New to content marketing? We’ve broken it down to its component parts:
– the types of content
– the formats of content
– where you can distribute content
– the triggers that encourage folks to share your content
– a checklist of essentials before you publish
– your objectives and how you measure your content marketing

Thanks to Econsultancy for a living example of content marketing. They’ve visualised the parts in this ‘periodic table’.

Read on to find out what all this means in lay terms.

Types of content
These are all different approaches you can take to creating content. Different angles if you like:
– how to’s
– reviews
– interviews
– beginner’s guide
– ask the experts
– Q&A
– compilation
– best practice
– case study
– research findings
– trends
– opinion piece
– vision for niche
– biggest tip
– inspiration
– quote
– product demo
– mindmap
– template
– checklist
– timesaving tips

Formats of content
You can package your ideas in different forms:
– video
– article
– blog post
– image
– infographic
– visualisation
– slideshow
– ebook
– webinar
– elearning
– event
– game
– app
– tool

Distribution / sharing platforms
There’s many ways you can get your content out there:
– website
– email
– blog
– forums
– Facebook
– Linkedin
– Twitter
– YouTube
– Google+
– Pinterest
– Instagram
– Slideshare
– partner sites
– traditional media
– traditional advertising

Sharing triggers
As you’re creating your content it’ll help you to keep in mind the triggers that will spur people to share it. Reasons vary. It can be they find the content:
– funny
– moving
– controversial
– unbelievable
– illuminating
– uplifting
– charming
– cool
– cute
– sexy
– shocking
– disgusting

Often it’s tapping into very essential human qualities that are the source of people’s urge to share. More in this post on the humanity of social media sharing.

Checklist
Before you put your content out there make sure the work is:
– search optimised
– headline optimised
– device optimised
– copy edited and crafted
– used plain English
– used appropriate tone of voice
– credited sources
– checked facts
– sorted formatting
– fits brand guidelines
– included a call to action
– invited feedback

Measurement
You should of course track how your content has performed – against these kinds of objectives:
– traffic
– leads
– branding
– sales
– search position
– members
– shares
– engagement

OK it’s a bit dry all this component stuff. What it does though is lay the foundation for all the different ways you can do content marketing.

Our series of posts on content marketing will help you dive deeper – into the stuff that’ll set you apart, that’ll engage your audience and get your content marketing to touch some deeper nerves.

You can also find more via our collection of free learning resources:
Articles we’ve found on content marketing
Videos on content marketing

Have we forgotten anything? Let us know in the comments below …

by Phil Stubbs