Racking your brain to come up with content marketing ideas may give you a headache! However, the best ideas aren't necessarily limited to just one type of format. This post will talk about using infographics and videos to connect with your target audience.
Why You Need Content Marketing Ideas
Good content marketing will lead to loyalty and trust from your targeted consumers. Once you reach that point, more good content results in even stronger customer relationships, conversion rate optimization, and increased profits.
Content marketing involves a lot of work, but all that effort can be wasted if you don’t come up with effective content marketing ideas. To be successful in content marketing means to keep coming up with ideas. Here are six pointers to keep the creative juices flowing:
- Examine your analytics.
- Utilize research tools.
- Know your targeted audience.
- Ask your audience what they want.
- Keep on top of marketing trends.
- Learn from content marketing pros.
Let’s concentrate on number six. There are some really smart marketing people who can help you come up with great content marketing ideas. Remember that even a great artist like Picasso was inspired by others. He famously once said:
Good artists copy; great artists steal.
This doesn't mean you have to blatantly steal ideas, but you can get inspired by great content marketing ideas that others have used. So, let's take a look at some examples of great content ideas involving visuals.
Infographic Content Ideas
Sometimes less really is more, and that can be a good thing. An infographic with fewer words and more visuals can give you more engaging content. You may not know that the human brain can process visual data at an astonishing 60,000 times faster than text. However, you probably have no difficulty understanding this – you know that sometimes reading is just plain hard.
What's So Great About an Infographic?
Imagine an infographic as a string of image captions and then realize that image captions are read at a rate of 300% more than body copy. So, depending on the type of information you're trying to get out there, an infographic can be a great creative option.
We live in a world of fast scanners. This means that many content consumers tend to skim over content rather than spend time going through all of it. It's not because the content is necessarily bad, but simply because people have all the attention of a mayfly in a world of smartphones and 30-second social stories.
This is why visual content, such as an infographic, can be great. It captures the viewer's attention with visuals that provide the main points of a topic and helps with information retention. Here are some pointers with actual examples.
1. Provide a Visual Solution to a Problem
Example: Fix – How to Avoid a Hangover
Many holidays such as New Year’s and St. Patrick's Day are notable for the accompanying beer and wine hangovers the next day. Most likely, the last thing you want to do when hungover is read a bunch of words. Enter Fix’s infographic!
Take a look at Fix's great, engaging infographics embedded in their article entitled How To Avoid a Hangover. They’re perfect examples of wonderful infographics.
2. Piggy Back on Something Familiar
Example: Econsultancy – The Periodic Table of Content Marketing
You wouldn't think that the periodic table would prove to be a good resource for a content marketer. However, Econsultancy made a great infographic using The Periodic Table of Content Marketing. This infographic focuses on eight areas of content marketing.
- Strategy
- Format
- Type
- Platform
- Metrics
- Goals
- Sharing triggers
- Checklist
Along with a familiar visual representation (in this case, the periodic table), this infographic outlines ways to succeed in content marketing that coincide with the table's contents.
This infographic doesn't have everything a content marketer needs to know about content marketing, but it provides a place to begin. It also serves as a source to encourage searching for more information. Starting is often the hardest part of any project.
3. Create a Memorable Show and Tell
Example: Social Media Today - 15 Important Stats About Blogging and Content Marketing
One thing that's special about this infographic is that it's very simple. One big mistake that is often made is overcrowding an infographic with lengthy copy or too many images.
So, like this infographic example, stick to the main points, don't overwhelm the design, and make sure you can understand it before you expect others to do so.
Video Content Ideas
Videos are entertaining, interactive, and easily consumable in today's content skimming world. Here are some suggestions along with some of the best video content examples around.
1. Show the Day-to-Day Life of Your Brand
Example: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
I scream, you scream, we all scream for a wonderful video marketing example! This is a perfect (and delicious-looking) example of video content done well for a smaller business. It does not involve expensive, state-of-the-art video equipment or complex editing.
What makes this video content work is that it showcases an actual, real-life day of the brand – in this case, an ice cream sandwich being put together by an ice cream vendor. Combined with some catchy music, this content is everything it needs to be. This video wants to make you head out to the nearest Jeni's to get one of their ice cream sandwiches.
2. Make the Boring Fascinating
As David Ogilvy once stated:
Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating.
Example: Velcro
This video content deserves all the favorable accolades it received. Velcro made two videos. One is about how other companies cannot call their Velcro material "Velcro" for their own products because the original Velcro owns the trademark. The second video suggests what they could say instead (i.e., hook and loop). They nailed it!
These two trademark videos from Velcro accomplished the following:
- They educate you on a topic.
- They entertain you.
- They install themselves in your memory via an unexpected method of delivery.
Now, the great (and totally clever) marketing move that these video lawyers made is acknowledging that the second video is, in fact, absurd. But that's exactly what makes it unforgettable.
Let's be honest, many people will still call it "Velcro," not "hook-and-loop," but you will think more about the brand because this catchy content will stay in your head.
3. Create an Authentic, Immersive Experience
Example: Moz
Rand Fishkin is the founder of the SEO company Moz. Fishkin also hosts regular video content on the company's website. The videos are called Whiteboard Friday videos. A great example is The Best Way to Suck at Marketing. Huh, what's that? Boom, he's got you!
Fishkin knows what he's talking about, but he also knows how to make you care about what he's talking about. He makes the topic easy to understand with both verbal and visual information delivered by a real person. From the video title to the actual video content, he keeps you watching.
Conclusion
Effective content marketing is not easy to do. Great content involves a lot of time and careful, creative thinking. Don’t underestimate the power of visual content and don’t be afraid to go where the marketing geniuses have gone. One day, you may discover that you’ve become a marketing content genius yourself!
