By and large, blogs still account for the vast majority of content marketing out there (86 percent according to The State of Content Marketing Report 2019: Global Report), and for good reason.

We know that businesses that use blogs receive 97 percent more links to their websites and, in turn, have 434 percent more indexed pages for the SERPs. This is why it is pretty much a no-brainer since blogging can also be extremely cost-effective for small businesses on a tight budget.

Blog posts are most effective when used strictly for good, like most types of content marketing. Rather than blogging about how your newest product will change lives, you should be writing about topics related to your products or services.

You literally won’t need to push your products when you establish your company as a leading industry expert, whether locally or internationally. Add genuine impact by adding something new and valuable, above and beyond what the many, many generic blogs out there offer.

After all, your readers want to know what you know and how you can help solve their problem, not what everyone else has already said. Definitely forget leaning hard into keywords, the user experience is far more valuable today.

Of the many different forms of content marketing, infographics are one that can really throw a big curveball for digital marketers. It is a shame because a good infographic can get a lot of attention in the form of shares and inbound links. 

Of course, you can’t use an infographic for everything, nor should you. But choosing the right time and graphic can elevate this content format to the sublime.

Successful infographics are simple, impactful, and meaningful. The point of them is to take a lot of complicated information from a study or survey and break it down into the most important points.

They can be used to punctuate written blogs or as standalone content for both blogging platforms and social media – just remember to keep it simple and impactful filled with strong data points.

Video content can be expensive to produce, as well as time-consuming, but it is hot and in demand among many consumers. Although many prefer written content, those that want video are still wanting to see even more than they can get their hands on right now. 

A well-produced video spot shows a whole different side of your business (much like a podcast does) and can give you a better way to create content that demonstrates how to do something or how something works.

Consider videos for more than just blogging; they are also great for teaching someone how to replumb their own sink trap using your product or show potential customers how you manufacture your golf clubs, from start to finish. 

Don’t forget to create captions for your videos and include a text introduction to help humans better navigate their way to what they really want to see. You can then use this content almost anywhere, from your main website to your blog, your social media page, or even in email campaigns.

Of the many forms of content marketing, social media is one that is often treated alone because it follows a slightly different set of rules. Unlike other digital marketing content listed above, social media marketing is all about getting people to look AND respond directly. You want engagement that is palpable. 

It can take some effort to find both the type of content and medium that really resonates with your social media followers, but if you are already producing other types of content for your marketing, the good news is that you can easily repurpose them for social media, too. 

By watching your social media analytics, you will be able to figure out pretty quickly if your audience is the type that prefers videos or blogs, serious posts from your CEO, or funny posts from your staff writers. Plus, you will be able to gauge how much traffic social media is generating to your site.