Content marketing is quickly becoming the most important tool in a marketer's toolbox and there are lots of different options to choose from, but marketers have limited time and limited resources. What are the "Super Foods" of content marketing? If a marketer needed to get started quickly and make a big impact, where should they turn first? Here are 4 of the best tools. They're certainly not the cheapest, but they get the job done well.
Quality Articles
You need lots of content and articles are the best place to start. Both short form and long form work in different circumstances, so try them both and see what works best for your industry and target market. Aim for at least two new articles a week. Articles tend to have a lifespan of about 2 years, so you're looking to keep a current ongoing library of about 200 articles. You'll probably want to bulk up at first and seed your library with between 30-50 articles. More is better, but not at the expense of quality.
Video
Video is the show horse of content marketing. It isn't cheap but it gets more shares, eyeballs and viewing time than most everything else. There's a lot of different types of video, but three of the most popular are case studies, host videos and animated education. Expect video to get more creative, expensive and more like professional long form commercials in the future. It works well and the bigger brands are using it to set themselves apart from their competition.
Games and Quizzes
Gamification is one of the most talked about topics in digital marketing, but it is not an easy thing to do right. It is difficult to compete against the addiction of Angry Bird, Candy Crush or Farmville and even more difficult to compete against the hundreds of millions spent on console games like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto, so compete on a different level all together. Look to make games and quizzes out of complex educational content that is normally difficult to get through. Internal training and industry accreditation are prime candidates. Alternatively, creativity is key. Make your games fun, cute and memorable. Have fun with your brand and have fun with your industry and products.
Tools and Widgets
Interactive tools are one of the most expensive, but also most effective content marketing tools available. They get excellent engagement and are probably one of the best sources of lead generation. Tools can be anything from a house hunter, an investment planner or an energy savings calculator. Make sure you leverage these tools into simpler widgets, that can put right into your other content marketing. Once hooked on the widget, it will be easy to get users into your full tool and that's where you get the real engagement and start getting really useful analytics and powerful client research.
