8 Types of Content Marketing that Drive Customer Action

Updated June 1, 2022

Reading Time: 9 minutes

The Most Successful Marketers Utilize Different Types of Content Marketing

If content marketers want to capture diverse and meaningful audiences, they need to look deep into their marketing toolbox. The digital marketing cosmos is full of many different types of content marketing formats that can dramatically improve (and even reshape) the most clever marketing strategies. 

Let’s look closely at successful content marketing types along with important aspects like:

• Key stats and ROI insights
• What stage of the marketing funnel each content type fits in
• Important questions you should ask when creating each content marketing type

Contents

1. THE LONG & SHORT OF IT: BLOGGING
2. PROVING YOUR WORTH: CASE STUDIES
3. SHARING YOUR BEST DATA: WHITE PAPERS
4. INTERACTIVE & ATTENTION GRABBING: EBOOKS
5. BRAND & COMMUNITY BUILDING: SOCIAL MEDIA
6. BUILDING TRUST & BEING MEMORABLE : VIDEO
7. CATCHING EYES: INFOGRAPHICS
8. CONTINUAL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: EMAIL MARKETING

What is Content Marketing? 

Content is the heart and soul of any company’s digital marketing strategy. It allows businesses to bring their insights, expertise, and services to life—and engage diverse audiences at different stages in the marketing funnel.

The goal is to create content that inspires action. Your company’s content should educate potential customers on the solutions your product/services offer. 

When done well, you’ll create different types of content marketing pieces that are shared across different marketing channels. We like how MOZ simplifies the stages of the marketing funnel:

But how does this work? What sort of content do you create for each stage? Here’s a nice example from HubSpot of the buyer’s journey, and the content they should encounter at each stage in the funnel:

Quick note: The categorization above is flexible. For example, videos can be utilized at any stage. Things like white papers and case studies can work in Consideration or Decision stages. It’s all comes down to what action you want each type of content to inspire. Also, other types of content fit well in the Awareness Stage (e.g. blogs and social media posts).

No matter what type of content you use, channel you market in, or funnel stage, your content needs to be centered on the actions and/or next steps you want the audience to take—making the buyer’s journey smooth. 

Why Does It Matter?

With great content you can:

• Propel brand awareness
• Demonstrate the value of your products/services and the solutions they provide
• Foster a community that strongly advocates for your product and services
• Drive thought leadership in your market 
• Increase conversions and subscriptions
• Expand and retain revenue

According to the Content Marketing Institute, “Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less” (2017). 

Businesses reaching their target audiences online with well crafted, relevant content have to be persistent in order to generate leads and increase sales. According to the 2019 Demand Content Preferences Survey Report, conducted by Demand Gen Report, “A majority of respondents (41%) consume three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep.” This speaks volumes to both the need for diverse content and how content helps move potential buyers through a sales/marketing funnel. 

Most people think about blogging and social media when it comes to content. Both are incredibly potent forms of content marketing—but there are many more types of content you can include in your strategies. Let’s take a look at each. 

1. THE LONG & SHORT OF IT: BLOGGING

Key Stats/ROI

• 1 out of 10 blog posts are compounding (meaning post traffic grows steadily over time) which significantly increases organic search and website traffic (HubSpot, 2016).
• 52% of marketers believe that blogging is the biggest contributor to their marketing success (Content Marketing Institute, 2017).
• Companies with blogs have 434% more indexed pages (TechClient).
• When marketers prioritize blogging in their marketing strategies they are 13x more likely to see positive ROI (HubSpot, 2019).

Funnel Stage(s)

• Awareness/Discovery (short-form blog posts)
• Consideration (long-form blog posts)

Key Questions

• What audience am I writing for?
• What problems am I helping my readers solve?
• How will I market my blog?
• What role will blogging play in my overall marketing strategies? 

Overview

Blogs are typically the first type of content marketing companies start with—and blogs tend to remain keystones of their marketing strategy moving forward. 

Why do blogs work so well? 

Short-form posts are easily crafted, quickly indexed by Google, shareable, and provide a great foundation for educating readers who don’t know a lot about you or your products and services. Remember that while some readers might be ready to buy (or start a trial) your product after a single post, others simply want to learn more about your expertise and what problems you can solve. So make sure to always include a CTA to lead them to other similar content or even to the next stage in the funnel. Learn more about CTAs in this Creating a Compelling Call to Action article. 

Long-form posts are perfect for later stages in the funnel. Part of what makes them so valuable is that they can dive very deep into topics. They become comprehensive guides for readers so they feel they don’t have to go anywhere else for information on the topic. This leads to quality shares and your company positioning itself as a thought leader in your market. Also, you can break the long guides out into parts. This means more URLs and even the possibility to offer the guides as downloads to capture leads (just like white papers and ebooks). 

2. PROVING YOUR WORTH: CASE STUDIES

Key Stats/ROI

• In B2B companies, case studies result in the highest lead conversions (Marketing Charts, 2018).
• Case studies are the best content for buyers as 78% review them when researching purchases (DemandGen Report, 2017).

Funnel Stage(s)

• Consideration
• Decision/Conversion 

Key Questions

• How do we share our best solutions to challenging problems?
• What sort of data will help us tell an intriguing story?
• How should we approach a customer that we want to be part of a case study? 
• What methods, modes, and tools should we use?

Overview

Case studies are powerful tools for demonstrating the solutions your company offers its customers. You’re no longer talking about hypotheticals or ideal outcomes but instead are proving your value. To do this successfully, you want to present some of your best data—and turn it into a compelling story. Thus don’t just make it about numbers and results. Make sure that its readers understand how this case can also apply to their needs. HubSpot shares 25 case study examples highlighting an effective use of video and content.

8 Types of Content Marketing that Drive Customer Action Share on X

3. SHARING YOUR BEST DATA: WHITE PAPERS

Key Stats/ROI

• White papers bring in the highest registration numbers with 76% of buyers being willing to share their personal information for white paper content (DemandGen Report, 2017).
• 79% of B2B buyers share white papers with their colleagues (DemandGen Report, 2017).

Funnel Stage(s)

• Consideration 

Key Questions

• How should I structure a white paper?
• What issue or solution should I focus on? 

Overview

White papers differ from both ebooks and case studies. With respect to case studies, a white paper gets more into technical benefits, rationales, and the implementation process for a given solution. Again, a case study gives an example of the solution playing out in the real world. But like a case study, white papers make sure to use essential data to demonstrate their key points.

Think about how the white paper is so crucial in the Consideration Stage. You’re allowing potential customers to see some of your strongest arguments and compelling data. 

 For more on white papers, Venngage offers a handy template.

4. INTERACTIVE & ATTENTION GRABBING: EBOOKS

Key Stats/ROI

• 63% of B2B buyers will share their name and email address in exchange for ebooks (DemandGen Report, 2017)
• 93% of people in a survey said that interactive content is somewhat or very effective at educating buyers, as compared with 70% for static content (Inc.).

Funnel Stage(s)

• Awareness/Discovery
• Consideration 

Key Questions

• Do we need a designer for an eBook?
• How do we market our eBook?
• Will we get more value out of an eBook vs. a white paper?

Overview

An ebook has some stellar advantages. It doesn’t have to be as formal as a white paper or case study. It also doesn’t have to be as technical either. Ideally, a reader can scan it while getting useful information about solutions and services you want to highlight. In general, ebooks are more interactive and easier to digest.

Another great benefit of ebooks is they are thought of as lead magnets. You can essentially use them as a lead generation tool—asking people to share information before downloading the resource. While they do take effort to create on the design and content formatting fronts (here are some helpful ebook templates), they are low investments with high returns. 

5. BRAND & COMMUNITY BUILDING: SOCIAL MEDIA

Key Stats/ROI 

• Despite significant financial investment, CMOs report that social media only modestly contributes to company performance. B2B marketers rank social as moderately successful (ranked 3.3 out of 7 scale) (The CMO Survey, 2019).
• ¾ of current users access Facebook on a daily basis. (Sprout Social, 2019).
• When it comes to delivering content and securing audience engagement, LinkedIn is the most effective social media platform (LinkedIn, 2017).

Funnel Stage(s)

• Awareness/Discovery

Key Questions

• With so many different social media channels and formats, which one is best for your business?
• How much should I spend on social media management, including advertising?
• Why is it so hard to quantify social media ROI?

Overview

With over 3.7 billion users worldwide it’s not a surprise that social media marketing is an important tool in the content marketer’s toolbox. There are many diverse platforms that will connect you with a rainbow of audiences. Each comes with its own content formatting style and way to run ads (if you decide to try a paid approach). Do research on your buyer personas and decide which social media platforms make the most sense for you to create content for. 

Keep in mind that it takes skill to accurately measure your marketing efforts through social media. Your best bet is to create a strong community around your content; link your posts back to other types of content marketing; and use social media as a unique way to tap directly into your audience’s feedback and ideas. 

6. BUILDING TRUST & BEING MEMORABLE : VIDEO

Key Stats/ROI 

• 54% of consumers prefer video content over other types of content marketing such as blogs, newsletters, and social posts (HubSpot, 2018). 
• Organic traffic from Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) is increased 157% by video (Wordstream, 2018) 
• 45% of marketers plan to add YouTube to their content strategy in the next year. (HubSpot, 2018).

Funnel Stage(s)

• Awareness/Discovery
• Consideration

Key Questions

• What sort of videos should I make (product, how-to, social, sales, company overview, etc.)?
• How do I share my videos?
• Videos take a lot of effort—are they worth it?

Overview

Simply put, some consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it. While videos take a bit more investment in terms of creation, the payout can be significant. Videos can be inserted into blogs, social media posts, email newsletters, and on website landing pages. 

Start by making explainer videos that introduce your company and services. Then work towards product demo videos. Like any marketing content, create scripts that are engaging and informative. 

7. CATCHING EYES: INFOGRAPHICS

Key Stats/ROI 

• Web traffic can increase 12% by using infographics (Demand Gen Report, 2014).
• 83% of marketers report that video content is becoming more important. 53% of customers engage with a brand after watching a video on social media. (SmartInsights, 2019)
• 40% of digital marketers cited that original graphics, including infographics, drove the most engagement. (Social Media Today, 2019.)

Funnel Stage(s)

• Awareness/Discovery
• Consideration

Key Questions

• How can we make data tell a story in infographic form?
• Are templates/tools a good option when creating infographics?

Overview

Infographics are a fun, quick way to educate potential customers. The information presented in infographics is retained more than other types of content marketing. They also help you gather important data—helping you tell meaningful stories in a new way. You might even see a new pattern in the data you select to present. 

8. CONTINUAL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: EMAIL MARKETING

Key Stats/ROI 

• Recipients of emails in segmented campaigns are 75% more likely to click on the message vs. non-segmented campaigns (MailChimp, 2017).
• When a shopper does business with a company about 91% want to get updates via email from the company (Sleeknote, 2019).
• Nearly 80% of email users will access their email accounts on a mobile device in 2018 (Radicati Group, 2018).
• 77% of B2B businesses use email marketing as one of their content marketing tactics (CMI, 2017).

Funnel Stages

• Awareness/Discovery
• Consideration

Key Questions

• What email marketing service should I use?
• How should get subscribers?
• What’s the best way to test and optimize my email content?

Overview

Email is unique in that you can share existing content in your messages (like linking blog posts and videos) and you can use it to create brand new content. Email is a great way to experiment with new marketing copy and new ways to describe your products and services. If you have a large email list, try A/B testing with each email you send so you can see what works best with your audience and what needs improvement. 

BE A DIVERSIFIED CONTENT MARKETER 

Content marketers have many types of content marketing forms available in their toolbox. The best approach to understanding what works best for your company is to diversify the content formats you produce and collect data about how each perform. In the end, you’ll always want to use many types of content marketing to get the job done and move buyers through your marketing funnel.

Photo credit – Top: Pixabay
Photo credit – Bottom: Pixabay