A content marketing plan with different types of content is the key to effective content marketing.

One of the questions marketers get asked often is “What type of content my business can produce as part of its content marketing strategy?” or even more importantly “What kind of content works best?”. This article takes a look at fifteen types of content small businesses can utilize as part their content marketing strategy.

Your small business can take advantage of these popular content types to get the most out of content marketing.

1.  Blog Posts

I personally consider blogging to be the most important element of a successful content marketing plan. If you don’t already have a blog for your business, you are already missing out on opportunities to generate traffic and leads for your business.

Blogging is a great way to add new content to your website on a frequent basis and feeds content to other distribution channels like social media.

How does it help?

Blogging frequently will

• Increase your reach
• Improve your rank on search engines
• Drive more traffic to your company’s website
• Make your business more trustworthy

2. Case Studies

A case study is typically a story that shows how a product or service of your business has helped solve a problem faced by one of your clients. Publishing well written case studies is a great way to build trust and credibility for your business.

How does it help?

• Case studies help to highlight the success stories of your business.
• They help to attract new customers by illustrating how your products can help to solve their problems.
• Well prepared case studies can help boost sales.

3. Lists & Instructional Articles

Although lists and instructional content are technically different I have decided to combine them into one. A list is any content that ranks items in list format. It could be on any topic. E.g. “Top 50 Ways to Improve Your Website” or “Top 10 Web Design Tips”.

You can also consider publishing an annual list relevant to your industry to get more coverage e.g. the Adage List of Top 500 Websites or Inc®  list of the 500 fastest growing private companies each year. List can work for any content including blog posts, articles, and more.

How does it help?

• Lists and “How to” articles are very popular and make it easy to attract the reader’s attention
• They tend to get shared more on social media and improves the chances of your content going viral.

4. Podcasts

Podcasts are audio (or video) files that users can download or stream on their desktop or hand-held device. Podcasts are very easy to create, thanks to several free services and tools that your business can take advantage of.

The process of marketing your content with podcasts is simple. You can create a podcast by recording what you speak via a computer microphone or webcam, and upload the audio file to your website or other distribution channels such as iTunes. Alternatively, you can also convert your existing content such as blog posts or articles into Podcasts using free services such as Podomatic.

How does it help?

• Podcasts makes your content accessible to a larger audience.
• They are very easy for users to access and keep your audience engaged.

5. Webinars

Webinar are digital presentations or live events typically delivered as videos. they are mainly designed to teach or educate others. They are online seminars that you can deliver easily with the help of a webinar software or service. It can be delivered as a live event or it can be recorded in advance and posted for future views.

How does it help?

Webinars are a very effective way to provide detailed information about topics relevant to your niche. It can be a very valuable asset for promoting your business. Many businesses also use it successfully to grow their email list.

6. Infographics

Infographics have exploded in popularity in recent years and have become a very popular way to market and promote a business. Infographics are typically large graphics or images that present content in a visually appealing manner. It can be used to present statistical data or any content that can benefit from visual representation. Once you create your Infographics, make sure to distribute them on several Infographic galleries.

How does it help?

• Compelling infographics are easy to attract the attention of others.
• They tend to get shared by others more on social media which improves your chances of going viral.
• They are also referenced and linked on many other sites, and thus have the potential to generate tons of one-way back-links.

7. Question & Answers

The last few years have seen a widespread increase in the popularity of Q&A sites. Q&A site like Quora or LinkedIn Answers have become household names amongst professionals, businesses as well as end users and consumers. An increasing number of businesses are now actively involved with answering questions on these sites to gain more exposure.

How does it help?

Answering questions on popular Q&A sites is a great way to:

• Target consumers because users who post questions on these sites tend be further along in the buying process.
• Improve brand visibility
• Enhance your online reputation and authority in the subject.

8. Reviews

People tend to trust the experiences of other buyers. You can publish reviews on your own website as well as leverage other popular review sites like Yelp and Google Places.

Try to get as many positive reviews as you can get for best results. Place reviews strategically throughout your sales funnel and include them in other places where relevant.

How does it help?

• Very effective way to promote your business and gain credibility.
• Placing your best reviews on landing pages can increase sales.

9. Presentations

Before making a purchase today, consumers will often research the web for information that can help them to make the right buying decision. This is where documents such as presentations, brochures or guides can help. Leading document sharing sites like Slideshare and DocStoc tend to rank favourably on search engines and often feature in the results when users search for information online.

You can get started by creating a free account on the leading document sharing websites such as Slideshare and start adding your documents. If you don’t have presentations to share, consider converting some of your existing articles or blog posts into Powerpoint or PDF to share on these sites.

How does it help?

• Presentations help buyers get the right information about your products and services
• Get more exposure and build their reputation
• Easy way to tap into the vast user-base of document sites like Slideshare (over 70 million unique users)

10. White Papers

White papers are one of the oldest and most well-known forms of content marketing. White papers are detailed documents which explain complex topics or research findings.Some ideas for white papers include analyzing an emerging trend in your industry, explaining a benefit of your product, or detailing new ideas to revolutionize the industry.

How does it help?

• White Papers are useful in establishing thought leadership in your niche.
• They are also referenced in research and posts which can help generate back-link and create brand awareness.

11. Social Bookmarking

Content marketing is not just about creating your own content but making sure you deliver the best content to your audience. A good content marketing strategy should also incorporate sharing the content of other users, not just yours. This is where microblogging services such as Twitter or social bookmarking services such as Stumble Upon, Digg, and Reddit come into play.

How does it help?

A business can take advantage of microblogging and social bookmarking to promote blog posts, deliver value to readers, build relationships, gain brand exposure, and build your presence on social media.

12. Videos

Videos are becoming integral to the success of any Internet marketing strategy. It not only allows you to get your information across to users but are also fairly simple and fun to make these days. There are many editing tools and services that your business can take advantage of.

How does it help?

• Videos are very popular and are shared more.
• They are effective devices for product demonstrations and overviews.
• They also allow you to establish brand personality by putting a face to your business.

13. eBook

Every business can benefit from producing eBooks. An eBook is a glorified white paper, ranging anywhere from 12-40 pages. This type of content marketing is normally placed in a visually appealing format and distributed as a PDF document. eBooks also include images, graphs and tables to help illustrate the information.

How does it help?

Creating a document of this length and detail allows you to establish expertise on the topic at hand, and is a solid cornerstone for future content.

14. Curated Content (EZines)

Content curation is another effective way to distribute content and build relationships with your audience. It is one of the new buzz words in Internet marketing. Content curation services such as Scoop.it or Paper.li make it easy for anyone to publish quality ezines combining content from anywhere on the web. It is a great way to present content.

How does it help?

• One of the most visually appealing methods to distribute content
• Content from different sources can be easily mashed-up together
• Opportunity to build a loyal readership and tap into the popularity of popular curation sites

15. Articles

Articles can be on any topic and typically distributed on article directories like EzineArticles.Com and Web 2.0 user generated websites such as Squidoo or Hubpages.

How does it help?

• You can get back-links to your website from the author byline displayed below the articles.
• Quality articles help to establishes your expertise in your niche
• Referral traffic to your website

Conclusion:

Content marketing has become vital to the success of any small business on the Internet. However, to get the most out of content marketing, businesses need to produce and distribute a variety of content. Your small business can take advantage of the 15 content types above to improve your reach and maximize the benefits of content marketing.

What About You?

What types of content do you produce to promote your business? We would like to hear from you. Please add your responses by leaving a comment below.