Member Article

12 Content Marketing Ideas That Aren’t Blog Posts

Today I want to share with you 12 creative media formats that make your company’s story stand out from the blogging sphere. An easy-to-grasp guide introducing 12 great ideas for content that isn’t blog-shaped.

With so much content out there it can be hard to ensure that your brand’s message does not get lost in the noise of the Internet. Particularly if that message is being presented in the standard blog format - SEO optimised for sure, but is it engaging and different from any other content?

So to help your content stand out from the numerous dry standard formatted blogs out there why not take a different approach and frame your content as a quiz, or a comic strip? Perhaps move onto Twitter and host a Q&A session? Or why not post your content into a shared space and generate discussion around it?

There are many ways in which you can differentiate your brand message and really engage with prospects - below we have pulled together 12 of the most awesome creative media formats, from charts, text messages all the way through to content vampires, to help you really make sure that your content is noticed. As fashion designer and style icon Vivienne Westwood once said “You will have a more interesting life if you wear impressive clothes” and the same applies for content marketing - you will have a more interesting brand if you create impressive content”.

But remember - the key to content is all about making it relevant to your target prospects in message, design and distribution - so read on, get inspired, keep creative and start generating the awesome content needed to really get your brand noticed

1. Frame it as a quiz Does your content help people define their needs? Write it as a fun quiz instead. It’s great for segmenting your audience and helping them to identify their knowledge base.

2. Use Twitter as a Q&A Tweeting isn’t just for one-offs. Release a sequenced block of content in bite-sized chunks. Bring the whole box set together in a blog later.

3. Examine a case study Need to present a product? Zoom in by imagining how one ideal customer used it to solve one problem. Being specific often has general appeal and can help encourage people to buy your product.

4. Explore different charts There’s more to graphics than bar graphs and pie charts. Try less-used charts like the Spidergram and Circumplex to present your data.

5. Scarf up a comic strip Everyone likes comics. If what you have to say can be presented in snappy one-liners, try presenting them with some bright colours, some stick figures and sequential panels.

6. Hit ’em with a text, Y/N? If you’d like a straight answer from your customer, ask a straight question. SMS applications make it easy to elicit simple responses by text message, driving not just readership but engagement.

7. Number each piece of content Many people feel an urge to “collect the set” even if they didn’t find an individual piece right for them. Numbering gives you more chances to gather those eyeballs.

8. Stick your content in a shared space Scrapbook sites like Pinterest are great for bringing related content together and keeping it in one place. 9. Interview with the content vampire Write your content as questions your audience might pose, with answers from an expert. Which expert? Maybe you.

10. Look for unusual content opportunities Hint, rollover text, ALT text, captions - all these “microcontent” sources can be customised to add a smile to your content. Not only will it optimise your website, but it also makes you look like you really know your stuff.

11. Think document, not webpage Look bigger by making your content downloadable. A discrete document like a PDF of ebook often has a higher perceived value.

12. Write a guide or glossary Not only is it great SEO, but reference pages like glossaries are evergreen content that’ll get readers’ attention year after year. That’s just 12 - to find more, think about what draws your eye when you consume content. Is it sidebars, captions, colour? All will give you clues for your next content marketing project that won’t rely on a blog!

Before you can create great data visualisation, you need data worthy of visualising. Download the guide: Modern Marketing Essentials Guide: Social Marketing. Copy and paste this link into your browser: http://bit.ly/socialmediaeguide

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sylvia Jensen .