- Remember when QR codes were popular
for companies to use in their marketing campaigns?
You probably don't
because they quickly fell out of popularity
as they actually added friction
to the process of communicating with customers,
which really is not the ideal scenario.
You want to select content formats
that make your message easier for customers to comprehend,
align with their preferences,
and match to your skills and resources.
Before deciding what content to create,
you need to know what format options are available.
For starters, there's different types of written content
like blog posts, long-form articles,
case studies, white papers, reports,
email, print magazines, and e-books.
This is the most widely used content format
by marketers as every organization
will need to write at some point
to share information with their customers
on their website or elsewhere.
And then there's more visually-focused content formats
like videos, infographics, images, and presentations
that are ideal for simplifying complex ideas
into more digestible concepts.
Another is interactive content like tools,
webinars, quizzes, polls, and of course, social media,
all of which allow people to engage directly
with the information being shared.
Audio content is one more category to keep in mind
as it entails podcasts, audiograms,
and skills for smart speakers,
which are effective
at building deep relationships with customers.
With these formats in mind,
choose a content type that'll provide
the most seamless experience for your customer
in terms of finding, consuming,
and sharing this information.
Are they viewing content while they're at work?
A blog post or report may be easiest for them to skim.
Or are they more likely to view your content
from their phone during their commute?
Then a video might be the best approach
for sharing a message with them on the go.
These choices should be informed
by researching which channels your audience is active on
and the types of content they prefer to consume.
The best way to gather this information
is to ask your customers, review your analytics,
observe where competitors are active,
and reference leading industry research.
For instance, a study by Quartz found that executives
are most drawn to data visualizations,
photography, and charts,
and are the most active on LinkedIn
over other social channels.
If your customers are primarily company executives,
then this research is particularly useful
in guiding your format choices.
And lastly, choose content types
your organization has the skills
and resources to execute effectively,
an often overlooked consideration.
While it's good to challenge yourself
with content marketing, be realistic
in terms of what skillsets your team does and doesn't have
in terms of producing certain types of content.
The goal here is to avoid creating mediocre campaigns
and instead spend more of your limited time
and resources on producing impactful content
you have the expertise to execute.
Don't just adopt what's popular.
Instead, choose a content format aligned with your message
and the customers you're trying to reach.