At this point, most businesses have heard that not only do they need an online presence, but their online presence needs to be active. One of the best ways to create an active online presence is by consistently publishing quality content. A big part of why content marketing has become such a popular strategy is because it allows businesses to attract new leads and maintain relationships with existing customers. Best of all, this type of inbound approach to marketing costs less than traditional outbound methods.

While all of that sounds great, the big question that many businesses have is what kind of content should they be creating in order to reap all the benefits that content marketing has to offer. To help answer that question, let’s take a look at the four main categories of content that make sense for businesses to invest in creating:

Referrers
One of the biggest lessons to remember about content marketing is not all the content you produce has to be for people in your target market. Instead, some of the content you publish can be broad enough to appeal to anyone who may know someone in your target market. By focusing some of your efforts on this broader strategy, you’ll be able to get your content in front of people who can then share it with prospects.

Prospects
Once someone is aware of your business and interested in what you have to offer, it’s important to have content online that can help them solve a specific problem. The reason this type of content works so well is it simultaneously builds trust and proves your value. When free content is able to solve a problem someone is experiencing, they’re instantly going to think about how much more value they can get by becoming an actual customer.

Customers
Content can be an excellent way to turn one-time customers into loyal customers who make repeat purchases. Types of content that fall into this category include pieces that explain how to get even more out of your products or services, as well as interesting pieces that will put you at the top of customers’ minds.

Advocates
Since content is a great way to position your business as a thought leader, it’s important to focus some of your efforts on pieces that will catch the attention of other relevant influencers within your industry.

One of the best ways to monitor how well content performs and adjust future efforts accordingly is to analyze their social media popularity. If you’re looking for the simplest way to stay on top of your company’s social media efforts, be sure to take a look at the Send Social Media Dashboard 7-day trial!