile. You can improve the richness of your website visitors’ experience by adding videos to your site. You can also post them on a number of other social channels such as YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook. Posting your videos in multiple places makes it easy for viewers to not only find but also easily share your videos, thereby extending your reach.
3. Podcasts
Podcasts offer an excellent opportunity to generate awareness, establish authority, gain trust, and create positive buzz for your products or services. When done well, podcasts can also be a great way to develop deeper relationships with existing customers who may then become raving fans who spread the word about you.
Podcast listeners tend to be loyal. More than 30% of daily podcast listeners and 21% off weekly listeners report making a purchase based on a segment or advertisement on a podcast (source: eMarketer).
4. Webinars
In a study by DemandGen, 48% of respondents said that webinars were their top choice for learning about a product or service when in the mid-stage of their buying journey. Webinars allow you to make a connection with your audience and showcase your expertise as well as the value of your products or services. Free webinars are typically created for higher priced offers.
The trick with putting on a great webinar or webinar series is to offer around 90% pure sales-free value and 10% call-to-action (CTA). The CTA can be an encouragement to purchase something. Viewers are often enticed to act quickly through a special limited-time bonus offer or price. Other times, the CTA an invitation to take the next step in the buying process for a complicated or custom product. For example, you may encourage your webinar audience to talk to a sales professional to discuss tailored product solutions.
5. Case Studies
If you want to develop content that really hits home, create compelling case studies. DemandGen reports that 79% of respondents in their content marketing study preferred case studies over other content types. Case studies can be created in a variety of formats, including blog posts, white papers, or videos.
The popularity of case studies as a content marketing tactic really shouldn’t be surprising. People love to see how others have used a product and have benefited from that use. A case study should present a compelling before and after story. Be sure to include an overview of the client’s situation, what their problems were, and how using the product or service solved those problems and drove measurable results.
Seeing a product or service in practical application and understanding what results are possible helps move a potential buyer from mere product awareness to making an actual purchase.
6. Social Media
According to a study by Animoto, 73% of consumers have been influenced by social media when making a purchasing decision. Adding original, interesting content to your business social media accounts is a sound content marketing strategy that can increase your reach and help you generate more sales.
7. Email
With most social channels, you’re at the mercy of each platform’s algorithms to deliver content. Much of what you post never makes it to your followers’ feeds. Worse, those algorithms are always changing so what works today may not work tomorrow. That’s why one of the smartest things you can do as a marketer is to collect emails from people who have demonstrated an interest in your business.
When you collect an email address, you are in control of how often you reach out to your base. Email content may be repurposed content from your blog, infographics, case studies, or other content marketing initiatives. Or it can be original content created specifically for your email followers. One of the most popular types of emails is a regularly scheduled newsletter.
8. Original Research Studies
People love to see fresh information about what others are doing. Creating original research studies and then sharing those findings via downloadable reports, infographics, blog posts, etc., can help you generate more interest in your products and services.
Even better, research that nets surprising results has the power to go viral. A well-thought-out research effort on your part could be the content marketing strategy that could send business results soaring.
9. Presentation Slide Decks
When you deliver a speech in front of a live crowd, you often create a slide deck to accompany that presentation. A great deal of thought and effort typically goes into creating those slides that you created with PowerPoint, Keynote, or another presentation app. Why let that effort go to waste?
Posting your slides to a popular social sharing app is a great way to get more exposure for your messages. Slideshare and Speaker Deck are a couple of popular programs for slide sharing.
10. Infographics
An infographic is a collection of statistics and facts that are presented in a visual format. You can create infographics to share that contain original content from you, or you can present information curated from multiple sources (provided you include proper source citation).
Infographics offer a visual way to tell a story or relay information. The visual nature of this content marketing tactic makes it one of the best ways to convey difficult or lengthy information in an easy-to-digest way. The tools I like to use to create infographics include Canva, Venngage and Piktochart.
11. Ebooks
There are several reasons why you may want to include ebooks in your content marketing strategy. First, ebooks help you establish your expert status. They’re also fairly easy and cheap to produce (check out Designrr; it’s a tool that makes creating ebooks ridiculously easy). Ebooks are also easy to distribute.
12. Checklists & Tools
When you help your audience members by offering a useful checklist, tool, or template, you can win them over as customers for life. People remember those who make their lives easier. That’s what makes this type of content so powerful.
13. Interviews
Interviews can take the form of published blogs or articles, podcast episodes, or YouTube/video content. As the expert on a particular subject, you can reach out to influencers and request to be interviewed on their platforms. Or, you can chose to interview other people on your various platform channels , thereby elevating your reputation merely by associating with people your audience wants to know more about.
14. Quizzes
People are naturally curious to find out more about themselves and how they stack up against others. That’s one reason quizzes are so popular. The fact that quiz takers typically spend anywhere from a few to several minutes with your quiz means they become actively engaged in your brand. That can lead to better bottom-line results
15. Gamification
Last but certainly not least on this list of best content marketing tactics involves presenting information in a fun and engaging way. Gamification simply means presenting your content in a game format. According to M2 Research, gamification can lead to an engagement increase of 100 to 150%.
Creating game-driven content can be a bit complicated and pricey, so it’s not a tool for everyone. My recommendation is to hire a professional game planner and developer; it’s simply not a road that most content marketers can successfully travel without significant help.
