Content marketing allows businesses to create brand awareness, attract new customers, maintain engagement, and, ultimately, build a strong and lasting connection with their clients and followers with the right content types.
However, for this to happen, they need to create content that their audience cares about.
Do you know what your audience’s favorite content types are?
You should! But if you don’t, there’s no reason to panic. Finding these out is not that difficult.
You can analyze how people interact with the pieces you publish on different channels, distribute surveys asking what type of content people would like you to start creating, test different formats, and why not even conduct dedicated market research.
While you are at it, you can review the top 13 most popular content types that audiences love, nowadays:
- Blogs
- Videos
- Podcast
- Infographics
- Memes
- Social media posts
- eBooks
- Whitepapers
- Case studies
- Webinars
- Thought-leadership content
- Emails
- Online courses
Based on this list, you can consider what formats to experiment with, and find new ideas on how to engage the potential customer’s attention:
We will overview 1-6 here, and you can find 7-13 in Part 2 of the article.
1. Blogs
Blog posts are the most popular and beloved type of content.
In fact, research shows that more than 60% of the online population reads blogs on a daily basis.
Nowadays, people turn to search engines to find out, practically, anything they want to know, and blogs are the content type that the machines are most accustomed to understanding.
As a result, the majority of SERP links are to blog posts and this is the type of content that people interact with the most.
As a business, if you find your way around SEO and optimize your pages and content to fit the requirements of search engines, you can grow your audience, all the while delivering the high-quality content they love.
In addition, you can bring in significant traffic for the price of minimal resources.
Blogs allow businesses to explore different article formats and provide their followers with a wide range of relevant information.
Some of the most popular blog content types are:
- Listicles
- How-to Guides
- Tutorials
- Expert Round-ups
- Reviews
- Product comparison
- Checkists
Which blog content types you explore, depends on: a) your blog niche and the kind of information you present, and b) the interests of your readers and their content consumption habits.
Based on these, you can consider focusing on only one format, or you can mix and match them to make your editorial calendar more engaging.
2. Videos
Video is among the top most popular forms of content on the internet.
Regardless of whether we are talking about TikTok challenges, tutorials, personal experiences, reviews, TED talks, educational content, or – the ultimate favorite – cute cat compilations, people love videos.
Among all content types, video is one of the most engaging, easy-to-consume and understand, and highly shareable.
Furthermore, with modern tools and technology, it’s equally easy to create and edit.
However, when creating videos, make sure to follow the trends and requirements of the dedicated platform, and keep an eye for the following factors:
- Add closed captions. Always add closed captions to your content. On most platforms (TikTok excluded) people watch videos with the sound off. By adding written text, you allow them to interact with your videos anytime, anywhere.
- Keep it short. Short videos are way more watchable than long ones. If the information you want to convey is complex and can’t be fitted into a 2-3 min video, consider creating one long piece of content, cutting it into short segments, and publishing them as a series of videos. Just think of what Netflix does.
- Make it relatable. One of the strongest benefits of video is that it allows people to instantly relate to it. To increase impact and engagement, make sure that the video touches upon the user’s pain points, emotions, and/or personality.
- Maintain quality. Nowadays, everyone can shoot a video and post it online. However, with the advanced technology in our pockets, people expect videos to be of high quality, so try not to disappoint them.
3. Podcasts
Podcasts are another one of the hottest formats that the audience can’t get enough of.
There has been a rapid increase in the consumption of audio shows in the last few years. Nowadays, 41% of Americans state that they listen to podcasts regularly. What’s more, there’s a community of so-called “super listeners” who devour the impressive 11.2 hours of podcasts every week.
The reason behind this success is that podcasts are convenient and fit into the multitasking lifestyle of people today. They allow them to never miss a beat and stay up to date with their favorite topics while continuing with their everyday lives.
Launching a podcasts show, though, requires a lot of research, planning, hard work, and persistence. Before you start it, you should consider whether it is something that you can afford the time and resources to be consistent with.
So what happens if your audience favors podcasts but you don’t think that you are up to the challenge?
Fret not, there’s still a way to deliver the content types that they would love to consume – you can convert your blog into a podcast!
Read our article on how to do it here.
How to Convert Your Blog Content into a Podcast [2021 Guide]
Regardless of how you decide to approach podcasting, giving it a try is certainly worth considering.
4. Infographics
People are visual creatures, we understand things better when we see them. That’s why infographics are so popular – they convey messages and visualize data in an easy-to-digest way.
For businesses, if these images are well-made, they not only attract the attention of potential clients, but make for highly shareable content and can, potentially, be featured on third-party platforms.
This provides your content with even more exposure and may attract to your channels potential customers that are interested in the topics you publish on.
To maximize the effectiveness of infographics, you should be consistent in their creation. This will make your style more recognizable and may help to “train” your audience to understand the presented data at first glance.
When creating infographics, you can use data from your own tools and research, or you can compile information from different sources. However, when using third-party data, make sure to always provide additional value in the form of insights, and analysis. Also, don’t skip to mention and link to the original.
5. Memes
Memes are everywhere now – they are on social media, in IMs, in business blogs, on TV shows, advertising, and whatnot.
They have become the internet’s favorite language.
Whatever you think of, there’s a meme for it, and if there isn’t one, you can create your own. And that’s the beauty of it.
It’s a common misconception that memes are so popular because they are funny. While this is not far from the truth, the real secret power of memes is that they are relatable – they create a bond between people.
By creating memes relevant to your industry and your customer’s pain points and interests, you can show your business’s human side and strengthen your relationship with your audience.
All the while having fun!
In other words, what we have here is a content type that you shouldn’t overlook in your strategy.
6. Social Media Posts
Social media posts are multifaceted content types. In other words, it can be many different things at once.
Each platform has its own rules and culture, and for your content to stand out, it needs to be in line with what people expect to see there – it should feel relevant and native.
However, the key to creating posts that the audience loves, is to get your priorities straight.
More often than not, brands think that the goal of building a social media presence is to expose more people to their content. While this is somewhat true, the main purpose of using social media platforms should be to engage and communicate with the audience.
This way, you can better understand your clients, and make them feel that there’s someone human on the other end of the line, not just a faceless brand.
To that end, what you should strive for is not to only feed the information you want to your customers, but to create social media posts that resonate with them and invite them to engage.
After all, these platforms were initially created for networking purposes – to connect people and provide them with a new communication channel. If you use them properly, you can make the most of the perks they offer.
Bottom Line
These were six of the audience’s top favorite content formats that can help you create brand awareness and boost traffic.
In Part 2 of this article, we will talk about eBooks, whitepapers, case studies, webinars, thought-leadership content, emails, and online courses, and how they attract potential customers that are in the more advanced stages of their journey.
Make sure to read it so that you can provide your audience with the content that will provoke the most engagement, help you build a meaningful connection with your audience, and contribute to your overall marketing efforts and business success.
Team DevriX
This article is crafted by DevriX's seasoned marketing team, boasting over four decades of collective expertise in crafting sophisticated marketing funnels, devising comprehensive content frameworks and pillars, implementing engaging email campaigns, and creating impactful social media content designed for scalability.
Our marketing experts specialize in the complete spectrum of inbound marketing strategies. As an accredited HubSpot Agency Partner and a Semrush Partner, we engage in meticulous research, blending our extensive experience with the unique insights of our highly skilled team.
We set benchmarks in content creation by incorporating cutting-edge marketing trends, leveraging in-depth industry research, and utilizing state-of-the-art AI tools for data segmentation and captivating content hooks. Our proficiency extends across a diverse range of sectors, including working with SMEs, Fortune 1000 companies, global B2B brands, major publishing entities, WooCommerce platforms, business directories, and affiliate networks.
