Whether you’re reading the latest post published by your favourite blogger, refreshing your Instagram feed to see if any holiday offers have been dropped, or opening up the 10 emails you received in the last hour—content is everywhere!
From short articles to videos and ebooks, content is constantly changing and what’s trending today could be outdated by tomorrow. However, certain types of digital content have stood the test of time and continue to be vital traffic-generators.
That’s why we want to emphasise content best practices for each digital content type. You might think that it’s pretty obvious, but the truth is that every piece of content is unique and the content we create needs to match that uniqueness.
We’ve picked a few of the most popular digital content types that we work with regularly. Read them all or scroll to the ones that grab your attention the most. We hope you can find something useful in your next content creation undertaking.
Blogs
Whenever we think of creating content, blogs are most likely at the top of our list. It’s something that gets a lot of traffic—in fact, businesses that maintain a regularly updated blog get twice as much email traffic than those that don’t.
The benefits of having a strong blog that’s constantly updated are pretty apparent, so how can businesses make sure that they’re putting out quality content that captures the attention of readers?
Focus on what your audience wants. What questions are they asking? What are their pain points? Once you’ve got the answers, then start writing a comprehensive answer. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and see whether what you’ve written answers their questions.
You can also write punchy headlines that capture the attention of your audience—especially if you’re promoting it somewhere. Also, keep your blog interesting by bringing in different types of posts from interviews to curated content.
And before we move on to the next piece of digital content, don’t forget to optimise the content for a highly relevant keyword!
Email newsletters
Talking about content best practices wouldn’t be complete without some good old email marketing content like newsletters. Almost every company has a newsletter because it gives them the ability to distribute content, share the latest developments that may interest customers, and even nurture customers.
A lot of businesses have monthly or quarterly newsletters and there’s nothing wrong with that if they have new information to share. But if you don’t, then it’s best not to bombard your customers with newsletters that don’t add any value. You could end up diminishing their interest in your business all because of your misplaced dedication to frequency.
Add offers and discounts without overdoing it with too many CTAs and links. When in doubt, follow the age-old adage: less is more.
Infographics
Infographics can be your saviour if you’ve got a lot of complex information that needs to be delivered simply without alienating your audience. But sometimes trying to over-simplify your content could end up making it even tougher to comprehend—especially if you don’t know infographic content best practices. Nail this content type and you could even have an infographic that goes viral.
To start, think of your infographic like it’s a story. Consider the introduction, the main narrative of the story, and then the memorable conclusion. Don’t create complex diagrams with too many distracting colours and shapes. Make sure that the top of your infographic is spacious without adding too much content. This is the first thing your customers will see so you should make it attractive.
You can even add your sources at the bottom to give your content some credibility.
Videos
Thanks to the smartphone, videos have an incredible reach—1200% more than images and text combined! With so many video-making apps and in-built features on social media platforms, creating videos has become much simpler.
First things first. Come up with a script, but don’t worry. Once you have your story planned out you do have the option of making changes as you see fit. Make sure you have quality video—whether you’re using a smartphone for a fun reel or an expensive camera to create a brand video for your business.
Don’t forget about the audio. Your audience may forgive you for some visual blemishes but absolutely won’t stick around if the quality of your audio is poor. Also, don’t sweat the small stuff. If you’re on camera, don’t worry about looking like someone who’s done it a bazillion times. You’re allowed to be human and your audience will appreciate the authenticity.
Think you can fly high with these content best practices?
Whether you’re a start-up digital marketing company or just going at it alone, these best practices can either give you new ideas to better execute a frequently used digital content type or refresh some key areas that may have been accidentally overlooked.
The purpose is to understand that different types of content require a different approach. Find out how to match these two elements together and you could have a winning combination on your hands.