7 Popular Content Types and How to Use Them In Your Content Marketing Strategy
By Rupanksha Srivastava • December 2, 2024 • 19 mins read
Content is the heart of any successful marketing strategy, but not all content is created equal. With so many formats to choose from, knowing which types work best for your goals can make a big difference.
Whether you’re looking to engage your audience, drive traffic, or boost conversions, the right content type can help you get there.
In this informational piece, we will talk about the 7 most popular content types and show you how to use them effectively for your product or service.
- Blogs
- Listicles
- Infographics
- Videos
- Social Media Content
- Case Studies
- Podcasts
7 Popular Content Types and How to Use Them
Content creation can include various forms, such as – text, images, audio, video, and so on. When we combine these elements, we get new content types. These include – blog posts, videos, GIFs, e-books, social media stories, carousels, infographics, and more.
But, in this blog, we will only talk about the 7 content types that are the most popular and preferred by both customers and marketers. You will find these content types almost everywhere.
The best part? You can create these content types with free resources. Marketers have used this knowledge to improve their content strategy and have seen great results. Now, it’s your time to start.
Blogs
Do you know the 1st blog was written by Justin Hall, a student at Swarthmore College in January 1994? But at that time, it wasn’t called a blog; it was simply a place where he used to share interesting links and personal thoughts.
Blogs are one of those evergreen forms of content types that are versatile, easy to produce, and can cover different topics. They help establish your brand as an authority in your industry, improve SEO, and drive organic traffic to your website. As per Hubspot, 77% of internet users read blogs regularly.
Although blogs have existed for a long time, the practice has evolved. This is why in recent years, bloggers have faced some challenges—especially in business blogs written to engage with their target customers.
Source: Orbit Media
In January 2024, WordPress hosted more than 52.3 million blog articles and 4.9 million web pages. It also received more than 18.41 billion page views by April. Sounds too good to be true. Right?
See below the research conducted by Orbit Media.
Source: Orbit Media
Since there is a lot of competition in ranking blogs and getting traffic with a low bounce rate, your blog should be qualitative—which means it is relevant and well-written.
So that your target audience finds it interesting and different from others. Ultimately, high average time spent on a page, more blog visits, and more social shares so that you drive conversions.
To effectively utilize the blog content type in your content strategy, follow this:
- SEO: Blogs, especially long-form blogs (more than 1400 words count) are essential for search engine optimization. So, write and publish blogs consistently or at least one blog in a week. So that you improve your website’s rankings.
- CTA & Engagement: Blog posts encourage reader engagement through comments and shares. Make sure you include a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your blog post. You can hyperlink your website’s other pages as well as other high domain-authority websites.
- Bonus Point: Share facts, stats, and expert knowledge in your blogs. Attach quotes, statistics, and facts with the sources to support the knowledge you share in your blogs.
Here are a few brands that have established their readerships via blogs:
Although blogging is one of the easiest forms of content type to create, promote, share, and get noticed by search engines, it does come with some challenges.
Every year, Orbit Media conducts a bloggers survey. If you haven’t already, check it out and see the challenges faced by bloggers and their best practices.
Listicles
Listicles are also a form of articles or blogs that are formatted as a list of anything. They are popular—not just because they are informative, but because they are visually appealing, easy to scan, and highly engaging due to their structure.
If done right, they are highly shareable on social media. This is what makes them such a preferred content type. In fact, you’re reading is a listicle.
Writing a high-quality listicle is so easy—you just need to decide on a title with a fixed number to include. Once you have subheadings, you just need to perform deep research and write on them one by one.
For example:
This post from Mastroke explores how you can build a strong social media presence with just 25 useful tips.
Highlight: This post covers examples to explain each useful tip.
This post from Mastroke covers how you can boost your e-commerce store sales and win customers’ hearts with 7 Halloween marketing ideas.
Highlight: The ideas are explained in detail with examples.
This post from Mastroke explores the last-minute checklist for Amazon sellers to boost sales on Amazon Prime Day.
Highlight: Each point in this checklist is backed up with facts and statistics.
To effectively utilize the listicles content type in your content marketing strategy, follow this:
- Do Not Stretch More: Readers love quick, actionable tips. So do not stretch. Keep the listicles crisp, short, and straight to the point.
- Catchy Titles: Use attention-grabbing titles to draw readers in. If the title is “5 Best Tips for Content Marketing”, make sure you include 5 tips, not more or less than that.
- Scannable Content: Break content into easily digestible chunks with subheadings and bullet points. This engages readers and keeps them hooked till the end. Good for SEO too.
- Visuals: Incorporate images or infographics to make the listicle look appealing.
▶ Also read: Why & How to Improve Creative Writing
Infographics
Do you know what supplements are?
Supplements are extracts that help make up for vitamin and mineral deficiencies and can even replace our meals.
Infographics are just like that—they are the extracts of information. They simplify complex information so that it can be easily understood.
Infographics contain statistics, research, news, trends, lists or tips, etc in a very short, simple, and visually appealing way. This is why infographics are liked and shared on social media 3 times more than any other content types. In addition, they are one of the best ways to get traffic and quality backlinks to your website.
So, it is no wonder that 60% of B2B marketers use infographics/data visualization in their content strategy. And, this is the largest rise in usage over the past few years.
To effectively utilize the infographics content type in your content strategy, follow this:
- Make it Visually Appealing: Use visually appealing colors and designs, and add elements that express a lot.
- Include Sources: Include sources of information to enhance the credibility of your content as well as your website.
- Social Media Sharing: Promote your infographics on social media and encourage sharing to increase engagement.
- Utilize in Blogs: Use those infographics in your upcoming blogs to enhance blog content.
Videos
Source: Mastroke’s YouTube Channel
Videos have been seen as one of the most engaging, highly shareable, and successful content types—they’re more effective at holding attention than text-based content. They consistently deliver the best results as per the Content Marketing Institute.
Video content can range from short clips to in-depth tutorials. It may include FAQs, how-to or DIY content, data or facts, goods/services advertisements, case studies, and more.
In fact, 67% of marketers, including us at Mastroke, plan to increase our investment in short-form videos in 2024.
Now marketers say that video content type is a must-have and a major part of their content marketing strategy—any marketing campaign they run can never be completed without video.
Source: Content Marketing Institute
Watch how Mastroke has created a video on a case study:
This video explores how Mastroke’s SEM solutions helped eGrimes Direct, a leading industrial supplier in Canada achieve 5.65x ROAS.
To effectively utilize the video content type in your content marketing strategy, follow this:
- Stay Short & Sweet: As much as possible keep the video short and to the point—under 2 minutes is ideal, and remember to include a CTA.
- Audio & Visuals: Use high-quality visuals and sound.
- SEO: Optimize video titles, descriptions, and tags with target keywords.
Social Media Content
Social media platforms, with their billions of users, provide an extensive audience for your brand. As such, social media content is a crucial part of any content strategy to promote products & services, connect with customers, and promote existing website content.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn allow you to share different content types, including text posts, images, videos, stories, and carousels. If you consistently post and address customer queries in real-time, you can build a loyal following and increase your brand’s visibility.
Source: Content Marketing Institute
According to Sprout Social, social media content increases the chances of conversions by landing traffic to your website. It is one of the most affordable content types and may give you a higher ROI (return on investment).
According to HubSpot, platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow for highly targeted ads so that your content reaches the right audience.
So, in the time of scrolling feeds, creating content that holds customers’ attention before it vanishes is crucial. It should be captivating, informative, and impactful.
To effectively utilize the social media content type in your content strategy, follow this:
- Post Regularly: Prepare a calendar, schedule the posts, and post regularly and consistently.
- Consistent Branding: Use a mix of content types (text, images, videos) with a consistent brand voice, tagline, and aesthetic (theme, color, etc) across all social media platforms.
- Real-time Engagement: Engage with your audience through comments and messages in real time.
- Evaluation: Test and trial is important. Do monitor analytics and understand what content performs best or has the most likes, shares, and comments.
▶Also read: 15 Social Media Metrics to Track in 2024
Case Studies
Case studies showcase your success stories and provide proof of your expertise. They are excellent for building trust and credibility with your customers.
Case studies are used by 78% of B2B marketers as part of their content marketing strategy.
They’re the best way to feature a client, highlight testimonials and real words of appreciation from customers—and describe what challenges your client has faced and how you helped them.
For example:
“How Mastroke Boosted Frab’s Magazine Impressions to 2.76 Million”
Case Study of Frab’s Magazine – Mastroke
“How Mastroke Helped Nashua Nutrition Earn $1.261M Revenue with 15x ROAS”
Case Study of Nashua Nutrition – Mastroke
Case studies basically include—A customer overview and challenges > A solution or hypothesis tested > A summary of the results > Client testimonials and quotes
To get the most out of the case studies, look at them as success stories not just for your customers, but for yourself as well.
To effectively utilize the case studies content type in your content strategy, follow this:
- Real-life examples: Show only real-life examples. For example, Mastroke has helped multiple businesses achieve their goals, including Cooler Guys, Firewood Racks, Nashua Nutrition, Lace, etc. So include those. Read them here to see an example.
- Follow problem>solution>result format: Divide the whole case study into problem>solution>result sections to clearly mention everything from challenges to results.
- Highlight data and results: Add graphs, charts, and real-time screenshots to show data and figures that are achieved. Check the examples here.
- Build Trust: Attach quotes and testimonials from clients to build trust and credibility.
Podcasts
Podcasts have seemed to gain a lot of popularity these days. It’s a great way to reach your audience on the go.
Why?
Podcasts present knowledge about your products or services in a more digestible and engaging way. They allow you to share valuable insights, interviews, and stories in an engaging audio as well as video format. Creating a podcast is the best way to establish your brand as an authority in your industry.
Source: Backlinko
The monthly podcast listeners are projected to increase from 9% to 47% between 2008 and 2024. And, YouTube is one of the most preferred platforms in the US for podcasts.
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- Audio podcasts can be posted on various platforms like Spotify Podcast, Apple Podcasts, Adobe Podcast, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and more; perfect for listening during commutes, workouts, or any time on the go.
- Video podcasts, which combine audio and visual content, can be posted on YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other video-sharing sites.
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The question is who will be the guest?
In the world of social media, there are thousands of social media stars and influencers who have millions of fan followers.
Recording a podcast with those who are experts in the same industry as you and have a huge fanbase, is a great chance to reach those millions of people.
You don’t need to be an expert. Simply ask questions, they need to answer. You can cover your industry-related topics, about their experience, the challenges they faced, and any tips from them, etc.
Everybody wants content—this podcast will not only benefit you but the guest also.
To effectively utilize the podcast content type in your content marketing strategy, follow this:
- Content: Select topics, questions, journeys, challenges, trends, tips, and more that revolve around your industry to ensure your podcasts resonate with the right audience.
- Guest Invitation: Invite industry experts and influencers as guests.
- Promotion: Promote your podcast episodes through your blog, social media, and email marketing.
Summing Up…
There’s no doubt that a strong content strategy is key to achieving SEO success, driving traffic, boosting conversions, and building brand awareness. The content types you choose serve as the foundation of an effective strategy.
The popular content types mentioned here are widely used, each offering unique advantages and challenges. The simplest way to leverage something as easy as content is to create content that your audience loves. Content is something that keeps potential customers coming back for more.
No matter what you choose, it should best suit your business goals, objectives, and target audience.
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