Research and Original Data Are the Content Formats That Perform Best for Content Marketing [REPORT]

Content may be the driver for marketing efforts, but the type of content created makes all the difference. Content marketers surveyed by Clutch, a ratings and reviews platform for business services, say research and original data (18%), infographics (17%), and product reviews (16%) are more likely to help them achieve their goals than blog posts, videos, or white papers.

Once content is developed, how it’s promoted and distributed can make or break its impact. The majority of content marketers surveyed (85%) say paid content distribution tactics, including social media, pay-per-click (PPC), and native ads, are more effective than organic efforts.

As social networks follow Facebook’s example and begin to decrease organic visibility for brands, investing in content distribution is more important than ever, say industry experts.

“In order to get eyeballs on content for the foreseeable future, businesses will have to pay for it,” said Chad Pollitt, Vice President of Audience at Relevance, a content marketing agency.

It looks like content marketers are already heeding this prediction: 71% of those surveyed say they use paid distribution tactics most frequently.

Clutch’s survey also reveals how content marketers create, publish, and track their company’s content throughout the year. Content marketers identified the most important components for documenting their content strategy: brand story, a mission statement that outlines their goals, and the types of content they plan to create.

Identifying audience personas, however, was less of a priority. While understanding your audience may be challenging, it is a necessary and crucial component of content marketing, according to Jeffrey Vocell, Principal Product Marketing Manager at HubSpot.

“The foundation for any strategy is knowing who is being targeted. After this, many other things fall into place, such as content format and the types of content being created,” Vocell said.

The strategic nature of content marketing makes understanding audience personas and identifying goals and objectives important. Nearly half (49%) of content marketers surveyed said brand awareness is their main goal, followed by higher visibility in search engines (30%), and lead generation (21%).

Having a clear goal for each piece of content makes it easier to determine return on investment (ROI), according to Quinn Whissen, Marketing Director at Vertical Measures, a content marketing agency.

“Every piece of content will have a different goal, and people sometimes get confused. For example, creating a post for social engagement but really optimizing it for organic search,” Whissen said.

The survey offers three core recommendations for content marketing:

•     Tailor content to specific audiences
•     Create content to support business goals
•     Enhance content distribution efforts, and if you don’t have a budget for paid advertising, focus on earned media, such as pitching journalists and influencers

To download report CLICK HERE.