Content Types: Are You Providing The Right Mix?

Today, marketers have a lot of content types to choose from—SlideShare, social posts, eBooks, interactive web pages, videos, and infographics to name just a few.

How do you know the right mix of content types to integrate into your content strategy? Well, it all depends. Specifically, it depends on three factors: audience, message, and resources. Below, we take a deeper dive into each.

Audience

How do you know the right mix of content types to integrate into your content strategy?

If you want your content marketing efforts to be successful, you need to know who you’re talking to and what their digital habits are. For example, an older audience who’s primary online activity is to check email might not be as interested in an interactive, mobile-friendly website as a younger, more tech-savvy audience.

It’s tempting to reach for the next shiny trend in marketing—whether it’s responsive design or a new social media channel—but resist the urge. First, really think about the people you’re trying to reach and where they are online.

Message

Before you decide on your mix of content types, you need to think about the message you’re trying to convey. Is it a product update? A customer FAQ content campaign? A “best-of” list? Different kinds of messages beg different kinds of mediums.

If you’re tackling a larger content theme that addresses customer pain points, an eBook might be a good choice. You can repurpose this eBook with social media, blog posts, and an infographic. At Kapost, we recommend breaking out your larger content assets into supporting assets:

An interactive webpage could be the best way to communicate a “best-of” list, like this one, from The Verge and like our very own Kapost 50. The New York Times and The Guardian have also proved interactive webpages can be one of the best ways to communicate a story or a feature article.

The best way to figure out which medium is right for you is to ask how your content type is supports and compliments the message you’re trying to convey.

Resources

This may seem like a no-brainer, but before you start dreaming up what content types you want to implement, you need to make sure you have the people, budget, and workflows to pull it off.

Creating an interactive webpage without the budget to hire a web developer, for instance, isn’t going to work. Additionally, creating an eBook with a haphazard workflow in place for creating, editing, and publishing that eBook is going to hurt your campaign.

Instead of bending over backwards to do something you don’t have resources for or experience with, keep it simple. Shooting a video for the first time? Don’t plan on anything fancy. Start small and build from there. I’m not saying don’t take risks. Just be realistic about your capacity for creating different kinds of content types and put the necessary systems in place to facilitate a streamlined production process.

Finding the right mix of content types is essential for any successful content marketing operation. It’s a great way to keep your audience engaged, your content fresh, and your messages resonating. But identifying the right content types is more than just guesswork. It should be a well-thought out plan rooted in your customer needs, your message type, and the resources at your disposal.

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