4 Content Types a Successful Marketing Strategy Needs

In marketing and content creation, there are 4 types of content used to help strategize a content plan. These 4 types are not mutually exclusive to one another, sometimes they are just standalone pieces of content, sometimes they have 2 of the 4, sometimes 3, and sometimes even all 4. Whatever the case, the most important thing is that you master these 4 content types as they will help drive brand awareness and loyalty, leading to more customers that stick around for more than a few months.

We will be breaking each of these content categories down in order for you to understand how to apply it to your content. Mastering each content type and when and how to use them will allow you to scale your business/product effectively.

#1: Attraction Content

What is it?

Attraction content includes anything that drives traffic. Even if you are providing valuable information, it doesn’t matter/won’t make a difference unless it is reaching people. Attraction content sets up the foundation for converting casual buyers/readers/customers into loyal ones.

How do I use it?

Some common examples of attraction content include:

List articles

These are effective because they often answer the readers’ questions in one or two points and are extremely informative.

Ex. 50 Best Customer Feedback Tools You Should Try In 2023

Downloadable assets

Giving other people resources to make their lives easier will always be popular. Not only does it drive people to view your content, they are also actively using what you’re teaching them.

Surveys and Statistics

This example doesn’t require you to create all the content. By taking data from surveys and statistics, you are establishing yourself as a trustworthy source that reports the latest news/research in yoru niche.

When do I use it?

For new websites/businesses, you will need at least half of your content to be attraction content. When you are just starting out, the most important thing is to get attention, links, and get the word out. Having a high ratio of attraction content means that you can better evaluate which piece of content performs the best and adapt to the result.
Once you have reached the point where your content is regularly shared and engaged with, you can start to publish Attraction content about every 4-8 posts. This is because you no longer need to establish yourself in your niche and can now focus on attracting and retaining the right type of traffic. This is where authority and affinity content comes in.

#2: Authority Content

What is it?

Authority content is meant to help establish your brand as a leader in your niche. It is important to remember that with authority content, you should demonstrate your expertise, rather than stating that you are the authority. When you create amazing content and people share and link it, it establishes that your brand creates quality content and keeps people coming back.

How do I use it?

Authority content needs to include these 3 elements:

Quality

Check for grammar and structural errors
Information should be relevant and important to your target audience

Trust and Influence

Include credible sources
Establish your credentials
Include personal experiences

When do I use it?

Ideally, you are constantly creating Authority content consistently. There isn’t a set amount you should meet, however, your content should be shared steadily and be very high quality. When you use authority content with attraction content, you reach audiences that find your information useful, meaning a higher likelihood of attracting high-quality customers/readers.

#3: Affinity Content

What is it?

Now that you have driven people to your business and established that you are a trustworthy brand, you need affinity content to ensure that they stick around. Affinity content helps you create a niche and attract those that share similar values and beliefs, creating a community. While value in your content is important, this value must be relatable to your audience. Affinity content requires you and your brand to be vulnerable and comfortable in your views which means that there are going to be people who don’t agree. However, when you play it safe and refuse to stand up for things you believe in, you will blend in with the thousands of businesses that are in your niche. For bigger companies, there is always a looming threat that by not using their platform, those on the internet will ‘cancel’ the brand for not speaking out about their stance on a major social, political, or economic issue. Affinity content might make you some enemies, but it helps you build a loyal community that will fight for you no matter what.

How do I use it?

Tell a personal story that relates to your topic

There needs to be a moral to the story that your readers will find valuable

Take a stance on a topic that you believe strongly in

When do I use it?

Once you have established your brand, creating affinity content is a great way to continue attracting customers in addition to maintaining your current ones. There isn’t a specific amount of time you should use this type of content, but it is generally used less than any other type as it is extremely personal. However, if your brand is super personal and relatable, then you should be using affinity content almost constantly. It honestly just depends on where your brand goals lie.

#4: Action Content

What is it?

This is probably the most common type of content you’ve seen. Action content is any content that is designed to initiate action. Everywhere we walk, scroll, and see seems to be some kind of action content. That doesn’t mean all of them are effective though. Which action content is the easiest to understand, it can be extremely difficult to produce successfully. Successful action content converts the traffic and fans you have brought in into real customers that generate revenue (which ultimately pays your bills!!)

How do I use it?

Action content includes things such as landing pages (which usually encourage visitors to sign up for something) or a sale/promotional offer that gets published in your newsletter as well as on your social media pages. When writing action content, you need to keep in mind the action that you want your audience to take and provide them with all the information they need in order to execute that action.

When do I use it?

Action content shows up very often and is often used whenever you want your audience to do something whether that is to read your latest post, buy your latest product, or share your profile with family and friends, etc. Remember to balance out action content with attraction, authority and affinity content because your audience will get tired of constantly being asked to do things without receiving much benefit in return.

Conclusion:

Now that you have mastered all 4 content types, you can start to build an audience that will fight tooth and nail for your business. Being able to interweave them with each other will help your brand build a strong community that engages with your content without any prompting.