In the age of social media, search engine optimization and 24/7 media coverage, content marketing has become an increasingly popular topic among webmasters and bloggers. Simply put, content marketing is the use of articles, blog posts or other materials to convey a message while also garnering attention, traffic or revenue for your business or website. While many companies and experts will tell you that content marketing is complicated and time-consuming, the reality is that most websites can benefit greatly from just a few simple efforts. Below, we will discuss some content marketing methods that are both effective and simple.

Guest Blog Posts

Did you know that contributing to other blogs can in fact be a successful content marketing strategy? While many shy away from creating content for other blogs (after all, isn’t it hard enough to do that for your own?), you can be pinging URLs to your website while gaining valuable exposure for your reputation and brand. Many websites are hesitant to allow guest bloggers to post, and finding a site that will accept you is perhaps the most difficult aspect of this content marketing method. Those who are willing to contribute a bit of material, however, ultimately will find a respectable outlet through which to disseminate their content.

How-tos

There are few pieces of content that are more prone to going viral than how-tos: at any given point, there are thousands of people around the world on the internet who are wondering how to accomplish a certain task. Some users create videos in order to demonstrate a certain process, while others may design an infographic-style tutorial to guide readers through the process. Particularly the case with image-based how-tos, this form of content is far more likely to be shared with friends and family via social media. If you are an expert at a particular topic or process, then share your knowledge with the world by creating a how-to on the subject.

Infographics

With social media playing such a huge role in our daily lives, forms of content marketing that are successful via this outlet are in high demand. Infographics are one of the best ways that content creators can achieve additional attention for their social media profiles and websites. Infographics can be about any subject, but always seek to provide detailed insight on a particular topic that might otherwise not be covered. Even the most niche subjects can be made more exciting via an infographic, so do not be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone when considering a less than popular topic.

Memes

A meme is an interesting form of internet humor that often capitalizes upon a current event or a provocative topic. Usually, memes come in image form and are often seen on Facebook status feeds and various internet forums. Any meme should be branded with your logo or website so that those who see it will know where it came from – memes often have the tendency to go viral and can spread far beyond the creator’s wildest expectations, so you want to be sure that you are pinging URLs on each creation. Even if your website or project is not directly tied to the subject material of the meme, you will still find a rapid increase in traffic and user engagement if the meme in question does go viral.