Five Content Types for a Buyer-Centric Content Marketing Strategy
Most brands have included content marketing as a foundational part of their marketing mix
As brands ramp up content marketing efforts, it’s increasingly challenging to ensure that your content attracts the right customers. Marketers must have content that is relevant and goes beyond the basics to ensure your organization stands out in a crowded digital field.
Here are five content formats that can serve as the underpinnings of a content marketing plan — effectively converting potential buyers into leads.
1. Watch, replay and share.
A Wyzowl survey found people watch an average of 1.5 hours of video in a typical day and 95% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. Knowing what type of video to produce is critical before production begins. Brand videos can establish credibility at the onset of a campaign, setting the tone that will continue throughout the content. Demos, how-to and 360-degree videos can help buyers understand the basics during the early stages of consideration. Video case studies and subject matter expert segments can help drive buyers further down the path to purchase.
The good news is you don’t have to over-produce and over-pay to be effective. A solid script, story board, trustworthy starter talent, a simple backdrop, some basic equipment and an editor are the bones of a good video.
2. A picture can be worth a thousand words
In an era of information overload, some buyers don’t have the time or patience to read lengthy reports or business cases. Buyers rely on the experts (you) to distill data into something meaningful and actionable, which is why infographics have converted more leads into buyers compared to any other form of content. Infographics have had the biggest increase in usage among B2B marketers in the last four years — now at 65%. Infographics help buyers quickly access data insights through compelling text and illustrations.
Infographics are highly extendable content as well. Pull out snippets of visuals from the full infographic and amplify them through social media posts to further move your buyers through the path to purchase.
3. Tell a story through podcasts
Edison Research’s 2017 study found the number of monthly podcasts listeners continues to rise, increasing 24% year over year. Podcasts help buyers absorb information throughout their busy day while delivering high levels of value and interest. Podcasts can demonstrate your brand’s personality and help you connect with your audience during the early stages of awareness. If you’re running a regional campaign in a high commuter market or reaching buyers who index high for streaming audio, podcasts should be a key content offering.
Podcasts don’t require a significant investment, but they do require a knack for storytelling and a well-spoken subject matter expert committed to sharing a point of view. Take some cues from Joe Pullizi, Malcolm Gladwell and Emma Gannon, hosts of popular podcasts that draw us in through evocative topics that spark offline conversations. If done well, podcasts can become your signature content to maintain a connection with the audience.
4. Webinars are where it’s at
If there is one content upgrade to commit to, make it webinars. Webinars are the most effective lead-gen and nurture tactic for B2B marketers. Supporting every aspect of the path to purchase, webinars can hold the attention of buyers: The average webinar attendee viewing time is 61 minutes.
Whether hosted by your brand or through a publisher-partner, webinars support thought leadership objectives and build brand awareness at the onset of a campaign. Yet many brands overlook the most obvious benefit of webinars: Registrant data is made available to you and your sales team. Now you know the names and titles of prospects, what information they want to hear, and how they prefer to be engaged. These data points help you determine what content (perhaps additional webinars) prospects need to further consider and evaluate you as a potential supplier — it’s nurturing made turnkey.
5. Choose your own adventure
When audiences have more control of their online experience, they are committed to seeing it through and are more likely to convert. As a result, interactive media is becoming increasingly important. Quizzes, assessments and decision trees are helping buyers think about their challenges and needs, in turn bringing them a step closer to the solution — ideally, your brand. Most importantly, interactive content reinforces your commitment to the buyer and helps strengthen the relationship. With more buyers becoming skeptical of marketing, how you build trust becomes more important. Consider investing in some level of interactive content this year to help demonstrate empathy.
Business audiences are sophisticated and demand great content. These five content formats can be integrated into your current campaigns to advance a holistic and expansive conversation with prospects to accelerate your potential customer’s path to purchase.
About the Author | Keri Witman
Keri Witman is CEO of Cleriti, where she leverages her entrepreneurial spirit and intimate knowledge of the digital landscape to drive business growth. She has held roles at Elsevier, Cengage Learning and Possible, a WPP agency. Witman is an active contributor to Forbes.com as a member of the Forbes Agency Council. She has been a panelist on the selection committee for TEDx Cincinnati, has performed stand-up comedy at The New York Comedy Club and was a fundraising mentor for New York City’s Leukemia & Lymphoma Team in Training.
