It’s now widely accepted that content marketing is a fantastic way to drive more traffic to your website, or your client’s website. This can be done by writing shortform or longform content, but what if you’re not an exceptional writer or are looking to mix things up a little bit? Here are a few different content ideas which you can create regularly in order to succeed in online inbound marketing. It’s most likely that you will have a blog and social media accounts; you might be getting tired of writing and sharing content all the time. So, here are a number of types of content and how you can use them on your websites.
Podcasts
Creating your very own podcast series enables you to generate loads of amazing content without ever needing to lift up a pen (or write a blog) again. There are many successful podcasts on iTunes which are subscribed to by people across the world, if yours is well made and a good listen, you can benefit from being listed highly in their rankings whilst also gaining a large number of subscribers.
Podcasts are great for when people are on the move; many professionals listen to them when on the commute whilst others simply prefer to learn by listening. Create a weekly or monthly podcast to keep visitors or listeners coming back.
Video Series
By using websites like YouTube or Vimeo, you can easily create and upload interesting video content which is not only more engaging than relentlessly pushing out blogs, it is also more sharable. One example is the immensely successfully TED Talks which appeal to readers whilst saving them time.
Audio Interviews
Creating an audio interview is very easy, all you need is a microphone, which all of the latest smart phones contain, as well as a recording programs like Audacity. The latter will help you insert any soundbites or jingles. If you have an interesting guest, your interview will gain more exposure and will also give your website much more credibility.
Video Guides
Much like a video series, if you have a product or a service which you are an expert in, why not ditch a written guide in favour of a charming video guide? YouTube is the first port of call for many internet users if they need to find a tutorial, they can follow this more easily than if they were reading off a page.
Image Galleries
An image gallery is a more immediate way of presenting information when compared to paragraphs of text. Of course, mixing the two is a great option, but if your work is say, in interior or graphic design, illustration or painting, fill your webpage with high quality images. If you are creating a blog post for business, you could try a behind-the-scenes look at your office or create an image gallery from the office Christmas party (that’s if the photographs aren’t too risqué!).
Memes
Why not have a little fun? If you’ve looked on the internet recently, you’ll have seen that it’s now populated with thousands of memes. Memes are catchy, memorable and they can really help establish your brand’s unique personality. Add to this that they are immensely sharable on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+, and you have yourself a great way to create a witty viral campaign which has taken next to no time to create, whilst also costing nothing extra!
You can create memes using software like Adobe Photoshop or you can now find dedicated meme creation websites.
Infographics / Visualisations
Infographics can be a beautiful way to illustrate data-based information. They can be used for any subject if you have got numbers to back up your point. Both infographics and visualisations are eye-catching, colourful and can jazz up any page or blog. They also act as a great link bait tool; browsers will be more likely to click if there is a snippet of an infographic which they find interesting.
Cartoons
If you’re an agency and there is a strong illustrator amongst your ranks, utilise their skills! Comics or cartoons can be another fun way to produce content without having to write. If keep the humour appropriate, a little bit of satire can really engage your readers by making them laugh.
Livestream Videos
Livestreaming can be a fun way of engaging potential customers, many brands nowadays allow users who are online to gain access to their events via Youtube or sites like Ustream. This is true for many digital media conferences or live music events. If you have the capabilities, you can beam your exciting event to people all across the globe.
Timelines
Interactive timelines can work like a dream if you have lots of historical content to sift through before then deciding which is appropriate for a blog post. If your web design team is capable, you should create a smooth and visually pleasing timeline which, in all honesty, is a lot more appealing to read than a page which looks like something from Wikipedia.
Quizzes
Not only are quizzes a nifty way to drive traffic to your website, they are also a clever tool to gather information. Just ask Buzzfeed; they have very rapidly become the darlings of the internet thanks to their quizzes. Their short, snappy content and targeted quizzes get thousands of young people filling out information in order to see how much of an eighties child they are, or something very similar!
Guest Blogs
Guest blogs work by the owner of a blog asking another writer to contribute content to their website. This can save you having to write a blog post yourself (great if you have writers block) or want to benefit from link building tactics.
Re-blogs
Again, if you are pressed for time, reblogging an old post can be useful. For example, if you have a blog from the past which is about, say, a topic which has become relevant again, use it and share it. Search engines will be working on overdrive to bring users relevant content, so if your blog post is fully optimised for SEO, you can attract more traffic to your website, thanks to a blog which was slowly getting lost amongst the archives.
What do you think? Are there any new and exciting content platforms that we have missed out out that you’re using? Let us know on Twitter at @theukseo!
Images takes from Shutterstock