Developing and sharing great content is the key to online marketing success. Content is the online currency that allows you to build your reputation as a subject matter expert.
When it comes to content, don’t restrict yourself to text on a web page. There are many formats that can be used to deliver your message – your online marketing results will be enhanced by using different formats within your content strategy.
Regardless of the format, content should always be developed from an “outside-in” perspective; it must be based on the needs and interests of target audiences and influencers. Just as importantly, content must be optimized for search engines through effective use of keywords and by properly describing or tagging the content.
Content Formats
Blogs
Blogs are essential within an online marketing strategy. A blog is an extension of an organization and acts as its online voice. Blogs can be generated frequently, and as a result can be topical and current.
Blogs are easy to consume because they are short and to the point, and they can therefore develop a following which increases visibility, credibility, website traffic, and inbound leads.
Read more about why blogging is good for your business.
Images
Images are a powerful marketing tool when it is important for prospects to view a product, review before-and-after pictures, get a sense of product dimensions or structure, look at examples of work performed, etc.
Images can also be used to make online content more interesting by interspersing them with written content.
It is important to remember, however, that images cannot be crawled by search engines; they must be properly tagged with keywords in order to have an impact on search engine results.
Video
Video has become an extremely effective online content format. The popularity of YouTube (it has the second largest number of searches after Google) has made video an integral part of the communication mix.
And, because of the proliferation of video, people no longer expect “studio quality”. In fact, videos that are overproduced can be viewed less favourably than videos that seem natural or authentic.
Videos, when properly tagged and transcribed, can dramatically improve search engine optimization (SEO) results, and conversion.
According to Internet Retailer, “visitors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than those that do not” and a Forrester study found that pages containing a mixture of text and video are 50 times more likely to rank high in search results than pages without.
It is essential to creatively integrate video into an online marketing strategy.
Infographics
Infographics visually present information in an informative, interesting, and easy to consume manner.
According to Brafton, an online news and content agency, “infographics are custom visuals designed to share information in a graphic format. The data can be presented in any style a marketer or designer chooses. Whether it’s a pie chart, instructional diagram or another format, infographics can turbo-charge content marketing as long as information offered is accurate, relevant and easy to read.”
According to recent studies, web pages that include both written and visual elements receive 47% more engagement, and Facebook engagement increases by more than 100% when a visual is included in a post (compared to just a link).
Infographics are well suited for distribution through social channels, where they are often shared.
Read about the four ways your business will benefit from infographics.
E-Newsletters/E-Bulletins
Delivering compelling content to a prospect’s inbox is still very effective for business development and customer retention purposes, as long as the information is relevant, valuable, and timely.
E-Newsletters/Bulletins should only be delivered to an “opt-in” list; subscribers who have requested information or have agreed to be included in an organization’s database.
Read five reasons why smart marketers choose email.
Podcasts
Podcasts are digital files, either audio or video, distributed online via a subscription.
Podcasts are an effective approach for explaining concepts and establishing an organization as an authority. In order to attract subscribers, content should be instructional, informative, or entertaining.
Webinars
Webinars are a powerful content format for prospects who are getting close to making a decision. It is a low cost, easy to execute approach for providing detailed information to an interested audience – without prospects or presenters having to leave the comfort of their offices.
Webinar technology allows for online chat, and for questions to be submitted so people participating get precisely the information they require.
Case Studies
Case studies are useful for providing “social proof”, which demonstrates that an organization has successfully delivered value.
Case studies are effective throughout the buying process, but especially during the investigation phase when prospects are defining their problems or requirements, and determining approaches that may address them.
It offers an opportunity for a prospect to experience how their problems or requirements are being addressed by others.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In most sales cycles, there are typical questions that a prospect will ask. The questions and answers are usually well known, but not necessarily organized and presented in an organized and proactive manner.
Answering these questions on an FAQ web page provides prospects with the information they are seeking in one location. Information in an FAQ section should succinctly answer questions, and when done effectively, should direct prospects to the next step in the buying process.
eBooks/Whitepapers
eBooks are especially useful for educating prospects interested in learning more about a particular topic.
When properly developed, an eBook will give the authoring organization online relevance and authority. This format also provides an opportunity to frame the buying decision in an organization’s best interests by emphasising areas of strength and differentiation.
Slide Presentations
Making presentation material available online is a good way to share and distribute knowledge and expertise. The more often these presentations are viewed, the more they are shared, which raises online authority.
Prospects may find this content while doing online research, or may be directed to this material by the organization that developed the presentation.
Services such as SlideShare make posting presentations online easy.
See a slideshow example from us, “Introduction to Online Marketing”.
The Bottom Line
These are examples of formats that can be incorporated into your online marketing content strategy. You must consider your business objectives (e.g. generating inbound leads), your target audience, and search engines when determining which formats would be most effective in presenting your online content.
In a future post we will share information about how to plan your content strategy. So stay tuned!
>> Core Online Marketing can create a wide range of valuable content to support your organization’s online marketing goals. Contact us today, or attend our free online marketing seminar in Oakville to learn more!
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