Pros & Cons for Various Types of Content Creation

Content development is the foundation for any good internet marketing strategy.  The content type and quality will determine how well the content is perceived by the readers.  There are many ways you can create great content for your website, but it is important to first understand what type of content the industry likes.  For example, Infographics are very good content for the internet marketing industry because of the ability to graphically show a marketing process that would be hard to explain through plain text.

This post examines the different types of content you can create for your website or blog, as well as the pros and cons for each.

Video

Pros:

• Great videos tend to go viral quickly
• Can be a great way to communicate content
• Easily syndicate across multiple video networks
• Rank well in organic search results
• Easy to embed into website/blog

Cons:

• Some initial costs (video equipment, lighting, editing software)
• Hard to create great video content
• Need to storyboard content
• May require editing

Whitepapers

Pros:

• Easy to create
• Authoritative content that builds brand credibility
• Great link bait
• Great lead generation mechanism

Cons:

• Involves some topic research
• Should be a strong writer
• Have been overused in the past
• Design will help make the whitepaper more attractive

Blogs

Pros:

• Build great industry credibility
• Easy way to add updates and share content
• Search engines love blogs!
  

  

• Optimize each post for the long tail (equals traffic)
• Can be easily monetized (sponsors, ad space, affiliate links)
• Check out FantasyFootballer.net which is a good example of a WordPress site that, in addition to blog posts, offers statistics, reviews, and ads.

Cons:

• Usually takes a long time to gain a loyal readership and steady traffic
• Requires upkeep and moderation
• Requires frequent content updates
• Helps to have some marketing outreach and social communication
• A custom designed theme will cost money but help set you apart

Social Media

Pros:

• Great ways of driving traffic and spreading content quickly
• Can receive indirect business from your friends/followers
• Improve customer service/support
• Be found in the search engines (real-time updates)

Cons:

• Must be active in the community
• Long-term marketing strategy
• Can hurt your brand if the wrong information gets out
• Can involve upfront investments (custom backgrounds, design/programming integrations)

Podcasts

Pros:

• Fairly easy to create
• Great for people who don’t have time to read
• Can download to listen to on iPod or music player
• Listen while on the go
• People like hearing other people, instead of reading

Cons:

• Requires planning similar to a webinar in terms of story-boarding the podcast
• May need editing
• No two-way conversation
• Should have a people that is engaging to listen to
• Listeners can leave quickly if they don’t hear what they like
• Not good for people who are hearing impaired
• Not easily searchable in search engines

Webinars

Pros:

• More than 84 percent of all people are visual learners
• Visually & Audibly engaging
• Can record to put on your website/blog for people to download
• Good piece of link bait
• Great way to gain an inhouse marketing list
• Typically loyal visitors, who are or may become customers
• Simple and easy to use, with no downloads required
• Useful features, such as instant polls, live chat (perfect for Q&A), live desktop share, and the ability for several users to control slides.

Cons:

• Takes practice to get good at it
• A polished presenter or speaker is a must
• Rehearsal time is critical
• Need a webinar platform like WebEx or GoToWebinar
• Live events mean no going back and editing if you mess up
• Need to have an agenda and storyboard how the webinar will flow

eBooks

Pros:

• Easy to create
• Zero cost to reproduce
• Great link bait and lead generation tool
• Instantaneous download, don’t need to wait for it to ship
• Environmentally friendly
• A reasonable monetary return for their work
• Easy to distribute and share
  

Cons:

• Require some design costs
• Have been overused in the past
• Need to have good writing skills

Infographics

Pros:

• Very appealing
• Currently very popular and go viral easily
• Able to show concepts and information in a fun and engaging way
• Easy to share and distribute

Cons:

• Need to hire a great designer (can be costly)
• Need a great concept that can be visually explained
• Takes quick a bit of time to create

 

Another good strategy is to provide free tools on your website, something that provides real value to a visitor. Free tools are a great way to get links back to your website which will help with your SEO efforts. A great example of this strategy can be found at https://www.blackjack-trainer.net/ which provides free charts and tools for playing perfect blackjack strategy.

Another good example is https://videopokerstrategy.org which offers free tools for learning and playing perfect video poker strategy. Their Video Poker Teacher tool provides a free game and instant feedback on correct and incorrect moves.