What to write in the company blog: a detailed guide on 15 types of posts
What content boosts sales, how to make it, and what are the pitfalls. Amazon, NBC, GM, HP and KISSmetrics founder Neil Patel , marketing marketing creator, gives advice on how to talk about products and services in 15 different formats.
The material was translated by the Newnight team for Relap.io .
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If you are just starting to master content marketing, first you just need to start a blog and start writing.
When the blog is already there and the work on it has more or less stabilized, try using a new type of content. Most likely, the result will not take long - the best attendance, attracting the target audience, improving the efficiency of advertising and SEO.
But before we get acquainted with the 15 types of content that will help achieve such results, here are some tips:
- No need to try everything at once - different types of content are suitable for different brands. It is completely acceptable that you may like only one of them. This is not a list of must-haves, but simply possible options.
- Do not be afraid to try new things - it turns out that many people do not like to switch to other types of content, believing that it will be too difficult, take a long time, or fail to bring the expected results. I understand your forethought, but I advise you to try it anyway. Want to start with a video? No need to install a "green screen", buy corrective software and a professional camera. Start small — use your iPhone and YouTube account. To success come gradually.
- Adjust your schedule - if you have a marketing plan, choose one or two options from this list and record them in your schedule for the next month. If you do not plan everything in advance, it is unlikely that something will turn out. I suggest you try one for four weeks.
- This is not a complete list - when choosing a content type, focus not on formats, but on ideas. The main thing is messadzh, and the way of presenting it is secondary. First, develop a concept, and then think about how it should look. The set of options - in the end, you can invent your own type of content.
â„– 1. Infographics
Infographics is a graphical way of presenting material or data. The name itself reflects the essence - information + graphics .
Infographics are spreading faster and more frequently viewed than most other types of content - users like it more. This is an effective way to present your material beautifully and visually. According to the study , infographics collects 3 times more likes and reposts than other types of content. There is clearly a huge potential.
How to make
If your company has a designer, ask for it. Some illustrators specialize in infographics. If funds are available, you can use a service, for example, Visual.ly . The minimum price for infographics is about $ 1,000.
How to use
This is the perfect way to feed almost any idea or concept. Infographics are best for displaying data, statistics, research results and new discoveries.
What is important to know
- Infographics can be costly. The price of $ 1,000 is pretty typical.
- Previously, the very presence of infographics could guarantee the popularity of the content. It doesn't work anymore. Everyone makes an infographic. Now you will have to try to make the users like the content, and check the infographic.
- Make a hypography. The same infographics, but instead of static pictures - animated graphic elements. Examples can be found here.
â„– 2. Memes
Everyone saw memes. They are easy to make. They are popular. They are hilarious.
One of the main advantages of memes is humor. People like to find something funny and share it.
How to make
- This does not require graphic design skills. Using the Meme Generator and Quick Meme sites, you can add your text to popular meme pictures.
- Perhaps this is not the best type of content for a blog, but memes are popular in social networks. Twitter, Stumbleupon, Pinterest, Reddit, and Tumblr (especially Tumblr) will help you spread your content.
- A meme cannot have serious content. But if you are in a good mood or have a funny idea, make a meme.
What is important to know
- Memes are adaptive. They are good in their universality, they can be used in any area, if it is not too narrow or difficult to understand.
- Memes are not very valuable content, so do not overdo it. If there are too many of them, the concept or brand that you are promoting may lose value.
â„– 3. Video
Here you have a lot of options. You can devote a whole article to different types of video content. But regardless of the type, a good video should be short and memorable. It can be extremely selling. This Crazy Egg video brings the company $ 21,000 each month.
How to make
- Whether it is an office tour, an explanation or a music video ( for example ), in any case, you will have to work on the content. Video is not just a live picture; the main thing is what you say or show. Read more tips on how to make an explanatory video.
- Post your stuff on YouTube and Vimeo. These sites are a great opportunity to take a favorable position in search results, and video search in particular.
What is important to know
- A good video is not cheap. Of course, you can start small, but the services of a specialist and film crew cost money.
- The video should not be long. 2-3 minutes is enough.
â„– 4. Hyde
This is a detailed and very voluminous type of content. It can be called an epic blog post. In style, scope and concept, it differs from the usual post. My series of guides is one of the most popular content types I've created. You can see and make sure that there is more material and graphic elements here than in the articles of my blog.
How to make
For a guide, you need a competent writer, an intelligent designer and a good idea. From the writer requires quality material, and the designer must make it visually appealing. The idea must be in the interests of the target audience. You can arrange your guide in the form of a downloadable PDF document.
What is important to know
- Guide can be used as a "bait" to get the email address of the user: "Write your address, and we will send you this cool guide."
- It must be of high quality. Make sure you hire professionals. Readability of the material equally depends on the design and on the author's style.
â„– 5. Review
A book review is a brief discussion of the book plus your opinion about it. You recommend good books and criticize not very good ones, and also share your impressions. The review is good because it positions you as a person whose opinion is worth listening to.
How to make
Review at will can be made simple or difficult. We confine ourselves to a short and simple version of seven points:
- Submit a book: 1–5 sentences.
- Introduce the author: 1–5 sentences.
- Briefly describe the essence of the book: 1-3 sentences for each thesis.
- Specify what you like in the book: 1–5 sentences.
- Indicate what you did not like: 1–5 sentences.
- Make a conclusion - is it worth reading a book: 1-3 sentences.
- Give a link to the book (call to action).
What is important to know
- This type of content is better suited to those who have a reading audience.
- The review will help to earn credibility, especially if you can talk with the author or appreciate the latest book or its preliminary version.
â„– 6. Post-opinion (angry post)
The writing style for such a post is significantly different from ordinary blog texts, the main feature is its tone. You can do a little research and post your reasoning on your blog. But in this case the author expresses categorically and expressively. The brighter and more expressive the expressed opinion, the more readers you will have.
How to make
From time to time, write loud statements, touch on current topics and critical issues. For example, write your opinion on how the economy is changing. When Matt Cutts announced that guest blogging is a past century, I wrote a similar post . Speaking on popular topics, you can increase blog traffic.
What is important to know
- Such materials should not appear too often. The one who writes too much about his opinion or uses loud expressions, quickly gets bored. Be careful.
- Do not go beyond. You can not stoop to insults, "expressive" does not mean "angry."
- Be sure that you write - this is your opinion, know how to defend your point of view.
No. 7. Product Overview
Like a book review, a review will help you earn the reputation of a person who understands his field. In each industry there are a number of related products, services and software. By attracting well-known manufacturers, developers, service companies, you can increase your reputation. All you need is to share your experience using the product and give your recommendations.
How to make
Reviews write on this plan:
- Submit a product
- Imagine the manufacturer
- Describe the product
- Specify what you like.
- Specify what did not like
- Your recommendations
- Call to action
What is important to know
If the product is tangible, the review can be supplemented with video materials. This will add clarity.
No. 8. Practical Guide
Practical advice is one of the most common types of content, especially in my field. In my blog, I wrote a lot of different guides. Such articles have great potential in terms of long search queries like “How to do this or that” or “What should I do if ...?”
How to make
First, determine the most typical problem. Then describe her decision. The plan is simple:
- Describe the problem
- Describe the solution
- Step by step write the solution.
- Summarize
- Make a conclusion
What is important to know
- Topics for such content is always enough. Think about what you do every day. Write an article based on this problem. This may be specific to your industry or be something more generalized: "How to respond to an email in a minute" or "How to optimize robots.txt for search engines."
- The more detailed the explanation, the better. Charts, videos and images will be useful additions for practical guidance.
â„– 9. Lists
Lists do not lose popularity. We have an unhealthy desire for them . Most likely, today you will read an article like “5 safety gaps you need to know about” or “17 ways to become more popular in Google in a month”. Let me remind you that now you are reading an article entitled "15 types ...".
Sorting ideas is relevant to the times of the Ten Commandments and to this day, when lists of everything in the world are compiled. With this content you can not go wrong. Even well-known journals publish such lists for commercial purposes:
How to make
Choose a topic, and then the number is half done. A good example is this article: “7 ways to improve your rating without investing in content marketing . ”
When the list is ready, it is simple to issue it: the introductory part, the list itself and the conclusion.
What is important to know
- The more detailed the list, the better.
- Long lists are good too.
- No perfect number. Odd numbers, round numbers, any - all work equally well.
â„– 10. References
This is a post where you link to cool web resources. It is good because it provides links to other sites, increases the popularity of your blog and serves as confirmation of your competence.
How to make
A reference page is simply a list of useful resources. Write the title of the article, insert the hyperlinks and number them. Is done.
What is important to know
It will not be superfluous to add your comment or a short introduction to each link. This is not necessary, but the author’s comments will add value to the post. In addition, if the page on the link is exceptionally good (or bad), you will want to emphasize this.
â„– 11. E-book
This is the volume content that is available for viewing, most often it is PDF. Books can usually be downloaded for free if you subscribe to the newsletter. Placing an e-book enhances the credibility of the site; it is an effective method of sharing information.
How to make
- If you decide to create an e-book, the amount of material should be appropriate: 10,000 words would fit perfectly.
- The book has chapters. Make sure that your book has a table of contents that will help you navigate the content.
What is important to know
- A good book should have a good title. Spend time and think up a headline that will attract more readers.
- Design solves a lot. If the e-book does not have color and graphic design or high-quality formatting, many people think that you should not waste time on it.
- I advise you to place the book in PDF and HTML formats. You can add video, audio, etc. to an HTML book.
â„– 12. Cases
Using the example of an individual client, you explain what your product / service is and how it is useful to the consumer. In fact, you say: “That's what we do, we do it like this, and we get this result.”
How to make
Case should be written according to this algorithm:
- Briefly tell what the case.
- Explain the problem you or the client had to face.
- Write what solution you suggested. The explanation should be clear and understandable, write it in stages.
- Tell us about the results. Why the problem should be solved that way.
- Draw conclusions, do not forget about the feedback.
What is important to know
- Try to write the case so that it does not look like an advertisement.
- Write a story. Case does not sound very interesting, but a good case is an inspiring success story.
â„– 13. Podcast
Podcasts were once very popular, it is now a great type of content. In addition, it is easy to create. Many listen to podcasts during a trip or a workout. With this format of content you have the opportunity to further and better distribute the material.
How to make
The podcast is simple, all you need is a good microphone and some technical skills. Read what Apple writes about it.
What is important to know
Like any online publication, the podcast needs text. Write a short introduction, post information about new podcasts, describe in general terms the content. You can even make a transcript - it will have a good effect on search optimization.
â„– 14. Interview
In each area there are leaders. Being able to interview one of them will increase your credibility among all who are related to this area, not to mention attendance. Interviews are unique. No one else has such content - only you.
How to make
To begin, you must invite a person to a conversation and arrange a meeting time.
The conversation itself takes place in this format:
- Introduce the interviewee. Show respect and appreciation.
- Ask a question and listen to the interlocutor.
- Keep asking questions. If in the course of the discussion an intriguing topic appears (and if you know how to beautifully support the conversation without preparation), ask additional questions.
- Conclusion Thank the interlocutor. And don't forget the call to action for the audience.
What is important to know
If you are posting an interview in audio or video format, complete it with a brief description in print.
No. 15. Research and data
Many of us work with large amounts of data, where numbers and metrics are extremely important. Placing the results of your research is an effective way to increase attendance, enhance reputation and strengthen credibility. Own research is a big job and people respect it. Moreover, people share this.
How to make
- We'll have to do research. It is necessary to choose a topic on which it will not be a pity to spend time and work.
- Make your data clear and interesting. Give specific numbers, percentages and all the necessary details that could attract the user's attention.
What is important to know
- Professional research can be expensive.
- Take your regular report and make it content. For example, if you collect data on the most viral content, the most popular headlines, the most viewed pages, make a “study” of this and post it on a blog.
- Arrange the data in the form of infographics. So you get a double benefit: from the study itself and from infographics.
Conclusion
As you can see, the content options are numerous. The more of them you use, the more effective your marketing policy. Regardless of their form, the content is addressed to the target audience, which listens, shares, learns and converts to clients.
Content marketing has enormous potential - what your brand needs to reach a new level. Now you have a plan that will allow this to be achieved.
Source: 15 Types of Content
Translation: Natalia Zhivova for Night and Relap.io
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