Yes, Content is still King

Content can easily set your business apart from competitors by giving you a real marketing edge. But first, a word about some different types of Content.

If you mention content creation to many businesses, their first thought is often social media content and blogging.

It’s true, this type of content is indeed among the most popular out there, but actually there are several other areas of content that are worth considering for your business – depending on your sector or niche, of course.

Indeed, a good mix of content formats is often the best solution, as long as you don’t spread your resources too thin by trying to cover every single base.

And you must also bear in mind that different customers will often have different preferences in regard to the actual type of content you use.

So while your preference might be for written content, it could be that many of your customers prefer, for example, video content. And that’s an important consideration when considering what type of content mix you should use.

When a client comes to me to ask about, for example, blogs or social, I’ll often tease out how that might be complemented by one or two other content approaches – so that all their eggs aren’t totally in one basket.

Here’s a quick look at the Top Six types of content I see most Northern Ireland businesses using. And, yes, I’m able to offer all these content services to you.

Blogging and Social Media Content

As mentioned above, this is popular for a reason. Both blogging and Social media updates are economical to produce and enable you to create organic informative conversations with your clients for a relatively low cost.

Email Newsletters

These are particularly effective for any business or organisation that needs to regularly talk about new products or services. Industry sources regularly report that email content generally serves up a better ROI (Return on Investment) than other choices. Like blogging, email content is generally quick and easy to produce at relatively low cost.

Video Content

The number of people who view content on their smartphones has grown exponentially in recent years, almost to the point where video search is more common than traditional search. Video content has also become a lot cheaper to produce in that same period and it is unrivalled at being able to convey a brand’s emotions and values. In the past years, I have seen the demand for storytelling, corporate and explainer videos really blossom in Northern Ireland.

Case Studies

Again, another form of writing that is fast becoming a central part of a company’s core content strategy. They are particularly appropriate for B2B communications – they cut to the chase quickly and allow a business to clearly show demonstrable effectiveness in their sector or niche. And, of course, a good copywriter or content creator can bring what otherwise might be a rather plain case study to life in many imaginative ways.

White Papers

Like Case Studies, above, White Papers are a great way to introduce a new product or process, but because of the way they are formatted and structured, and because they tend to contain a lot more detail, can give the information a weightier feel – thus increasing a company’s thought leadership in their niche. If you want to take your White Paper even further, it might be worth extending it to an eBook, another form of content growing in popularity across Northern Ireland, especially in the area of scientific or medical matter.

Infographics

Infographics are almost the polar opposite of White Papers. You know what they look like, of course – simple graphics that help the viewer glide smoothly through a process or approach. A good copywriter or content writer can take even the most complicated information and present it in byte-sized chunks that are easily understood. Maybe a good example when a picture is worth more than a thousand words!

If you need compelling content that grabs the attention, please get in touch.