In 2023 content is the currency of the internet, and there are many content types companies can focus on to engage audiences, reach new markets, and provide value to customers.

Now, with all the different types of content out there, it can be difficult for companies to know which ones to focus on. Different content types have different purposes. While some drive traffic, others are about data capture so it’s important to be clever with your content marketing to make the most of your content.

So let’s look at the top 4 content types and how you can use them to drive growth and sales.

1. Blogs

Blogging has been around for a long time, but the practice has become more sophisticated, especially when it comes to businesses using blogs to engage audiences.

You should create blogs that are relevant, high-quality, and well-written. They should also focus on topics your audience finds interesting to build authority, trust, and relationships, and drive conversions. Other benefits of a blog are that they are relatively easy to write and publish,  shareable, and easily discovered by search engines.

If you or your business doesn’t already have a blog, find out five simple ways to start one.

Blogging, however, is a commitment, and you have to be prepared to post every couple of days or at least once a week to create a following. You should always include a CTA (call to action) in each post and include internal and reputable external links to other content.

Tip: Optimize your posts with relevant keywords for SEO (use an SEO Keyword Research Toolkit to help you) to ensure you are reaching the right audience and ranking in search engines. 

2. Video

Video is a successful form of content, and 93 percent of marketers say that it’s an important part of their marketing while 78 percent of video marketers say it has increased sales according to ‘The State of Video Marketing 2021’ report.

Video content has the potential to engage your audiences, increase shares and comments, drive conversions, and grow traffic to your website. Types of videos you can consider are interviews, presentations or how-to, behind-the-scenes, and explainer videos.

There are lots of platforms to share your videos from YouTube to Instagram to rising star, TikTok.

Video best practices: The main aim of a video should be to provide value to your audience by answering questions, providing solutions, addressing pain points, or otherwise providing relevant information.

Tip: Remember, you’re creating content, not ads. Keep videos between two and three minutes, and include a CTA to send viewers to a landing page or your website. 

3. How-to Guides

How-tos and instructional content are similar to long-form blog posts that go into depth about how to do anything from achieving a task to building something and more through step-by-step instructions.

The content of your guide will depend on your audience and industry, but this type of content is great for sharing expertise, building trust, and growing email lists.

How-to guide best practices: These need to be top-quality in terms of writing because they have to be clear and concise in telling readers how to complete a task. The layout and design should make the piece easy to read and break content into easy steps with graphics, diagrams, screenshots, videos, and other elements to illustrate crucial points or hard-to-complete steps.

Tip: Make sure you understand the logic and flow of the guide so your audience will too. Have a colleague or someone you trust to review it to make sure it makes sense! 

4. Case Studies

Case studies are a great B2B content type and use real-life feedback or customer feedback to illustrate common pain points and challenges your audience may face.

It’s a good content choice because it demonstrates to prospects how your brand, products, or services can help solve problems they may be experiencing, and this will foster strong relationships and build loyalty.

Case study best practices: Start by summarizing the problem your customer was facing. Next, go over the solution while providing actionable and step-by-step examples that prospects can use to repeat the process. Finally, provide a summary of the results that your customer achieved using your products or services.

Tip: To make the content engaging and relatable, think about it more as a success story than a case study, and focus on the how’s and why’s of the story. Don’t forget to provide a conclusion that includes a strong CTA.

Use content marketing to boost awareness and drive sales

Content marketing is an effective and low-cost way to engage and persuade an audience across all stages of the funnel. Swarm Branding’s digital marketing services will not only cover content marketing but also social media, PPC, email, SEO, analytics and much more. Contact Us if you would like more information.