In a recent LinkedIn
discussion, someone asked me what my favorite types of content are.
I have two:
Blogs top the
list for a number of reasons:
- They are relatively easy to write. A good post can be as short as 100 words.
- Marketing doesn’t have to do all the writing. Many companies leverage product experts, customer support, and even sales to create blogs. (I highly recommend that marketing manage the review and posting process.)
- With more pages using more of your keywords, blogs drive up visibility – fast.
- Blogs can be used as content for marketing campaigns. I have one client who relies almost exclusively on blogging to support their monthly nurturing campaigns.
- Blogs are great at establishing credibility because blogs, by their nature, are intended to be informative.
One drawback of blogs is that they aren’t always great
lead generators. They can be, if you have a compelling call to action such as
an invitation to a webinar, but you need to be sure you’re blog isn’t crossing
the line from information to sales pitch.
White papers are
my second favorite type of content. (Keep in mind that most of my writing is
for a highly technical audience.)
White papers are great for:
- Establishing credibility. You can go deeper into a subject in a white paper than you can in a blog.
- Driving leads. If you have a compelling white paper, prospects expect to give up contact info in order to download it.
- Selling without selling. During the early stages of a sales cycle, buyers don’t always trust salespeople. White papers help prospects explore their problem with no sales person involved. The paper preps the prospect for a more effective sales call.
The challenge with white papers is that they are harder for
most people to write. (Your white paper
should not look and sound like a brochure.) That’s probably why I write more
white papers for my customers than any other type of content.
What’s your favorite type of content and why?
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