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With the advent of any new year comes thoughtful reflection, goal setting and projections for the future. With respect to content marketing, it is good practice to consider where improvements could be made and how time and resources could be allocated more strategically. Develop content that is relevant and appropriate, and easy for your business to maintain. The following content marketing mediums are proven powerful as they are practical:

Blog. A blog is a primary content marketing example as it offers great editorial content and keeps you in front of prospects and clients. Search engines thrive on fresh, new content, and posts of at least 500 words or more each month will improve ranking. In fact, websites that include a blog typically have 434% more indexed pages than those that don’t.¹ Over time, consistent, relevant blog posts will establish thought leadership and foster relationships. Consider topics that would be of interest and engage your audience. Posts don’t have to be particularly long, but they must be consistent and relevant.  

Vlog. A professionally prepared video can yield great dividends in terms of perceived value and can help position your company as an expert. Video increases visitor time spent on a website, and offers an opportunity to create awareness of your product or service and can influence a purchase. One-third of all online activity is spent watching video content and consumers are viewing video content in increasing numbers.² This fact alone makes video content an important vehicle for reaching and engaging your audience.

Infographic. Typically, any information that would benefit from a visual aid, can benefit from an infographic. Infographics aid in education, provide valuable information in an interesting and easy-to-digest format, and help to better visualize complex data. Infographics are ideal for a myriad of digital (and print) advertising, infinitely shareable and great for driving links and referral traffic. Referral traffic puts your content in front of new audiences, creating opportunities for audience engagement and conversions.³ 

Case Studies. Story-telling is useful for generating awareness of a product or service. Real-life examples show relevant and successful application, illustrate problem solving, and establish trust. To create a case study, strategically choose customers who have benefited from your product or service in a significant way. Work with customers who will provide permission along with a quote or statistic of how you helped foster success. Case studies can also be the subject of shared content (i.e. blog posts, eBooks and social media). 

eBooks and white papers. An eBook should address a need or challenge and provide useful information and insight for a target audience. Downloads like eBooks offer lead collecting advantages because a visitor could be prompted to provide certain information in order to obtain the offer. White papers are similar but tend to be more statistical. While eBooks and white papers require more of a time investment, they also provide an attractive return in terms of lead capture, content, thought leadership and respect in the industry. 

Smart content marketing will help attract and retain an audience with valuable, relevant feed in order to drive response. Since the focus of content marketing is long-term, it must be maintained and consistent to be effective. Spend the necessary time and resources to create quality content on topics relevant to your audience in order to build relationships and trust in your brand. Then, when your prospect is ready to make a purchase, you will be top of mind. 

Reference:
1 https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/blogging-statistics-to-boost-your-strategy
2 https://biteable.com/blog/tips/video-marketing-statistics/
3 https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/07/23/referral-traffic-links