Walk into any public library today and you’ll see a lot more than books on the shelves. There are often banks of computers to let people experience videos and movies as well as research online. Sometimes there will be an art exhibition, or a lecture series in a nearby room. It’s not uncommon to see headphones where visitors can listen to music, audiobooks and more.
Libraries, in other words, have come to recognize that there is great power in offering a more dynamic mix of media -- a lesson that should inspire marketers everywhere.
Much in the way libraries were once a place devoted solely to the written word, many organizations have tended to focus the majority of their content marketing efforts in a very limited set of formats. You all know what they are.
There’s the company blog post, where subject matter experts offer their most comprehensive thought leadership. There’s the white paper collection, where interested buyers can get a deep-dive on a technical or strategic business issue. And of course, more recently marketing departments have been producing videos showcasing everything from product demos to highlights of their executives speaking at industry events.
All of these are outstanding platforms on which to build a content marketing strategy. There’s no need to stop there, however. The rise of digital channels to distribute and amplify content offers a rich opportunity to experiment with a variety of content marketing media, any of which might be a promising way to articulate a particular message or provide the type of value your audience wants most.
Some of the ideas we’ll list below are by no means brand new, but they might be overlooked amid the day-to-day focus on the usual content marketing media suspects.
If you’re not sure which ones to try, you could begin with an audit of your current content marketing assets’ performance. If you’re seeing a decline in traffic to your blog, or meagre views of your videos, it’s not necessarily because the content isn’t good. It might just be that your audience is interested in consuming it in a different way. In fact, you might be able to become more influential as a brand by test-driving an alternative vehicle for corporate storytelling.
Tried any of these content marketing media types?
Infographics
When print was one of the only options for marketing teams, they created great brochures with high-impact photos of their products and services. While many still do that, infographics represent a way to tell visual stories of much greater scope, and one that can be integrated in a host of marketing channels.
Dust off that research report you did that may not have gotten enough attention when you made it available as a download. Look for ways to turn some of the key data points into a series of images that walk people through what those numbers mean. Use bold colours to stand out, or ones that echo your firm’s overall branding.
Infographics can also be culled from third-party research sources, which you can attribute via links at the bottom. Or you can develop an infographic that relies less on numbers and simply helps explain a difficult concept, or an approach to solving a common customer problem.
When it’s ready, think about sharing your infographic in all the available ways: as an embedded post on your company blog, of course, but also as a standalone share on your social media channels.
Case studies
These have often been a staple of marketing departments, offering some solid evidence to prospects from their peers that your firm has gotten results. That said, the way case studies have been developed within an organization has often come to a standstill.
Lots of companies have case studies, for instance, that are only available behind an online form that someone has to fill out, and then receive as a PDF. Think about how you could make your case studies more accessible and dynamic by offering one-click access, treating them more like a blog post and including links to sales team members if they want to achieve the same kind of success they’ve been reading about.
Also, don’t miss the opportunity to mix in other formats within a case study. A short video that provides the highlights of your work with a customer might be much more compelling than having to read through something lengthy.
You could also break up the classic elements of a case study -- a brief backgrounder on the customer, the problem they were facing, what you did and the results -- into a series of short social media posts. Imagine reading a case study as a Twitter thread, or even a collection of images on Instagram. There is plenty of room for creativity here.
Interviews
There’s a reason major TV networks have been running talk shows for the last 30-40 years: people are addicted to a good Q&A with somebody interesting. The same format works really well for businesses, too.
Sometimes marketing departments feature interviews in a blog post, but there are other ways to make the most of these conversations. Maybe the interview could be held as part of a live event. Maybe that event not only happens in a physical setting but through a live chat on Facebook or LinkedIn.
In terms of who to interview, think about approaching your favourite customer, someone from a partner company, or an industry analyst or author who’s written about your market. Even your own team members can make great interviews if they’re able to share something that might not have been heard before.
Podcasts
Those people on the street or the bus with earbuds on aren’t necessarily listening to music. More than likely they’re also tuning into a podcast to help them learn something new, overcome a difficulty or just to be entertained.
Lots of podcasts are developed by traditional media, but also by a lot of brands who have deep knowledge about particular trends. These can be another way to get more mileage out of an interview, but you could also tell stories about news in your sector, the back stories behind your most popular products and services, or even editorial-style coverage of industry events.
The best thing about podcasts is there aren’t a lot of hard rules about length or format, so you have free reign to experiment and iterate as you go along.
There are many other options out there -- GIFs and memes, Instagram or Snapchat “Stories” and even newer media like virtual reality. The point is to use whatever kinds of content marketing vehicles that make sense to bring your brand to life, and to keep your eye on the media that emerges next.
