You can’t just slap a few words together, post it as a blog, and call it a day. Or well—you actually can, but it won’t get you the boosted brand visibility, gasp-worthy conversion rates, and cascades of client inquiries that you’re looking for when building a content marketing strategy.

That’s where different content marketing types come in.

In this post, we’re going to break down some different types of content marketing that you can integrate into your selling strategy to boost the visibility, authenticity, authority of your brand—while also snagging sweet, sweet conversion rates.

These different content strategy types (all copywriter and content strategist-approved!) include:

Stick around to find out how to know which type to focus on while you build your content plan.

But first…

What does audience have to do with the different types of content marketing?

As a website copywriter, I have one “I will stand by this until the day I quit copywriting!” rule I follow:

Choose your content strategy with your audience in mind.

Back in 2018, makeup giant Sephora partnered with Girlboss Radio for a lineup of girl power-celebrating podcasts in honor of the company’s 40-color lipstick line coming out.

To this day, #LIPSTORIES is still remembered as one of the greatest examples of podcast content marketing at work.

Not just because it was a killer podcast that shared thought-provoking stories from some of the biggest influencer and fashion names, but also because it spoke directly to the audience that Sephora wanted to engage.

Girl power meets fashion. Fashion meets influence. Influence meets Sephora.

Sounds like a recipe for lipstick sales to us…

Which brings us to the importance of understanding the ins and outs of the different types of content marketing out there.

If you can hit on a content strategy that hits your audience’s sweet spot of interest, you’ve got a recipe for boosting your audience and sales.

Which is why there’s no one perfect content strategy that wins against them all. There are simply different types that could be an essential part of boosting your organic traffic, building your engaged audience, and scaling your business to new heights.

Blogs and Blogging

Are blogs still a thing? They for sure are!

And they’re actually one of the most common ways that businesses use web copy to boost their organic traffic and turn web visitors with search inquiries into members of their loyal fanbase.

That’s because blogs have the power to…

It might take a little trial and error to learn how to optimize your blogs for SEO, but that effort will be well worth it.

Because by making on-brand, voice-driven, and search engine-loved content, you’ll be able to nurture trust with your audience—while also becoming valuable in the eyes of search engines.

Video Marketing

Video killed the radio star…and it replaced other word-based forms of content marketing?

Well, not really.

Though words are still going strong on the web (much in thanks to the hefty organic traffic punch that comes from following best SEO practices in blogging), the popularity of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube proves that people love to gather around and watch a few minutes of well-produced content.

According to HubSpot, the amount of video that people watch online has doubled since 2018.

And given the versatility of the content type, that makes sense.

Not only does it give everyone from SaaS businesses to ecommerce sites a chance to display some of the coolest features and show off their wares, it also puts viewers up close and personal with the brand.

Through color, images, and a visible human presence, you can showcase the authority and benefits of your brand in ways that invite your ideal clients and customers to engage—which makes video marketing a win-win for many.

Podcast Marketing

Podcast marketing might be somewhat newer to the scene than the more traditional blog content format, but it has quickly attracted plenty of fans.

One study found that audio stirs our emotions and makes us engage in a narrative even better than video does. That’s because audio narratives force active listening—or the kind of listening that requires us to use our emotions, get deep in the story, and actively participate in creating the experience of the narrative.

Which makes audio-based marketing like podcasts a valuable way to stir listeners’ emotions, get their imagination going, and make them feel engaged with your brand story.

Email Marketing

Copywriting emails shouldn’t just be about the sales pitch.

I’m a big believer in that, by golly!

Because if you’re just pitching to your email subscribers every other day, being on your email list will start to feel more like a one-sided sales pitch and less like the kind of reciprocal relationship that leads people to become super-invested in your brand.

That’s why thinking of your emails as part of your thought-out marketing strategy is key.

By over-infusing your copywriting email plan with value, you start to build the kind of relationships with your email list that convinces them of your unique offer and knowledgeability in your niche.

And the best news?

These email marketing moments don’t have to exist as something totally separate from the blogs or other freebies you offer as part of your marketing plan.

You can easily expand on topics, offer additional examples, or highlight excerpts in your marketing emails without having to produce, produce, produce new content ideas.

Infographics

As a type of content, infographics have plenty of big pluses.

They’re perfect if you need to distill some big ideas or big offer benefits down into easy-to-understand terms for your leads. They’re also visually engaging, which makes them ideal for sharing on social media.

For many small businesses, they’re an essential and easily-viral part of a Pinterest marketing strategy. And though they might be perfectly suited to that platform, it’s just as easy to gain loyal brand fans by sharing your infographics on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media sites to attract attention and let your brand be seen.

And for small businesses that are trying to turn a bunch of statistics or data into more digestible terms for their leads, they offer a visually-engaging way to simplify some hard numbers.

In-Depth Case Studies (Nope, They Don’t Have to Be Boring!)

Case studies take a hard look at a success story, then lay out all the details and results in a narrative-based and authority-boosting way.

They go one step beyond the traditional portfolio by showing readers the process of completing the project from start to finish, while giving them access to some behind-the-scenes facts and stats along the way.

There are a lot of ways to introduce case studies into your marketing strategy, and they don’t have to feel dry just because they’re results-driven.

I’m a fan of Slack’s approach to case studies, which reads more like an engaging and people-focused blog post than it does a simple explanation of the recent successes.

If that blog-based approach better represents your brand, then introducing it into your content strategy through blog posts, emails, or a downloadable PDF gives you the chance to highlight the many successes of your business, while still telling a story that engages the crowd.

E-Books and Other Content Freebies

Content freebies are well-loved in content marketing land.

Whether you post a free e-book download, offer a value-packed digital PDF, or build a beautiful checklist that will totally simplify the lives of your leads, these kind of content freebies go far in building trust and asserting your value.

(Bonus! They’re also incredible lead magnets, and do wonders to fill up your email list when highlighted on your website and social media pages).

And it doesn’t take a 40,000 word e-book to get results from this type of content marketing…

Even a simple digital PDF highlighting a few of your favorite and niche-needed tips can get your leads excited to engage further, especially if you include a little “About Us” pitch at the end that gives them a deeper glance into who you are and why your unique offer is perfectly suited to them.

Why Using Different Types of Content is Better Than Just Using One

You might be tempted to choose one of the content types from this list, put a little energy into it, and then check off (✓) content strategy from your business owner to-do list.

(If that sounds like you, you’re not alone…)

As a business owner myself, I know how hard it is to feel like there are 1,000 things you need to do to grow your business and only so many hours in the day.

But as hard as it may be to hear, the truth is that your content strategy becomes most effective when you incorporate multiple strategies into your plan.

That’s because each engages different facets of your ideal audience and is best suited for different platforms.

So while a digital PDF might be the logical best step for attracting leads, and a blog might feel like the perfect way to start building up your site’s organic traffic…

Putting both of these types of content into action at the same time will actually be the key to magnifying your brand and attracting your ideal audience on repeat.

How to Implement Your Content Strategy Plan

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to feel pressure to get all of these different types of content unrolled at once.

I recommend picking one or two to focus on at a time (unless you enlist the help of a strategic and creative copywriter to help move things along, of course!) and prioritize streamlining your process and producing quality content that people will want to share over simply producing more.

Then try to move to the next step of your content plan when you feel ready to really focus on growing the next aspect of your business to new heights. So that you’re steadily moving toward growth. Without burning out.