Every company wants content that grabs an audience’s attention. You want the stop-what-you’re-doing-and-read-this kind of content. The kind of content that is easy to share on social media, generates buzz and drives website traffic. The question is, which types of content do that best?
We asked several brand professionals to help us answer that very question. Here’s their short-list of must-publish content for any brand.
Surveys With Valuable Insights
A survey is a great way to engage your readers and generate some original content.
Online graphic design agency 99designs uses surveys to do just that. The company asked its designers several questions including what motivates them and how they deal with problem clients. More than 2,000 designers answered the survey, which 99designs used to create an infographic and 25 blog posts that explained the findings of the survey.
According to Lauren Gard, public relations manager at 99designs, their efforts paid off. The content attracted more than 10,000 unique views, many of which were first-timers.
Listicles That Promote What You Do
Articles such as “Top 10 Craziest Celebrity Tweets” attract attention and get read, which is why everyone is doing them. Heather Taylor, a social media manager at startup assistance company MyCorporation.com, says her firm creates this kind of content on a regular basis. And the posts get results.
Heather Taylor
For example, Taylor worked with her CEO to get “10 Gifts For Employees That Are Not Starbucks Gift Cards” published on Forbes.com. The author’s bio mentions MyCorporation, which gives the company good exposure on a well-known platform. The article has racked up 274,000 views.
Topical Or Pop Culture Content
Generate some clever content by connecting your brand to a positive current event or pop culture, Taylor also suggests.
MyCorporation has offered commentary on everything from Breaking Bad to Kim Kardashian. The content makes a connection between pop culture icons and the services that the company sells.
Business lessons can be found in pretty much everything pop culture has to offer,” Taylor says. “These posts have a limited shelf life, but they can still attract new and existing customers to your company.”
In-Depth How-To Content
A 500-word blog post can only offer your readers so much. That’s why the marketing folks at a sweepstakes-building website, ViralSweep, create guides that offer step-by-step instructions on topics that are relevant to the company’s products.
“If a brand produces valuable content that the reader can use or take something from, it can be very powerful,” Giancarlo Massaro, the cofounder of the company, says.
For example, the company launched The Advanced Guide to Sweepstakes, a 1200-word interactive guide that walks brands through the process of creating and marketing a giveaway. Massaro says the guide is a success, with 59 percent of readers signing up for the company’s service and 20 percent of readers upgrading to a paid plan.
While the in-depth content is more resource intensive to create, readers appreciate the effort and value you’re providing, Taylor says. There are also plenty of online tools available to help you create more unique and useful content for customers.
“Apart from being informative, all content should be reader-friendly and conversational. No brand should be talking over anyone’s head or constantly discussing how awesome they are,” she says. “Work towards high quality content every time and you’ll get the results that you’re looking for.”
About the Author: Lisa Furgison is a media maven with ten years of journalism experience and a passion for creating top-notch content.
