5 Content Formats You Need to Start Using in 2020

When it comes to your content marketing, you need to understand that your audience needs variety in order to stay engaged and entertained. Other than this, you must also keep in mind that because you’re using a variety of platforms (blog, website, social networks, etc.) you need a variety of content formats that are well suited to them.

What works for YouTube might not be such a great idea on Instagram, and the key to getting the most out of your content strategy lies in knowing how to adapt to each environment. With that in mind, here are five content formats you need to start using in 2019.

#1 Infographic

The main reason why you need to start using infographics more often is due to the fact that about 90 percent of the information that the human brain receives seems to be visual. In fact, the human brain receives visual information about 60,000 times faster than verbal. For this reason, the efficiency of the message that you’re trying to convey is greater when you use infographics. Other than this, they’re easier to skim through and the fact that they stick to the point, as well as combine the visual and the textual, makes them incredible from all perspectives.

#2 Podcast

Another content format that’s definitely worth your consideration is the podcast. You see, about 53 percent of all monthly Spotify users between ages of 12 and 24 listen to podcasts on a monthly basis, while almost 77 percent of people listen to podcasts for more than 7 hours every week. This is an incredible opportunity for your content. The best part is that you always have a chance to repurpose your content and make a popular blog post into a podcast topic.

#3 Video

If you’re not doing it already, 2019 is the year for you to start investing more in video marketing. Recent statistics claim that about 85 percent of internet users enjoy video content on a monthly basis and about 54 percent of consumers are interested in seeing more video content from a brand they support/follow on social media. One of the most important things you need to realize, however, is the fact that the online audience doesn’t hold these businesses to the same standard as independent creators. Therefore, in order to be seen as more professional and live up to these expectations, you need to invest in professional video production.

#4 Blog posts

Old school blogging is still a relevant trend in the industry, however, there have been some changes in this industry, as well. First of all, quality standards have risen considerably over the years. Second, the average writing time of a blog post is also substantially longer. Namely, from 2 hours and 24 minutes in 2014 to 3 hours and 28 minutes in 2018. Nonetheless, the number of bloggers spend more than six hours to produce a single post. Lastly, the average expectation of the length of the post has risen, as well, which is why posts bigger than 2,000 or 3,000 words are also a common occurrence.

#5 Quizzes and polls

Finally, there’s really no better way to engage your audience than to ask them a question. The reason why this method is so useful is that other than being informative for your customers (especially if they can see how they fare against others), you also get some invaluable feedback. Needless to say, if you make the quiz or poll interesting enough, its shareability will go through the roof, thus drastically increasing its reach. However, making a quality quiz is a science of its own.

Conclusion

Of course, these aren’t the only content formats that you have available and there are many honorable mentions such as images, case studies, white papers, presentations and e-books. Livestreaming is also getting more and more popular by the hour. By choosing the formats that are the most to your liking, and that of your audience, you’ll ensure that your message is not just delivered, but also heard by your target demographic.

Author:

Dan Radak is a marketing professional with eleven years of experience. He is currently working with a number of companies in the field of digital marketing, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies. He is also a coauthor on several technology websites and regular contributor to Technivorz.