Two Types of Blog Posts to Include in Your Inbound Content Strategy

Inbound marketing is all about content strategy. But since blogging is now a mainstream marketing tool, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get content seen by the right people.

So where do you begin?

If you’re struggling to point your content strategy in the right direction in 2018, consider writing these two types of blog posts, proven to engage those on the World Wide Web in different ways.

 

Type One: Level-up Blogging

The truth is, these types of blog posts aren’t really that innovative – there are just so few business owners who are willing to do the extra work to take the quality of their blogging to a, you guessed it, higher level.

A level-up blog article often requires more time and effort to develop but, if implemented correctly, will often stand out in pages and pages of search results on the same topic.

• Guest blogs establish authority and build followers:

Neil Patel is a popular digital marketing blogger, but here he is writing for someone else’s blog. By doing this, he now has his face (literally) and wisdom in front of all Hubspot’s customers and readers.

If the article is any good, and it is, Hubspot not only gets a traffic generating piece of content for its site by a real expert, Neil Patel also gets followers on his own blog.

Contact established industry blogs and submit your content for publication. (Oftentimes there is a web page for this. Search the website name with some variation on “write for us.”)

Read Neils article on Hubspot.

• Case studies and success stories build credibility and buy-in:

 

We share how we achieved results for two of our own clients from our perspective, above. By reading these case studies, a lead viewing this page can virtually experience what it is like to work with Above the Fold Media before actually becoming a customer.

If storytelling is more likely to resonate with your target audience, tell a customer’s story! IFS does this above. Who wouldn’t like to save $100/month?

Mine your sales staff and customer experiences for valuable content that is already right at your fingertips.

Read IFS’s success story, or check out Above the Fold’s case studies.

• Expert interviews target and engage new audiences:

 

Mint and Money Coaches Canada cross-share audiences in this piece of content. Mint gets to benefit from Sheila Walkington’s knowledge in this informative post, and Sheila (and her organization) get to be featured on the blog of a wildly popular finance app.

Go the extra mile and reach out to leaders and experts in your industry and interview them.

Read the interview on Mint.

TO GET MORE IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO WRITE ATTENTION GRABBING BLOGS, SUBSCRIBE TO KEEP IN TOUCH.

 

Type Two: Reliable Content

This type of blog post is often easier and faster to write but are also, if done well, still valuable to the reader.

• Infographic Posts

 

Hubspot has an entire article about powerful infographics and features 10 of its favorites from 2012 here. Readers like information that is organized visually so much, infographics are known to draw higher numbers of inbound links and be shared more frequently than other types of blog posts.

Don’t be overwhelmed by creating these types of posts. A quick web search for “create infographic” or “infographic template” will lead you to numerous resources that make it easy.

Check out Hubspot’s blog about infographics.

• How-to Articles

How-to blog posts are one of the most popular forms of content on the web. These posts allow you to publish long-form content that your visitors will actually read. Helpful, long content also increases the length of time a visitor stays on the web page, which is an important factor in search engine optimization.

This post on our blog instructs readers how to set up their Google Analytics platforms.

Read our how-to article on Above the Fold Media.

• Long Lists

Lists have been a long-time blogging favorite. They are quick to write and quicker to read while still being informative.

A great way to use lists is to fill them full of links to other places on your website or other helpful resources where more information on a particular topic is provided.

PennyHoarder baits its readers with a long list of ways to make “extra money” this year, and it is full of links.

See how PennyHoarder used its list article.

There Are So Many More Types

This by no means is an exhaustive list of the types of blog posts you can write that will deliver inbound results.

Here’s a list of more helpful types to consider – both innovative and reliable.

• Create crowdsourced content.
• Do deep research.
• Coin a phrase and explain it. (Like we did with Level-up Blogging!)
• Update, refresh or repurpose old content.
• Answer FAQs.
• Run a poll and analyze it.
• Give your opinion. (And be controversial, if you dare.)
• Review something.
• Evaluate trends.
• Make a prediction.

 

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Don’t forget that the most important part of creating content is sharing it. Are you ready? Happy writing!

Need help with your inbound marketing strategy? Above the Fold Media is a Hubspot partner specializing in inbound content marketing development. Request a consultation today.