8 Types of Content Your Business Needs to Produce

I am sure you’ve heard the phrase “content is KING.” And if you haven’t… well… now you have 🙂 That saying alone does not help people know what steps to take or what content to create, so I am going to share several types of content you should be creating as part of a comprehensive content marketing campaign.

1. Blog Posts. This is often the first thing that comes to mind when people think of content marketing and I do recommend that blogging be a big part of your content marketing plan. The good news is that blog posts can consist of embedded and transcribed video, commentary on other articles, or infographics. This allows you to not just create good content, but repurpose it and have others do the same with your content.

2. Videos. Video is a powerful form of communications. Currently only 24% of brands surveyed are using video in their content marketing efforts, which means there may be an opportunity for you to outpace your competition in this area. I recommend having video on your website, because it will usually result in people staying on your website longer and engaging. I would also recommend embedding videos into blog posts (and transcribing them) so they are more easily shared.

3. Email. With all the buzz around social media, some people have lost sight of the fact that email is still a great way to stay connected to your community. Emails typically live longer than social media messages (in the recipients inbox) where they can go back and read it at their leisure. In fact, one goal of your online & social media marketing should be to drive people to subscribe to your newsletter where you can stay in touch with them.

4. Social Media. If you are creating blog posts and videos, then creating social media content should be a lot easier because you have content to share that highlights your expertise. If you are not creating content (yet) you can certainly share the content of others that is relevant to your audience. Just make sure you are educating more than you are pitching.

5. Ebooks. A great way to build an email list is by giving away a free ebook. I recommend that you create not just one ebook, but multiple ebooks, to reach your audience from different angles. These don’t have to be novels either; in fact, you could even repurpose blog content into a mini ebook.  You can also create long form ebook that you can sell, which creates a revenue stream for you while still building a following.

6. Podcasts. The great thing about a podcast is that people can listen to a podcast while they drive, work, run errands, or any time they have down time, thanks to the power of iTunes. Setting up your own podcast channel takes a bit of work, but it’s not overwhelming. If you want a great course on how to get started, I recommend checking out this free (but powerful) Podcasting course by Shannon Hernandez (@ShanJHernandez), who is one of the best in the business when it comes to teaching people how to get started with podcasting.

If you aren’t up for creating your own podcasts, you can be a guest on someone else’s. A few places to find guest podcast opportunities are Blog Talk Radio (search for a show relevant to your field of expertise) and Radio Guest List.

7. Case Studies. This is a great way to let a prospect know how your company has helped a client by providing a service or product that they might be considering. It can also be a nice way to show some love to a client by highlighting them in the case study. Just make sure to get their permission before publishing their info. In other cases, it might be best to keep the name confidential.

8. Press & Media. This is one that I love and it’s still a great opportunity because so many people are not taking advantage of it. There are two aspects to producing press and media content. In one instance, you are the expert providing content to a journalist, and in the other, you are actually creating news stories for journalists to tell. I created a video that gives some insights into the process for both sides, which you can find here.

If that seems overwhelming, I recommend taking a step back and asking yourself what type of content you can create with minimal effort. For some people that means writing a blog post, and for others that means creating a video. Whatever yours is, start there.

Next, continue to add new forms of content marketing to your digital marketing plan and you will see your brand rise in the search engines and social networks, leading to the relationships and connections that will generate leads and business.

If you need help, feel free to reach out and I will do my best to answer your questions. I can also have my team handle it all for you so you can sit back and enjoy doing what you do best!