7 Best Types of Content for Driving Revenue

Content is the bait that hoodwinks people to your website.

But, not all content is loved by all people. And that reality brings us face to face with the question; what is the best type of content for driving revenue?

This article discusses the most popular forms of content and how you can use them in your online business to increase revenue.    

Blog posts

Blog posts play a central role in content marketing. They present the human side of your company to your audience. Empathetic content with an emotional ring helps build a bond between your business and the public.

Let’s look at some particular ways blog content can drive revenue for your online business.

Blog Posts Help Your Business Build EAT

If people consider your website a representation of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (EAT), pat yourself on the shoulder. Why? Great content containing relevant keywords satisfies people’s search intent and builds loyalty.

High-quality articles highlighting the thoughts of industry think tanks and subject matter experts are like gold. The world will never have too much of it!

With time, your eCommerce website becomes a knowledge hub. A point of reference. People and other websites will find it worth visiting, recommending, and linking to. This buzz will result in a boom in organic traffic.

Google, too, celebrates original, helpful, and verifiable content. It loves to show it off to info-seeking surfers. When people search for information related to your keywords, Google will be happy to offer your content as the answers to their questions.

How to Build EAT

Like in ordinary human relationships, EAT is earned. It takes effort and time to nurture mutual trust. To reach it, set your eyes on it. And resolutely pursue it.

Take subtle but steady steps, such as:

• Maintaining accuracy: Prove that what you share isn't contradictory to the original versions. Whether from other brands, academic journals, legal or research documents, or your publications, maintain consistency through thorough research.
• Flaunt your credentials: Embed your excellence and membership certificates and awards of recognition to prominent spots on your website for people to see.
• Solicit customer reviews: Get your present customers to plead your cause. Social proof is an independent, objective voice that confirms that you're the real deal.
• Make your website secure: EAT begins with web security, where customers can submit confidential data without threat. Have the relevant SSL certificates and require your audience to log in using unique passwords.
• Don’t over-depend on chatbots: Get real humans to listen to customer inquiries that need human empathy. Respond to emails, calls, and live chats personally during office hours.                

Blog Posts Attract Traffic

As discussed, Google algorithms always scout websites to find content matching visitors' intent. So, if you’ve got top-notch content in your eCommerce store, it won't be long before Google puts it in the first-page index.

As people follow the treasure in your content, they’ll come face-to-face with your products. And the shopping basket. Plus the Add to Cart button. Can you ask for more?

How to Attract Traffic with Blog Posts

• SEO optimization:  Ensure your website and content have originality, proper distribution of relevant keywords, URL slug, meta descriptions, title tags, correct formatting, image ALT text, and video captions.
• Email outreach: Use customer data collection forms on your landing pages, then send newsletters, inviting them to interact with your content. They’ll discover your products in the process.
• Acquire backlinks: Publish quality content to which other websites can direct their audience for more information. Or ask friendly website owners of similar niches to direct some referral traffic your way.
• Link internally: It’ll help your audience jump between the pages of your website for complementary content. Internal links also help Google navigate your website and is your vote of trust in your content.
  

Guest blog posts

Let’s face it. Guest posting is a marketing strategy that takes your content and brand to new audiences. Guest posting creates inbound and outbound backlinks, an SEO ranking factor. It gives you access to other companies' audiences.

Backlinks can extend your sales funnel. Picture this; people are visiting a website on which you guest-posted. They read your article, and they’re edified.

They click on a link in your post that ushers them into your eCommerce website. Before long, they’re on your product pages. As you can see, the buyer’s journey has begun.  

When businesses allow you to guest post, they endorse your expertise and deep knowledge of that subject or niche. They consider you a subject matter expert.

How to Create a Guest Blogging Strategy

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to win with guest blogging:

• Set specific goals: Be clear on whether you want exposure or to increase sales.
• Pick a popular topic: Answer the most frequent search queries or satisfy user intent.
• Find host sites: Use Google search. Some websites can allow you to contribute freely, while others might pay you. And yet others might charge you for guest posting.
• Build a relationship: Create rapport with the site administrator or owner before disclosing your intention.
• Make your pitch: After analyzing their website's content, give the proprietor a proposition on how your content will supplement or compliment what they already have.  
• Write killer content: This is an opportunity of a lifetime for your website. As mentioned earlier, play by all the rules of blog post writing and trust Google to reward you.
• Be proactive: Watch the metrics and see who swims towards your website via the backlinks. Those are valuable leads. Nurture them.  

Videos

The graphic nature of videos makes them the darling of most internet surfers and marketers. For one, they provide more explicit details about your product or brand, generating the most engagement.

You can fold a lengthy how-to blog post into a short video without sacrificing depth. That’s how versatile they can be.

How Videos Enhance SEO

Since the modern internet visitor is time-poor, videos are a great way to get a foot in the door of your audience. They’d rather watch that video than agonize over blocks of text. That translates to higher click-through rates, hastening the buying process.

And the best part? Videos are an SEO upgrade. Search engines treat videos with a lot of favor. When Google finds an embedded video or link to a video in your post, it’s likely to rank your content well in the SERPs. However, remember that a video isn’t the only ranking factor.

That said, videos are easy to create. You can do one every time an idea pops up. Alternatively, you can get an influencer or marketing professional to compose promotional videos for your brand. How about asking a satisfied customer to endorse your brand or product? Can work like magic.

Videos can help you increase conversion rates because they:

• Can be used for all purposes
• Offer a 360° product view
• Add the human element
• Are a great lead generation tool

Webinars

Webinars provide a great opportunity to help your leads appreciate the value of your products. As such, webinars are one-on-one guidance sessions where participants can ask you any lingering or emerging questions directly.

Like videos, webinars get your audience to meet the faces behind your brand.

If you offer valuable content during webinars, you will probably pull your audience to your side. You can nudge your prospects down the sales funnel with efficient lead generation tactics, driving sales higher.

Ways to Drive Sales Using Webinars

• Create a buzz on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter
• Place a banner on your landing pages
• Make it easy for people to register
• Keep constant touch with registrants
• Connect with business decision-makers
• Research your topic well
• Share valuable information
• Mention your product or service
• Aim at gaining new audiences during webinars
• Appreciate your audience for participating

Case studies

Case studies, also known as customer success stories, are a convenient way of quenching the thirst for social proof. They show that people are doing business with you. Through case studies, prospects witness how your product or service benefits users.

Having witnessed your brand’s success with real-life users, prospects will probably overcome their reservations. In the end, the credibility of your brand can skyrocket, driving sales.

Share as many perspectives as possible. You can achieve this by requesting several satisfied customers to share their stories. Offering volunteers a template can help them mention quantifiable results.

How to Create a Case Study

Begin by introducing the customer, stating what challenges they were facing. Mention how your product solved those problems and met their needs. Now you can introduce the product and prove the claims of the customer.

Once the case study is complete, you can share it in different ways, such as:

• Video
• Downloadable pdf
• Slide presentation
• Web page section  

Whitepapers

A whitepaper is an in-depth report that identifies a problem and provides a solution. If you choose to go the whitepaper way, make it educative, using a language your audience will understand. Avoid industry jargon like the plague.

The ultimate purpose of whitepapers is marketing. So, be persuasive while showcasing your authority on the subject at hand. Explain how customers can count on your product or services to improve their lives.

How to Drive Sales with Whitepapers  

To increase conversions with whitepapers:

• Choose a topic of your audience’s interest
• Advertise your whitepaper on multiple channels
• Share expert and verifiable knowledge
• Share new ideas freely to show generosity
• Connect with decision-makers
• Aim at generating new leads  

Infographics

Infographics are a unique method of simplifying complex content and distilling vast data. These colorful gems can reduce huge chunks of information into digestible bites. They are a perfect representation of the latest industry trends.

With infographics, you don’t have to introduce your brand or ideas using endless texts. Instead, engage your audience by bundling your highlights and stats into an eye-catching infographic.

Besides helpful information, you’ll always find space for your brand logo and contact information on your infographic.  

Advantages of Infographics

• Complement branding strategy
• Make the content more shareable
• Enhance content readability
• Hasten the decision-making process
• Improve SEO
• Solidify the credibility of your brand
• Attract high-quality backlinks
• Help tell a story with pictures

Tips For Content Creation

• Determine the brand voice:  Adopt a voice that resonates with your audience.
• Content Repurposing: For example, transcribe videos into text format or e-books into a slideshare campaign and other types of content.
• Create an Editorial Calendar: Decide how frequently you will add content to your channel.

What type of content should I create?

There’s no one-type-fits-all of content. For example, if you want to post a blog post, a website or eCommerce store's blog section will serve you best. But if it’s a video, YouTube is the first contender, followed by social media platforms. However, you can post infographics and other types of content across several platforms.

What does it mean to drive revenue?

To drive revenue is to take specific actions to increase the income turnover of your business. You can use the data from your marketing funnel or research outcomes to decide the right action at the right time. Such actions include price strategy, reviewing goals, and reconsidering online platforms.

How Can I Drive More Revenue With Content?

The first step towards driving more revenue with content involves choosing the right form for your audience. Then choose the most appropriate channel for sharing that content. Next, create and optimize it for the search engines. Finally, keep updating your content regularly, and nurture the leads it attracts.

Final Thoughts

There, you have the best types of content for driving revenue. But, remember, the best content for your business depends on the platform, the message, how your audience prefers to consume it, and your market niche. However, you can publish content on your website or YouTube and share it or link to social media platforms.