Content marketing is now widely seen as the best way for companies to reach a community. Not surprising since, compared to traditional ads, content options provide more enjoyable, less invasive experiences.
But merely deciding on content marketing is not enough. You must approach it carefully. Otherwise, you’ll create unfocused, uncompelling content and achieve sub-par results.
One of the first key decisions is what kind of content you’ll create. There are many content options, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few great content options:
Web Posts
Purpose — Promoting your brand widely, increasing SEO, and driving web traffic.
Ideal Audience — All potential customers and clients, and a wider, international audience.
Pros — Creating web posts is relatively cost effective. Primarily text and images, they also represent content your audience surely knows and loves. The trick is offering unique insights to inform and assist. So it’s also a great chance to show what you know.
Cons — There’s lots of web content out there. You’re reading some now! So yours must be consistent, topical, and good. That’s a lot of pressure. Still, some posts won’t find large audiences. While not every post is a home run, you can’t win without regularly taking your best swing.
Online Video
Purpose — Engaging viewers in a short, enriching experiences, generating buzz online.Ideal Audience — Mobile users, young people, and those too busy to read web posts.
Pros — Though the number of content videos is growing fast, there is still a lot more text content online. So you’ll stand out while catching a trend’s rising wave. Video content is also great on Facebook where it plays automatically to catch your audience’s eye.
Cons — The equipment and expertise required to make high-quality video content somewhat costlier than for blogs. Also, remember, this is not a regular commercial. True content marketing videos should enrich a viewer’s life by informing or entertaining, or both, which can be tricky.
Print Magazines
Purpose — Promoting your brand, demonstrating professionalism, knowledge, and taste.Ideal Audience — Visually driven groups with a hunger for knowledge and time to browse.
Pros — Magazines allow you to collect your company’s best content or all original pieces, along with some amazing images, into a slick, professional layout. Magazines are great for your office waiting room, remote locations, or on a plane, all places your content can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace.
Cons — Creating a content magazine is not for everyone. Those wanting a wide audience should stay online and those determined to impress should see directly below. But in the sweet spot where casual convenience meets authority, you’ll find amazing, innovative marketing magazines.
Custom Books
Purpose — To document your successes, struggles, history and values as a company or individual.Ideal Audience — Business partners, longtime clients, employees, and family members.
Pros — Creating a book provides a lasting record. It will impress whoever receives it, as it remains unconventional to show this much care in documenting your company’s message. Copies can be given to clients for promotion, to employees to communicate shared values, or sometimes sold for a profit.
Cons — Creating an entire content marketing book is a massive undertaking that usually requires many months to complete. The best books also require you to share intimate moments of weakness or doubt, which will resonate with readers. That can be tough, but it’s always worth it.
Experiential Advertising
Purpose — To create a fun event, activity, or attraction that will stick in your customers’ minds.Ideal Audience — Depends on details, but always someone who enjoys the activity you’re facilitating.
Pros — Some don’t think of them as content, but events to give consumers what they want: something to do. Though magazines have been at it for a while—hosting gala events—many are just entering the space. So it’s wide open! And experiential doesn’t only mean fleeting, consider the John Deere Museum.
Cons — Depending on the event, costs can be high. Especially if you consider your time spent organizing and executing the experience. However, costs can sometimes be offset by other sponsors or admission fees, and they’re easily justified by the thrill you can bring your clients.
With so many content options available today, we hope we’ve provided some ideas to excite you about this ongoing marketing revolution.
For more content options, like podcasts, newsletters, and archives, see our services page.
To discuss all your content options with a member of the ECHO Storytelling team, drop us a line.
To discuss all your content options with a member of the ECHO Storytelling team, drop us a line.
