6 TYPES OF CREATIVE CONTENT TO BOOST BRAND AWARENESS
What creative content is best for your business in 2020
If you are looking to:
– Increase brand awareness
– Gain customer trust
– Generate more traffic
This article will help you understand which creative content should be considered in your 2020 content marketing strategy.
Let’s get started.
When you’re looking to create content for your business, it can be hard to know which type of content you should put your budget and efforts into.
Content can majorly boost your brand awareness, so choosing a suitable and relevant style of content for your audience is vital in gaining interest from your audience, and possible referrals from related publications.
It’s safe to say that infographics have died a death, but what’s next?
To give you an idea of where to put your marketing budget, we’ve listed the six types of content you should continue to focus on to boost brand awareness, and increase those warm leads.
Video Content
Video continues to be a highly effective form of content marketing.
According to Smart Insights, 53% of customers engage with a brand after watching a video on social media. This figure increases with millennials, as 66% have found to engage with a brand after watching a video.
With platforms such as YouTube and Instagram Stories playing a significant role in our social interactions, it’s no surprise that video remains dominant in terms of content.
And it’s completely understandable from a users perspective. Videos provide us with the information we need, or the insight we want, without having to work for it. Instead, we just have to click play.
Research into the return on investment of different content types has also found that video provides the biggest return compared to any other form of media. For businesses that want to see their efforts rewarded, it seems that video is still the way forward.
Video Stats to Consider
- 72% of people prefer video content when learning about a product or service
- 3x People spend 3x more time watching live video than pre-recorded.
- 84% of marketers have found video marketing successful
Action Point
Here are a few ideas to leverage video content in your marketing strategy;
- – How to Videos
- – Tutorials of your product or service
- – Interviews with experts in your industry
- – Behind the scenes
- – X Vs. Y Videos
Produce
Podcasts
New data from Ofcom has found that podcast listening has boomed in the UK, with nearly 6 million adults listening each week.
Podcasting is nothing new, but as our lifestyles have become busier, and our need for ‘on-the-go’ content has increased, more people have started subscribing to podcasts that enable them to be educated and entertained in all environments. From home, to work, to the commute, a podcast is easy to take anywhere.
With this in mind, starting a podcast can be a great way to increase brand awareness, become a thought-leader in your area, and nurture leads.
After all, we trust someone who can share their knowledge and provide us with information, so why wouldn’t we then buy from them?
Setting up a podcast is certainly a bigger investment than other types of content marketing. But it’s an investment that could significantly pay off.
Think about topics, or problem areas that your customers face in your industry, and build a podcast that could help them. Alternatively, choose something that is fun and engaging and will get people talking. The direction is on you, but don’t miss out on the opportunity to be heard.
Podcast Stats to Consider
- 76% of UK listeners have acted on a podcast ad
- 24% Podcast listeners have increased 24% since 2018
- 7 Podcast listeners will listen to an average of 7 shows per week
A few ideas for podcast formats include;
Interview format – where you interview experts or other people in a related field
One person format – you discuss a topic and give advice
Discussion format – you discuss a topic with a panel of people
Needing support with your content strategy?
Book a discovery callCreate Ebooks
Providing your target audience with a valuable piece of content enables you to show your expertise and build trust.
eBooks are one of the oldest forms of content, well ‘books’ if you’re picky, but the format of information dates back to the earliest forms of marketing. And many experts in the marketing industry will still vouch for the importance of eBooks in nurturing leads.
Giving potential customers a useful, and informative piece of content that adds value to their lives or business helps you to build your brand awareness, and increase the sense of trust people have towards your brand. Something that is crucial to foster when looking to see a return on investment.
When looking to create an eBook use your audience personas to gain a good understanding of the issues they face, and the solutions your eBook could provide.
eBook Stats to Consider
- 70% of people say they would rather learn about new products through content before making a purchase
- 71% of buyers are turned off by content that looks like a sales pitch
- 84% of buyers said they frequenting access business-related content on their smartphone
Action Point
A few ideas for eBook formats include;
- – How to …
- – A personal journey / story behind the brand
- – X Ways to … (number / list format)
Develop
Whitepapers
Longform content such as whitepapers can provide your audience with data and information that could prove vital in their decision-making.
While whitepapers, again, are nothing new, they continue to stand the test of time in their effectiveness to build brand awareness and generate warm leads.
As one of the most powerful tools for lead generation, we’ve seen many whitepapers look dull, dry and boring. If not created well, they can be uninteresting and provide no results.
However, create a strong, well-designed and engaging whitepaper, and you’ll have a high count of downloads hitting your inbox.
Again, any whitepaper that you create should provide a true value-add to the reader. They should ultimately find the information useful and meaningful to their business.
For B2B businesses, white papers should be a crucial part of a marketing strategy. Tracking downloads and gathering data can provide your business with vital information to support your marketing efforts.
Whitepaper Stats to Consider
- 79% of B2B buyers listed whitepapers are the material they would most likely share with colleagues
- 71% of B2B buyers have used whitepapers in the last 12 months to research purchasing decisions
- 75% of B2B buyers say they would share information about themselves and their company in exchange for a whitepaper
A few ideas for whitepaper formats include;
An industry specific review
Research highlighting a specific problem / issue
News related / topical
Interactive
Content
As discussed in our previous blog on how creative content can be the foundation of PR, interactive content is one of these content types that can generate your business serious brand awareness.
When we talk about interactive content, we’re talking online calculators and quizzes – features that require the user to engage.
The most shared quiz in marketing history has so far received a total of 5.4 million social interactions. This gives you an idea of how far and wide a piece of interactive content can travel.
Admittedly, going viral is more likely to happen with B2C content, and it’s no guaranteed lead generator, but it can help you to secure PR coverage and boost your awareness above competitors.
Of course, more investment has to go into interactive features as they need to be developed and built to withstand a high volume of traffic and data, but this shouldn’t deter you.
The value in interactive content lies in the experience for the user. As a brand, you can build a connection with your audience for far longer than a static piece of content. Hold their attention long enough, and you can inspire them, and engrain your message.
A few ideas for interactive formats include;
Quizzes
Calculators
Games
Contests
Interactive Stats to Consider
- 2x Interactive content generates 2x more conversions than passive content
- 88% of marketers believe interactive content differentiates them from competitors
- 66% of marketers have reported higher engagement after using interactive content
Write Blogs
The written word still rules the ranks, and blogging is not a form of content to be sniffed at. Supporting SEO and providing your audience with vital insights and information, your blog should have a strategy that supports and nurtures your visitors to engage with your brand.
Despite 43% of users now skim-reading blog content, it is still a content source that should be harnessed and improved. After all, a strong blog can help catapult through the ranks and boost your website’s visibility.
With this in mind, a few words of wisdom from us would be to ensure that you’re truly leveraging this type of content. Are you just dumping your blog on a page, or are your structuring and creating a page that is engaging for users?
Too many times, we’ve been onto a client’s blog and seen reams of text. As a user, this makes us want to bounce off. Who has time to read that?
Instead, while the word count should still be strong, it’s important to structure your content with relevant images and headlines to help the user pick out the vital points.
Blog Stats to Consider
- 67% On average, companies with blogs product 67% more leads per month than those without
- 47% of B2B buyers read 3-5 blog posts prior to talking to the business
- 60% of marketers reuse blog content 2-5 times
Action Point
A few ideas for blog formats include;
- – How to
- – Listicles – 6 ways …
- – What I Learned from….
- – X Vs. Y posts
- – Reviews & case studies
Conclusion
As you can see from the variety of content types available, there are many ways you can add creative content into your marketing strategy.
The key to finding the right one for your business, is understanding your audience and having a true understanding of your goal.
For more support in building creative content, contact our team at Trusted Media.
Dean Lynn
Managing Director
Dean is the Founder of Trusted Media and has over fifteen years experience of commercial business marketing. If you ever meet Dean, you’ll quickly realise how honest and straight to the point he is; something his clients love about his marketing approach. When Dean’s not at Trusted Media providing marketing consultancy to clients, he can be found at home with his daughter, who loves creating (breaking) things. Dean never sits still, enjoys eating food (part-time #instafoodie), and finds his happy place in the kitchen baking or in the garden.
