When creating digital content, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to figure out which avenues to choose. With so many different types of content available, it’s best to first determine what you’re looking to achieve through content. Are you trying to gain new customers? Reach a new audience? Provide customers with value?
Having different variations of content can help you reach consumers during the various phases of their purchasing journey. If you’re unsure of where to begin and what your options are, here are five types of digital content that you can create for your small business.
1. Blogs
Arguably the most popular form of content, blogs have been around for a very long time and can really help businesses connect with their target audience. Blogs are meant to showcase a business’s expertise in their field through high-quality, unique and creative pieces of writing. These pieces help build trust with your customers and showcase you as a trusted, well-educated source that can help meet their needs.
Be sure to include call to actions within each post. This can help you achieve the goals you initially set, like driving website traffic, adding email subscribers or increasing social media followers. For example, if you operate a candle shop, you might publish a blog about the new scents you’re releasing for spring and how different scents can impact a person’s mood. You could then link to a page on your website that features all of the new candles, thus encouraging readers to purchase.
However, it’s important to recognize that blogs are a commitment. If you’re looking to create one, you should be prepared to publish a new article at least once every few days. The last thing you want to do it take the time to create a blog and then let it go stagnant, or only have articles that were published months ago.
2. Case Studies
Case studies provide consumers with in-depth, detailed examinations and analysis of a specific situation. Case studies are great because they are unique to you and your business and they highlight common scenarios that consumers may run into.
When creating a case study, you’ll want to write a summary that explains the initial problem and how you solved it. Provide your readers with the five w’s and one h questions (who, what, where, why, when and how). Don’t just explain your results, take them through the process and show them why they should care.
If you’d like to see a few examples, Facebook offers a variety of case studies on their website, segmented by industry and objective.
3. Listicles
Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good list? They are easy to read and straight to the point, which is perhaps what makes them so popular. Start with a specific topic and a number, then create the content from there. You want the information to be educational, so take time to think of the components of your business that consumers are likely interested in knowing more about.
For example, if you owned a tattoo shop, you could create a listicle about 10 from-scratch, totally customized tattoos that were done within your shop. A post like this will help highlight the impressive work you’ve completed in an easy-to-read, visual format, which could potentially encourage a prospective customer to call or visit your shop for their next tattoo.
4. Infographics
Infographics provide a ton of information, like statistics and research, into a single image that’s easy to read and visually appealing. Infographics offer more than just a simple list, by allowing you to create visuals (charts, graphics) to go alongside them. They should be embedded with a backlink; as this will help with your off-page SEO.
Infographics can increase web traffic by up to 12%. Additionally, they are liked and shared on social media 3x more than other any other type of content. To gain as many benefits out of your infographic as you can, be sure to follow best practices, like creating a descriptive title, incorporating white space for organization and segmenting the content into sections.
5. White Papers
White papers are in-depth, downloadable guides that help inform readers about a specific subject. Due to their longer format, white papers are packed with detail. The overall goal with a white paper is to educate your readers by presenting information, facts and evidence on a specific problem and a solution to solving that problem.
White papers are generally gated content, so they are a great avenue for gathering leads. When you prompt a user to download, you should have a form attached to it that asks for basic information (name, email, company, etc.)
Keep in mind, white papers should be utilized for educating and informing customers, not as a sales pitch. Let your knowledge and expertise sell itself by providing the reader with useful, high-quality information. This will build trust with consumers and grow your brand’s reputation, which can ultimately lead to new customers and, subsequently, increased sales.
