By Dan Scalco, Published November 5, 2014
Many people believe that content marketing is just writing blog posts filled with paragraphs of text. That could not be further from the truth.
The “content” in content marketing is defined by anything that can be consumed by the end user. This means all types of media are content – blog posts, videos, graphics.
In order to keep things fresh and keep your readers’ attention you will want to create different types of content that stimulates them and gets them engaged enough to share your content which, in turn, will drive more traffic. Here are the five different types of content you can create that will do this:
1. Emotional Posts
In the book, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” by Jonah Burger, he explains that there are six main factors as to why content goes viral – one being emotion.
In order to get someone to take an action (such as share your content on social media), you need to make them feel something. This can be both positive or negative.
Take a look at one of the most popular websites on the internet: Viralnova.com (ranked 597th most popular by Alexa). Almost every single post will make you feel an emotion whether it is pictures of kittens or a funny prank video. That emotion is what compels you to share.
To create an emotional post that has viral potential you will want to take a firm stance on an issue. This almost guarantees that you will have people that both agree and disagree with you. Either way, it will get both sides to talk about and share your post.
2. Infographics
If you have ever been on Pinterest you have probably seen an infographic. They are visual interpretations of data meant to be an easy way to consume large amounts of information in an efficient and fun way.
While they can be expensive to create (graphic designers can cost $ 500 – $ 1,000 per inforgraphic) they are one of the best ways to drive traffic to your site. Why? An infographic is perfectly shareable on a variety of social media platforms, namely, Pinterest and Tumblr.
Not only do infographics have viral potential on social channels but they are often picked up by bloggers to write new posts about or used to support their existing posts. This can lead to increased referral traffic plus a link back to your website (which is great for SEO).
If you don’t have any graphic design experience, don’t worry. There are various places you can hire professional graphic designs that specialize in creating infographics. Below are some of my favorites:
- Elance
- oDesk
- Behance
- Dribbble
All you need to do is research your data points and visualize how you want your infographic to look. The designer will take care of the rest.
3. List Posts
Did you know our brains are hardwired to love list posts? It’s an instinctual trait that allows humans to process large amounts of information quickly and efficiently. This explains why websites such as BuzzFeed have taken over your Facebook timeline.
Another reason why readers love list-style posts comes down to web psychology – most people don’t read entire article and tend to only scan headlines with their eyes. The quicker a reader can finish an article they found valuable, the more likely they are to share it.
Creating a list post is very simple. Start by choosing a topic that can be broken down into various sub-topics or sub-sections. Choose headings for each section and start writing.
The basic format for list posts is:
- Introduction
- List points
- Conclusion
4. Case Studies
With the massive amount of content being produced daily, or even hourly, a lot of it can be considered “fluff”. For this reason readers are becoming more inclined to trust content that is backed by real results or research.
Not only do case studies have the ability to grow traffic but they also position you as an authority within your industry and as someone with a documented track record of success.
Most case studies follow the same format:
- Summary of the project
- The main problem that you or your client was facing
- How you overcame that problem
5. Tutorials
Some of the most popular websites and YouTube channels in the world all have one thing in common – they help solve people’s problems.
“How-To” style content can come in many forms:
- Blog posts
- Videos
- Graphics
Your main goal when creating this type of content should be to focus on identifying a common problem that your audience faces and, then, creating a step-by-step solution for them.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there is a wide variety of content that you can product to increase traffic to your site. Whether you decide to create an infographic or list post remember the importance of creating content that will help your audience will gain value. In short, will they be able to improve themselves and/or their business by consuming your content?
What type of content do you find drives the most traffic to your site?
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