How Diverse is Your Content Marketing Strategy?

Diversity |diˈvərsitē, dī-| noun: a range of different things.

How do you consume content? Do you prefer reading? Listening? Watching? In today’s digital world, it’s more important than ever to have something for everyone. Whether that’s a blog, eBook, infographic, video, case study, or podcast, your prospects have different preferences for their journey through the sales funnel.

So, how do you turn your content marketing plan into a well-oiled, diverse machine?

Blog, blog, and blog

Whether you’re an eCommerce brand or a B2B Saas company, your blog can drive traffic to your website, capture subscribers, and ultimately lead to revenue. Blogs present countless opportunities to diversify your content and break up the monotonous plain text version that is so often seen.

Use a video to introduce a blog post, or change things up for your readers by embedding a SlideShare presentation into the middle of a post. Our brains process visual images 60,000 times faster than text, which means you should try your hand at creating infographics, presentations, or videos that will resonate with your readers. Tools like Canva, Adobe InDesign, and Final Cut Pro are valuable for any marketing team looking to diversify content.

Additionally, SEO and content always go hand-in-hand, so make sure to write at least 500 words, include external/internal links, and use keywords to go along with each piece. Your blog doesn’t have to be just words - and quite frankly - it shouldn’t be. Finding ways to diversify your blog content will increase the odds that your readers will feel compelled to share it across their networks.

Content Marketing Strategy

When we partnered with Nielsen’s Harris Poll Online to find out how effective referral marketing is, we had a number of statistics that we knew our prospects would find interesting. Our content team created a diverse campaign to release the statistics to our prospects, subscribers, and current customers. The campaign consisted of four main assets that would engage our target audience:

-Infographic

-Google Slide Presentation

-Video 

-eBook 

It was a conscious decision to release each piece of content over the course of a month and we encouraged our sales team to use these statistics in their workflows. We knew that if we didn’t capture someone with the first piece of content, there would be opportunities to peak their interest later on.

In addition to organic traffic, we used paid efforts, like social ads, to increase engagement with the Nielsen statistics campaign. By boosting our content with paid campaigns, we were able to broaden our reach and increase traffic to our assets.Taking a holistic approach to marketing campaigns drives the right people to the right content.

The Customer Journey

Customer journeys are unique, they vary based on your audience. And purchases can be immediate or a lengthy process depending on your industry. What isn’t unique, is that all businesses require content to nurture their prospects as they move through the sales funnel.

“While the mere exercise of mapping your customer’s journey has value, the ultimate goal is to improve your customer’s experience by understanding what they go through at each touch point and improving the quality of that experience,” Adam Toporek writes on the Convince & Convert blog.

The quality of the experience can be vastly improved if prospects have the opportunity to consume content that they prefer. Your diverse content will make it easier to nurture these prospects efficiently, and ultimately make it easier to close deals.

Let’s take case studies for example. These are typically shared with prospects at the bottom of the funnel. They connect your prospect to real-life examples for how your product will impact their business or life. But what if you put a face to those words? Video testimonials and written case studies make sure you have multiple options for your prospects. You can take it one step further and include clips or quotes on your website, social media channels, or during sales demos. Personally, I think the HubSpot’s customers page is the perfect example for how to combine your visual and text case studies.

Having a piece of content for each step of your sales process is a must-have for all types of organizations. Top of the funnel blog posts, podcasts, and infographics build brand awareness. eBooks and Whitepapers move things along in the middle of the funnel. And case studies, executive summaries, and product videos close the deal.

Humanize Your Brand

Showing the face behind your brand let’s your fans know that there is an actual human behind the product that they interact with on a regular basis. For instance, instead of using the same stock photos that most businesses use, take your own stock photos. (In fact, the cover image above is our Content Marketing Director and Copywriter recording our podcast, The Happy Customer, coming soon!)

“When a brand is able to make a sincere connection with a consumer, something incredibly powerful happens. Beyond mere fleeting impact, that moment of connection provides a foundation for long-term advocacy, loyalty, and a sustainable bottom line,” Moz writes on their blog.

Content Marketing Is Not A Strategy, It’s A Necessity

Content marketing isn’t a new concept, but it’s the most valuable way for any organization that wants to earn the trust of their audience. Diversifying their options for consuming that content can only bolster that trust.

Looking for more marketing best practices? Download our eBook “More Referrals. Less Hassle.” to get started with referral marketing.