Stephanie Donelson

It doesn’t seem possible that fall is already here and we’re getting ready to plan our 2020 marketing strategies. 

Are you taking the time to analyze what content and content format was the most successful this year? Are you planning on trying anything new next year?

These are questions you need to ask and think about if you want your content marketing to be as successful as possible in 2020. 

I’m not saying abandon tried-and-true tactics, you should definitely include them, but you’ll never know if you’re missing out on a gold mine of content if you don’t try different content formats. 

There is a lot of opportunity with your content marketing efforts and plenty of formats to test on your audience to see what works best for your brand and your customers. Maybe they like listening and watching your content or maybe they prefer long-form content that they can take their time to digest. 

In 2020, take the time to produce content in a variety of formats – especially in these popular and effective content formats. 

10 types of content to produce in 2020

1. Blogs

Blogs are still a great way to generate website traffic, control and share your brand’s story, and improve your site’s SEO. Obviously more posts allow more opportunities to get in front of searchers but low quality posts and poor user engagement will lead to poor organic performance in the long run.

Important components of a blog post:

• A click-worthy title (not click-bait!)
• Headings (H1s, H2s, H3s, etc.)
• Keywords
• Links
• Images, graphics, or videos (with alt text!)
• A Call to Action (what should the reader do next?)

Need more blogging tips? Check out my article on that right here!

2. Infographics

We don’t have long attention spans anymore and with the majority of people scrolling through pages and pages of content each day, we need to get our message across quickly and easily. And one of the best ways to do that is through infographics. These graphics-based pieces of content use minimal text to tell a story or share industry statistics. 

3. Ebooks

For those that do want to read and want a bit more information on a specific topic, ebooks or comprehensive guides are the way to go. Ebooks are also fantastic for gated content and to help you generate leads. You can also break up ebook chapters into smaller blogs or infographics to get the most out of your ebook research and production value.

4. Videos

Interviews, reviews, event teasers, behind-the-scenes, product information, the list could go on on how to use video in your content marketing strategy. Video is great as a standalone piece or something you can work into other pieces of content, as well as perfect for Facebook marketing. 

5. Podcasts

Podcasts have grown in popularity over the last few years, especially with the support of so many podcasting platforms and hosts, like Spotify and iTunes. Podcasts, like video, do require some expertise and have higher production costs – think quality microphones, a soundproof room, and editing time and tools. 

If you want to test the waters of podcasting, see if an industry publisher or influencer already has a great following and pitch yourself as a guest for their show.

6. Case studies

Brag about the results your brand brings to the table or highlight a happy customer in case studies. This is so valuable for the research and evaluating stage of the buyer’s journey and having quality testimonials and success stories available can help you make a sale without having to cold call the client. 

7. Webinars/presentations

Webinars are still a strong way to build brand visibility, establish yourself as a thought leader, and build trust in your brand by sharing valuable information or insights.

You can either host them yourself or sponsor a webinar, so someone else is in charge of the webinar’s marketing and technical procedures, but you get to run it on a topic of your choosing. 

If you’re just starting out with webinars, I recommend the second option unless you have a few staff members who want to run a presentation and you have enough to talk about to host one webinar for at least six months.

8. Surveys

Make your customers or website visitors feel more connected to your brand and heard by asking them for their input or feedback. Many consumers love sharing their thoughts or contributing to industry research. 

Just make sure you set aside time to share the results of your surveys and what you’re doing with that data.

9. Cheatsheets

Can you make your customers’ day-to-day lives or work responsibilities easier? Develop a cheatsheet to help them out! We all love finding shortcuts or easy wins, so offer that up to your audience!

10. Templates

Most of us don’t want to recreate the wheel when it comes to standardized projects or strategies and so we go on the hunt for templates. Do you have an opportunity to get new website visitors by offering a free template of some sort? Templates can be good pieces of gated content but don’t gate all of your templates, let people see the quality of your templates from time to time.

Finally, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a killer social media plan and email marketing schedule to share all this awesome content you’ve produced. Across these pieces, make sure to share information on how readers or listeners can find you online, where they can follow you, and how to contact you if they’re ready to purchase. 

Which of these content types are you going to try in 2020? Tell me in the comments below or share with me on Twitter!