7 types of content you should be publishing on your business’s blog

If you’re running a business in 2021, you need to focus on content marketing. This is the process of publishing helpful and relevant content on your blog in order to boost your SEO, drive more traffic to your website, and help promote your products without having to push a hard sale.

In this article, we’re going to outline seven different types of content that you should publish on your blog. 

Let’s get started.

Expert content that shows you know your field 

Expert content can help you win the trust of prospective customers as well as search engines. This can help to boost your E-A-T, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. It’s something that Google has been paying much more attention to lately. Essentially, Google wants to send its users to the best, most relevant websites possible. So, showing off your E-A-T will get you a search engine optimization (SEO) boost

Here are a few types of content that are great for showing off your E-A-T:

  • Ultimate guides that outline everything someone needs to know about a subject
  • How-to guides that tell someone the different steps of a process
  • Original research about your industry

Let’s look at a few different examples of content that shows off expertise well for inspiration.

Venngage, an online infographic maker, shows off their expertise in their field with their informative article on infographics. The article covers what infographics are, when you might use them, how to create them, and more. The article is thorough, helpful, and shows that Venngage is an expert in the field of infographics. Not only will this article boost Venngage’s SEO, but it will also build trust with their target audience as it shows they know this area of design well.

On your website, consider writing an introductory article to your products, services, or industry. This will draw new customers to your website and show that you know what you’re talking about.

My Canada Payday, a financial services provider, shows off their expertise a bit differently in their article on investing being the new savings

The article makes the argument that investing is a better way to build wealth over time, as savings accounts simply aren’t designed for high returns. Not only does this article show that My Canada Payday is a financial expert, but it’s excellent at drawing in their target audience. People interested in this article very well might be interested in the services that My Canada Payday has to offer. 

On your website, consider writing informational articles like this. They offer advice to the reader and are excellent for showing off your expertise and drawing in new customers. 

Updates about the latest industry news 

If you work in an industry that tends to have frequent and important updates, it can be worth your time to write about these on your blog. This can turn your website into a useful resource for people who might be interested in your products or services — the more times people come to your website to learn about industry news, the more likely they’ll be to spend money with you. Additionally, this type of content can help you earn your ideal customers’ trust. 

Let’s look at a few examples of businesses that publish this type of content on their blogs for inspiration.

Tillamook, a dairy producer based out of the Pacific Northwest, uses their blog to discuss industry news. This particular piece of content announces that Tillamook has been chosen as the official cheese and butter brand of Top Chef in Portland. Fans of Top Chef that come across this article may be more inclined to buy Tillamook products because they are trusted by the experts of the show. Additionally, people who enjoy Tillamook products might be interested to hear that a local brand is in the media spotlight and watch the relevant season of Top Chef. 

On your website, don’t be afraid to highlight your own accolades and media mentions through your blog! It will help to show that you’re respected in your field.

Moz, a digital marketing expert, does something similar in their recap of MozCon Virtual 2021. The article covers different speakers, updates on the core web vitals, and more. By offering a recap, Moz is able to provide their audience with valuable information, show they’re in the know, and earn their target customers’ trust. 

On your website, feel free to highlight different events in your industry — it will position you as an industry leader!

Guides that help customers make the best purchases 

You want to show that you’re focused on helping your customers make the best purchases possible. This will help you build trust with your customers and ensure they feel at ease. 

Buying guides and comparison pieces are great types of content that can help people work out what they actually need from a product or service while comparing and contrasting some of the best options. 

 

Let’s look at a few examples of businesses that help their customers make good purchasing decisions with buying guides and comparison pieces.

SocialPilot, a social media management tool, helps their customers make the decision that’s right for them in their various comparison pieces. This particular article outlines the best LinkedIn marketing tools for boosting sales

The article outlines the features, pros, and cons of various tools, including their own. And it shows that SocialPilot cares about their target audience and wants them to make the best choice for their needs, even if it means choosing a different program. It builds trust with the reader and encourages them to use SocialPilot in the future.

On your website, don’t hesitate to promote your own product or service in a buying guide. Be honest about the features and benefits, and people will want to purchase it!

FreshBooks, on the other hand, takes a slightly different approach to help their customers make an informed decision. They have an article about cloud accounting software, outlining what it is, who needs to use it, and more. Because FreshBooks has a cloud accounting software program, they are able to subtly promote their services without being too promotional with this piece of content. 

On your website, consider writing a similar article that outlines the features and benefits of services like yours in general, and weave in a plug of your own offerings. This will build trust with your audience and encourage sales. 

Lastly, Blogtrepreneur has an article helping its readers determine what the best business laptop is for their needs. 

The article discusses battery life, reliability, performance, and more while comparing different models on their ratings and costs. The article shows that Blogtrepreneur knows what they’re talking about! Take inspiration from this and, when writing your own buying guides or comparison pieces, make sure you go into as much depth as possible. Your goal is to help your customers make the best decision to suit their needs. 

Interactive content that will keep your visitors engaged

Interactive content is becoming more and more popular! It’s a great way to stand out and engage your audience, as it’s still a pretty new concept — and an entertaining one, at that! Interactive content is unique and can help build a stronger relationship with your prospective customers. 

Here are a few different ways you can incorporate interactive content into your blog:

  • Offer a virtual tour of a unique space
  • Let people try your products before purchasing them with a free tool or virtual try-on
  • Promote a quiz or calculator that helps a viewer determine what the best services are for their needs

 

Let’s look at an example of a business that has some great interactive content on its website. This should give you plenty of inspiration for your own. 

VisitOrlando, a website promoting tourism in Orlando, Florida, offers a virtual interactive tour of Universal Orlando Resort

Not only does the tour give the viewer an idea of what the park looks like, but it also highlights some of the different attractions and features a tourist might be interested in visiting. It’s a fun and unique way to promote travel to Orlando and Universal Resort. If you have a particularly unique location or building, don’t be afraid to offer a virtual tour to keep your visitors engaged with your website. If you can ensure they have a good time when browsing with you, it’ll increase the chances of them making a purchase. 

Case studies that show you’re great at what you do 

In order to earn more sales, you need to earn your prospective customers’ trust — the best way to do this is by showing them what you have already done. Publishing case studies is a great way to do this! You can show off the results you’ve achieved and share the thoughts of your customers — it’s a great way to show that you know what you’re doing and have had previous successes.

When creating a case study, be sure to ask permission from your clients or customers to share their information and data. Track the results your clients are getting before, during, and after using your products or services. You could also send out a survey to past customers to ask them how happy they were with your product or service.

Let’s look at an example of a business that incorporates case studies into their blog well.

OptinMonster, a digital marketing service provider, has a series of case studies outlining the results of their services. This particular case study shows how LonerWolf was able to cut their load time in half by working with OptinMonster

They received new mobile leads, increased conversions, and more. On your website, consider tracking the results of your services with your clients. Publishing them in a case study is a great way to show what you can do!

How-to guides that show you understand your audience

How-to guides walk a reader through a step-by-step process. They can target relevant keywords, address your customers’ pain points, build trust with your target audience, and even position you as an authority in your industry.

You could even offer video tutorials to sit alongside your written how-to guides to attract different types of people and get more eyes on your content.

Let’s look at some examples of companies that produce great how-to guides for inspiration.

Helix Hearing Care, a hearing aid provider, provides hearing aid maintenance tips on their website. 

This content comes in the form of a high-quality video that’s very easy to follow. People who use hearing aids tend to be older, and having a video tutorial can simplify the process for their customers. This strategy builds trust with the people who might be looking to buy from the brand! 

On your website, be sure to publish video tutorials of your how-to guides if your process includes a lot of visual cues or is a bit complicated.

Blogtrepreneur has also published a wide range of how-to guides, such as their blog post on developing brand trust. The article covers setting goals, letting your brand’s guard down, and more. 

The guide is thorough and is backed up by stats and examples, making it very useful to the reader. Because Blogtrepreneur’s readers are business owners and digital marketers, they’re likely to be interested in the site’s other articles and guides. On your website, be sure that your how-to guides are helpful and relevant to your target audience — this will help you find more leads and increase your sales down the road.

Behind-the-scenes content that will build a connection with your customers 

If you can let your customers see the behind-the-scenes aspects of your business, they’ll feel a stronger connection with your company and be more inclined to trust you. You can offer an “About the Team” section of your blog or website, host Q&A live streams, take videos of what a day in the life of your office looks like, and more. People like to see this type of content, as it humanizes a business and helps build a connection.

Let’s look at an example of a business that uses behind-the-scenes content well.

Adobe, the software and technology company, shows off behind-the-scenes content well on their blog. 

They have a series of articles highlighting the careers and lives of their various workers — this particular article outlines how an employee joined Adobe after 15 years of working in education. On your website, let your website visitors get to know your team! Let your workers write short bios about themselves, for instance — this will build trust and help your customers feel more connected to your business.

Summary

There are lots of types of content that you can create for your blog. The right content can draw in customers, secure sales, and build customer loyalty. In this article, we talked about expert content, how-to guides, behind-the-scenes content, and more.

Need more help growing your online business? Take a look at some of the articles from Blogtrepreneur. They talk about how to build trust with your customers, earning consumer trust, and more.

Author bio & headshot:

 

Alex Ratynski is the founder of Ratynski Digital, an online marketing consultancy that focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses achieve their goals. He set up his company after working as a local SEO director for a dental marketing agency, where he helped to turn clients’ ventures into thriving multi-million dollar businesses. He spends most hours strategizing SEO for his clients. 

 

 

Rylie Holt