16 Content Types and One Champion

You know what time it is. In the spirit of college basketball, we’ve picked 16 content types to go head-to-head to crown a 2022 content champion.

You can play along with us by filling in your own bracket. Choose your favorite content types for your B2B marketing efforts — eliminating the duds and advancing your favorites.

Not sure what to choose? We’ve listed some of the best content marketing tactics below. What will be this year’s Cinderella content type? Will high-seeded tactics, like instructional videos and case studies, fall to newcomers, like TikTok challenges or animation? Watch our LinkedIn page for bracket updates!

Like Kentucky and North Carolina, these workhorses are always in the dance. They’re top contenders for B2B marketing tactics. Which is your favorite?

E-books – A valuable e-book that educates your customers or prospects is a lead-generating gold mine! This content form isn’t about the hard sell. Instead, it answers questions, solves problems, and is so enticing to readers that they’ll often share their contact information to get their hands on it. E-books offer great content for targeting executives and decision-makers, too.

Website articles– A strong, keyword-rich article is like recruiting a really good pep squad for your content team. It brings people to your site, gets them excited about your capabilities, sets you apart from the competition, and delivers your key messages. It’s tough to beat for increasing organic search results and bringing new prospects to your site.

Case studies – This is the ultimate challenge/solution content to show that your company understands customers’ pain points and can help solve them. Real-life success stories satisfy your audiences’ need for social proof — you deliver what you promise. They offer great information for the consideration phase of the buyer’s journey and can help convert shoppers into buyers.

Blogs – Looking for a content type to keep your customers interested even when they’re not actively buying? Hard-working blogs deliver timely, relevant content to help you consistently engage with your audience. They’re also a great way to drive traffic to your website and build brand awareness. As a bonus, blogs are super shareable.

Video is king on social, so which channel will shine this year and be the best content marketing tactic for your brand?

LinkedIn videos – Whether you’re showcasing your own subject matter experts or interviewing an industry all-star, LinkedIn native videos bring helpful, humanizing content that engages professionals looking to expand their skills and connections. They can be a great tool to increase engagement rates and build brand awareness.

Facebook Live videos – Livestreaming to your followers in real time has been handy for making virtual connections when in-person events aren’t possible. Facebook Live videos are especially effective in the conversion stage — where you can share key messages, product demonstrations, and special offers to remove the final hurdle before customers are ready to purchase.

Instagram Reels – These mobile-only, snack-sized videos show up on your brand feed and allow you to engage with true brand enthusiasts. How-tos, DIY, tips, and challenge and solution, and tips are particularly popular. Reels demonstrate your brand’s expertise, helping you gain new followers and improve engagement rates.

TikTok – Sure, you could create a dance challenge or a cutest animal contest, but TikTok offers some unique and highly authentic video marketing opportunities to help build awareness and trust with potential customers. It’s a dark horse, but more B2B brands are paying attention to it.

It’s time to acknowledge the new dynasty of content marketing best practices — audio and video tactics. We chose four that have been getting attention from our clients.

Testimonial videos – Although marketing teams once considered testimonials to be a sales tactic, they have really begun to take advantage of these all-star videos that highlight happy customers, solutions to problems, and your brand’s expertise. They are top conversion plays to bring in at the end of the game. Plus, they’re highly shareable.

Instructional videos – Let’s hear it for a post-purchase content tactic! These hardworking videos help people effectively use your products and get the most out of their purchase, leading to satisfied customers. Bonus point: They’re also a great tool to attract prospects still considering your brand.

Podcasts – Podcasts have exploded with B2B audiences since the rise of working at home. (They’re so hot that I’m actually listening to one as I write this. Tune in to Smartless every Monday — you’ll love it.) Podcasts are truly the darlings of the content world. They offer brands a casual, low-key learning opportunity for sharing their expertise and introducing their A-team to potential customers.

Webinars – Still popular with learners, a well-orchestrated webinar is a great thought leadership opportunity to introduce your experts to customers who want to interact with them. Plus, the lecture/workshop format tends to put your audience into learning mode and keep their attention longer.

You could call them the showboats of content marketing, but these visual content formats are true crowd pleasers. We’ve picked a giant and a couple new content types to explore this year.

Infographics – When you want to educate, but in a fast, fun way, this MVP brings the boring (numbers and statistics) to life. Well-done infographics, though deceptively time-consuming to create, have proven to increase the audience’s learning and retention.

Storyboards – Long used in marketing for pitching new ideas, this content type is making its way to the mainstream to showcase text, images, design, and illustrations — all in one engaging visual package. Could this be the Cinderella content story of 2022?

Memes – Have an attitude? Like to share your brand’s humor? Memes might be for you. They are one of the most shareable content types and can sum up a cultural attitude or mindset to truly connect with your audience. Plus, they’re fast and easy to create.

Animations – From attention-grabbing gifs on social media to full-on animated videos that show the inner workings of a complicated product, animation helps us tell stories that aren’t easy to show in real life. They’re creative, interesting, and attention-getting.

Ready to choose your 2022 content champion? Watch the 2RM LinkedIn page to see bracket updates and share your picks.