50 content format ideas for content marketers
There is a large misconception in companies about what content marketing is. During my time working in SME's that serve B2B markets there was an understanding that "content marketing" (or "content" in general) just means "blog posts, news, social media posts and newsletters". But there is far more ways to deliver content than this.
I am a huge advocate of creating so called "pillar content" and then distribute it in different formats throughout all channels where your customers are. Take any one of the formats below, bring it to life through a creative concept (like make it insightful + interesting + entertaining), and give it a go.
Here are literally 50 other types of content you can experiment with this quarter/year:
1. A podcast
2. Customer research
3. Digital illustrations
4. Infographics
5. Animated explainer videos
6. Animated shorts
7. Ad creative
8. Live videos
9. TikTok content
10. Memes
11. Animated case studies
12. Web-based games
13. Interactive ads
14. Short films
15. Twitter threads
16. LinkedIn carousel decks
17. Free calculators/tools
18. Songs
19. Free courses
20. Education hubs
21. Original research
22. Product onboarding videos
23. Audible versions of your written content
24. Virtual events
25. Slide decks
26. Better web copy, better web design, better messaging, better positioning
27. Webinars
28. Commercials
29. Billboards
30. Vlogs/BTS
31. Checklists
32. A branded art style
33. Brand characters/mascots
34. A fictional world (with storylines) for your brand characters to occupy
35. Ebooks/reports designed like comic books, graphic novels, or anything other than ebooks/reports
36. A YouTube show (e.g. Riddle, What If, Kurzgesagt - In A Nutshell, etc.)
37. GIFographics
38. A strategic narrative
39. An employer brand
40. Social proof
41. Native content
42. AR/VR experiences
43. Free mobile/web apps
44. Custom brand tunes
45. Mad libs
46. Crossword
47. Video memes
48. Marketing-based RPG you can play on your browser
49. An animated movie
50. Free (ungated) playbooks breaking down your best campaigns, strategies, and results (I freaking dare you)
51. Try everything here and write a blog post about that
I like the term mix and match for this. Take one piece of content and match it with one of the formats above. E.g. you have customer testimonials? Great, that is 40. Social proof. Make an image with text and there you go. First piece of content. Mold it into different formats for your social media channels.
Not every format will suit your business but just thinking about the different formats should give you enough ideas to repurpose your content. Or the format itself will become the content producing source for you. Don't take it too serious, everything is trial and error. Just make sure you will be able to measure your actions.
I would love to hear from you how it goes!
And here comes the daily dose of self-marketing: I can help you setting up your marketing and advertising strategy and create an action plan on how to move your company forward and generate leads for your business. Contact me here.
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