When you’re developing content for your website and social media channels, how quickly do you run out of ideas? It takes time to develop the kind of planning mindset where you look at one topic and find six or seven different content ideas that can be presented in different ways. Today, let’s look at six different types of posts that can help you drive sales results and traffic for your company.
Keep in mind that these are meant to be content concepts, not presentations. If you want to welcome your customers to create video customer testimonials and use graphics to present evergreen content, do it. Be creative and innovative to find out what works for your audience.
1. Evergreen, informative content
Evergreen content is the basis of most website models of content marketing. These are your frequently asked questions, your how-to videos and diagrams, and your knowledge base for customer access. This content is rarely updated, but you will often find yourself linking to it as you develop fresh content.
A good rule of thumb is that if you find yourself answering a question more than a few times, it’s a good idea to have a blog post or webpage to link to which explains in more detail.
2. Customer testimonials
We all know that customer reviews drive sales. Customers like to know that other people have used your product or service successfully, and have seen a benefit or change. Customer testimonials are a great way to boast about your product without the implied insincerity of boasting. It’s important, however, to either ask permission or make sure to tag your customers in your repost.
One thought is to send a follow-up contact, either by email, phone, or social media, a few days after your customer should have received your product. Offer to help them with any issues that have arisen, and then remind them that reviews help other customers find products that they will like, and that their reviews are useful to you.
And then let it go. Customers don’t like be pestered for reviews.
3. Polls
People love voting on polls, whether it’s a question about what extension would be useful for your app, what they would like to see as the next big product your company develops, or just where they prefer to use your service. Creating polls are a simple way to get customers involved, and then generate more content as you follow up on them. Customers enjoy seeing the results of the poll and determining the course of something.
4. Industry news
Sharing industry news is a great way to build authority with your customers, show them that you are an expert and a leader in the industry. No matter what kind of product or service you offer, showing that you’re keeping track of developments in the industry, which positions you as a leader in your field.
There are multiple ways to do this. You can write your own article based on press releases and other coverage, making sure to source your facts, or you could link directly to another page and invite your readers to return to see your take on things.
Adding your take on events – talking about what this will do to develop your industry, or how this will affect the customer – is key.
5. Reviews of intersecting products
In general, spending your time trashing your competition is a poor use of social media. Someone’s going to be offended, and you’re going to look like a jerk. A better approach is simply to highlight what your company does well.
When it comes to intersecting products, however, this is a great place to point customers to other businesses and potentially earn links from other sites, building your company’s reputation. For example, if you run software that helps customers set budgets and manage their money, you could consider developing a way for customers to connect to major financial trading sites. You could then talk about the financial sites that your app can interact with, and offer your opinions about which programs work well.
6. Company developments
News of developments in your company’s personnel, services, or location are always great fodder for content. When your customers feel involved in how things are moving forward for your business, they again are more likely to feel that investing in your business by choosing your product or services is a smart choice.
A content marketing strategy can help to drive business sales, both directly and indirectly. Using these different types of posts will help you develop an editorial calendar that is interesting and provides a variety of content. Your customers will see you as a thought leader which will help you build a solid customer base.
What are your favorite post types for driving sales?
