When your business is part of a saturated industry that’s inundated with similar products and services, it can be difficult to break free from the pack, especially if you’re competing for the same audience. Fortunately, high-quality, strategy-backed content, when utilized effectively, has the power to put your business at the top of search engine results. Here are five types of content creation strategies for businesses in hypercompetitive industries.
Content Development Strategy #1: Ebooks and White Papers
According to the 2018 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America report conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, 62% of B2B marketers said that ebooks and white papers were the most successful content development methods for helping their organization achieve specific objectives.
So, why do companies find greater success with white papers and ebooks when compared to other forms of content marketing? For one, they help generate leads. Every time someone downloads your ebook or white paper, you receive their basic contact information, letting you follow up with e-mails or phone calls to begin nurturing your gathered leads.
Besides offering a way to reach out to potential customers, ebooks and white papers help position you as a trusted authority on a subject. And in turn, these types of in-depth content can help strengthen your brand and build trust by giving your prospects something of value.
Content Development Strategy #2: Case Studies
Like white papers and ebooks, case studies offer prospects high-caliber content. Consisting of original research that’s valuable and unique, case studies give potential buyers information about one of your existing clients before, during and after you provided services or products to them – all in an easily digestible format.
Besides doling out detailed information with succinct descriptions, measurable statistics and client quotations to prospects, case studies allow your business to target a specific buyer persona, whether that’s the Director of Marketing at a high-end clothing retailer or a homeowner who you did renovation work for. In doing so, you’ll be able to generate high-quality leads when the right potential buyer downloads your case study.
Case studies are also a great way to improve your search engine results page (SERP) ranking. Why? Because case studies provide ample opportunities for keyword targeting. By including descriptions with natural phrases and long-tail keywords that your brand persona will likely be typing into search engines, you can easily optimize your site for user intent.
Content Development Strategy #3: Infographics
41.5% of marketers believe that infographics and other kinds of original graphics have the highest amount of engagement, per a 2017 Venngage Study. This percentage well-exceeds other types of visuals, including charts, videos, stock photos, GIFs and memes. If you’re not using infographics, you could be missing the mark when it comes to attracting and engaging prospects.
So why are infographics so successful? Consider this statistic: 65% of the population consists of visual learners. When you create text-only blog posts and landing pages, you’re reaching less than half of your possible audience. By incorporating original graphics, your website will be able to cater to virtually any learning style, which is critical when teaching prospects about your products and services.
Besides accommodating visual learners, infographics are compelling and easily scannable, making them perfect for those who like to quickly skim posts for information that’s relevant to them. Infographics are also shareable, which helps increase brand awareness, trust and authority.
Content Development Strategy #4: Live Streaming Video
Based on a 2017 report from GO-Globe, 80% of a brand audience would rather watch live-streaming videos than read a blog, while 82% prefer live video to social posts. If you haven’t yet gotten into the live-streaming game, now is the time to gain an edge on the competition.
Today’s buyers not only want a personalized experience, but they gravitate to brands they perceive as trustworthy. Live streaming gives viewers the opportunity to engage in organic, impromptu and honest content from your business, while making meaningful connections with your brand.
Besides providing greater transparency, live video provides a unique forum for educating your target audience about your products or services. Going a step beyond prerecorded videos, live streaming is praised for its interactive nature. With real-time comments, live-streaming video allows you to read user questions and remarks, letting you answer your audience’s most pressing inquiries right away. Not to mention, after a live-streaming session, your video can be made available for playback, doubling your content opportunities.
Content Development Strategy #5: Business Blogs
Last, but certainly not least, if you want to keep up with your competitors, you need a dedicated business blog strategy. According to HubSpot’s State of Inbound 2017 report, 53% of marketers say blog content creation is their number one inbound marketing priority.
Whether you sell cosmetics or paper products, there are many types of blogs that can help your site drive more organic traffic and increase your online visibility. From how-to articles to listicles to beginner guides, you can target your buyer personas at each stage of the buyer’s journey, offering high-quality information when they need it most.
While developing better customer relationships, you’ll also be able to position your brand as an industry leader. Business blogging helps build trust and authority, making your website the go-to place for industry news and articles.
In addition to driving SEO, establishing authority and delivering relevant information, business blogs help convert traffic into leads. Any well-established blog should feature a call-to-action (CTA) that leads to other content, like ebooks, white papers and case studies.
Stay competitive in your industry with article writing services and content writing services from Virtucom Group. We’ll deliver consistent content that accommodates the needs of your business and target audience alike, helping draw in more prospects, engage more readers and lead to greater conversions that make you stand out from the competition.
