Online content can take many different forms; From case studies and e-books, to informative illustrations, GIFs and videos.
Each of these different forms has its benefits; Whether for inspiration, education or entertainment.
In this article, we'll explore popular content formats and explain how to choose the right one according to your audience's needs.
Whatever format you choose, the goal of the content remains the same, which is to communicate with the audience.
This audience, in turn, will interact, participate, learn and may even convert to a customer who buys what you offer.
Popular content forms
Blogs are usually issued as a subsection within an existing website and may include original content or content written by visitors.
Blogs about unique topics also help you increase your visibility and even give you engaging content to share across other channels, such as social media.
Infographics are usually informative and are a great way to present knowledge in a visual way.
With their eye-catching look, these graphics work well on the Internet and can help you creatively display complex or unusual content.
E-books are educational, easy to read and can be used to focus on a specific topic.
E-books provide readers with practical content, thus helping you to stand out as an expert in your field.
Videos include any type of content from product promotions to tutorials and customer testimonials, and videos allow brands to create interactive, entertaining and useful content that can be viewed on the go.
There are many other forms of content that you should know, such as:
- Press releases
- Online seminars
- Comments
- Case study
To learn more about other forms of content, see the additional links at the end of this article.
Successful content is not necessarily content that goes viral or reaches millions of people.
Focus on content that specifically appeals to your audience, and design it in a way that directs customers toward a specific goal or action.
See: Knowledge Conditions in Understanding the Industry
How to achieve your content?
What is the main goal you want to achieve with your content? In content marketing, there are usually 4 main goals for content, they are:
- Entertainment
- Inspiration
- Education
- Persuasion
Let's look at how different forms of content match your current goals.
Take Nada, who runs a dog grooming business, and wants to develop a content strategy that helps her have an effective online presence:
- To entertain her audience, she decided to post funny videos on social media, showing some dog tricks.
- To inspire them, Nada wants to create a forum on her website, where visitors can share their questions and get answers from Nada herself and other pet owners.
- To educate her audience, Nada shares her best dog grooming and feeding tips.
- In order to convince the public to use its services, Nada shares testimonials from customers who are satisfied with the quality of the services it provides, in addition to e-books; To show her mastery of dog grooming skills.
In the context of your business, think about what forms of content will best serve your goals. For example:
1. If your goal is education, then guides, e-books, and infographics are perfect for you.
2. If your goal is entertainment, you will have to choose another format, such as competitions.
3. When choosing the right content formats for your goals, think about content that you can easily produce on your own, and the possibility of hiring assistants to create formats that you can't produce on your own.
Define the purpose of your content, then choose the most appropriate format to serve that purpose.
4. Finally, when designing your content, remember your audience and work to meet their needs to impress them with your content.
See: Reverse Marketing: How it Works With Examples