MetalSoftware, Inc.

If you think of content marketing strictly in terms of good blog posts, you are missing opportunities. High quality blog posts are important. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. If you truly want to harness the power of content marketing, you must generate more types of content.

Here are 12 ideas that will drive traffic and take your content marketing to the next level:

1.) Start with your blog:

Your blog is the hub of your voice. You should be posting great content at least 6 times per month to increase your traffic. Be informative and helpful. Your writing goals should include seeding new conversations, displaying industry expertise and creating brand awareness so you can nurture the benefits of using your products and services.

(More Reading: The Secrets Pros Use to Write Great Blog Posts)

2.) Unique photos should be part of your posts.

Don’t forget that 65% of people are visual learners and 94% of articles that include images get more views. Generic stock photos don’t get as much attention. You must take time to be sure your posts and graphics are eye-catching, compelling and unique. To do it right, you should showcase your brand and personality and avoid posting product photos only.

3.) Add infographics to illustrate important statistics and facts.

People love infographics. They are informative and can be read quickly and easily. People are visual, and infographics make data more interesting and easy to grasp. The brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster that text. Here are some tools you can use to create your own infographics and charts: Venngage, ChartsBin, PiktoChart, Easel.ly, Gliffy

4.) Video shouldn’t be ignored as a content marketing tool.

78% of people watch at least one video each week. B2B marketers use of video in their campaigns has increased 70% of the past few years. Why? 1. Using video is easier than ever before. Whether high-quality and done by a professional, or amateur, video conveys information in ways that text simply cannot. 2. Conversions increase 80% when video is added to a landing page. 3. Click-through rates go up 96% with video. Software programs like Camtasia and ScreenFlow make it easy to edit and produce your own videos. Also, there are plenty of resources like Shutterstock, iStockPhoto, Pond5, and GettyImages that sell stock video footage to help you put together your video.

5.) Switch up your posts a bit by doing interviews.

Interviewing people in related industries, or members of your team is a great way to add fresh content. People enjoy informative and entertaining interviews. You could create a video or blog interview.

6.) Social media content.

In addition to blog posts, interviews, videos and photos, you should also create content that is specifically for social media. You will approach this type of content differently than a blog post, for example. Shorter, visually appealing and sometimes humorous content is appropriate for social media.

(More Image Tips: How To Use Images In Social Media In 4 Easy Tips)

7.) Create an ebook.

An ebook helps to position yourself as an authority in your field. Ebooks are often content that is available on your site as a free download in exchange for your readers email. This strategy is popular because it works. If the information you are offering is helpful, if it solves a problem or answers a question, then it is worth it for the reader to give you his or email address to get it.

8.) Your email list.

For those who have signed up for your email list, you need to create special content. You will want to deliver this content on a regular, predictable basis, with exception of things like special offers, breaking news, etc. You need to provide value with each and every email, or your reader will unsubscribe.

9.) Limit sales pitches.

Your audience is tired of sales pitches, and has become expert at ignoring them. A good percentage of people will unsubscribe from your email list, page or blog if they feel that you are using them to shove a pitch down their throats.

When you provide value and information that your readers can actually use, they will be more likely to trust you. This means that they will bw more likely to purchase your products and services. This doesn’t mean that you should never sell to your audience, it simply means do not bombard them, or you will alienate them and lose their business.

10.) Analyze your content marketing efforts.

There are a ton of analytic tools out there today. Use them to find out how successful your content is. What types of content does your audience respond to? Do they like video, graphics or text best? By finding this out, you can give them more of the content that they prefer.

11.) Use split testing to get more in-depth.

Not sure how well your website call to action is being received? Not sure which email newsletter format is better for your audience? How likely is it that your headline is going to prompt your reader to open your latest email or blog post? Test and then test again to optimize your results.

12.) Create content with the audience in mind.

No matter what type of content you are creating, you will always do best to simply keep them in mind. Who are they? What are their pain points? What questions do they have? If you are not sure, then ask them! Asking questions is one of the best ways to get to know your audience and serve them better.