Here comes an interesting adaption of the USDA food pyramid turned into a content marketing analysis tool: each level is briefly explained here, whereas a lot of work should be done at each level by all of us, dealing with
The base: Curation, creativity, and coordination
These three concepts form the base of the pyramid because without all of these elements your content marketing efforts will fail.
- Content curation,
- content creativity
- content coordination.
Content marketing flounders without an organizational maestro to take charge and coordinate efforts.
You might think it’s weird that there is no actual content on the base of the content marketing pyramid. Yet without curation, creativity, and coordination your content will not be supported by a sound foundation.
The middle: Blog posts and website copy
The middle section is a huge part of any healthy content marketing menu. Without quality website copy and blog posts, your content marketing program will be malnourished.
Blog posts build your brand’s following, secure SEO results, help nurture prospects along the buying cycle, and provide fodder for social media outlets. They catch attention and draw readers back to your website. For many content marketers, blog posts represent the bulk of content marketing efforts. Compared to other types of content, blog posts are relatively quick and easy to create, and if one blog post isn’t the best thing you’ve ever had on your site, that’s OK — you’ve always got the next one.
However, blog posts do not stand alone in the middle of the content marketing pyramid. Without thorough, compelling website copy, the chances of your blog’s readers turning into qualified leads are low. Sure, potential clients may fill out your contact form because they loved one of your blog posts, but I’ll bet they took a look at your website copy first. Fail to reflect your organization’s unique value proposition in your website copy and you’ll fail to capture leads from your content marketing efforts.
The almost-top: Videos and case studies
Videos and case studies earn their spots on this level for two very different reasons, so I’ll break it down:
Videos and case studies aren’t the only types of content that fit in this category — you could throw infographics and interactive portfolios in here as well. The point is, website and blog copy isn’t always enough. You should have different kinds of content for the different kinds of thinkers whose attention you hope to attract.
The top: Webinars and eBooks
Content such as webinars and eBooks are essential for capturing leads. People are generally willing to submit their contact information in exchange for significant content like this. Once you have that, your sales team can contact any qualified leads.
However, you’ll be hard pressed to get people to sign up to download a webinar or eBook if you haven’t already convinced them of your expertise by giving them quality content that is easily accessible as well.
Build a readership with your blog, and then turn that readership into leads by requiring information in exchange for the content on the top of the pyramid.
