Most businesses post regular blogs and articles to their website to attract traffic and create authority. But content is about more than just copy. Content covers a whole range of different disciplines, and professional marketers can achieve great results by deviating from the industry norm.

So how can you vary content marketing and develop a more holistic strategy? Here are five ideas that work well no matter what your industry.

1. Involve Your Audience

As you build a following on your blog, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to ask for feedback and comments. In marketing, closing that feedback loop is a great way to develop a campaign.

Try writing a white paper, surveying your readers or using their comments as inspiration for new content.

2. Create Video Blogs

Some marketers are a little daunted by video content because it seems like a complex undertaking, but video’s easier to create than ever. Modern video editing tools make video easy to put together, and faster hardware means editing is less arduous. That means it’s really easy to create a video blog for a site.

Try Camtasia Studio for straightforward video blogs, or WeVideo for web and mobile video creation.

3. Make an Infographic

Blog posts that are heavy with data are difficult to read and digest. Why not create an infographic instead? Infographics give your blog a new dimension, and you can pair them with content for a complete solution to your content marketing needs. Google will index the content, and your readers will enjoy the visuals alongside the article.

Making a really good infographic means engaging a content writer, a researcher and a graphic designer. But it’s worth doing properly. Don’t skimp on the details: a poor infographic won’t attract the likes and shares you’re looking for. Invest time and money in getting everything spot on.

4. Create Mini Marketing Videos

With Vine, Twitter brought short video to social networking and placed it front and centre in many marketing campaigns. The short format and innovative app has breathed new life into marketing campaigns: Vine looks easy, and it is, but you have to plan meticulously to make something really special with such a short amount of time.

If you’re not familiar with the Vine app, the latest version of Instagram offers similar features.

5. Make a Podcast

Podcasting is still a great way to reinforce your brand and promote authority, so it’s a great fit for a marketing assignment. Creating a podcast is easy: you can record audio using an inexpensive USB mic, and distribution is free using RSS feeds and iTunes.

Podcasting is a great way to expand on written content and invite prominent speakers to add their input.

The Value of Content

When it comes to Google search results, written content and quality articles should spearhead any marketing campaign. In your marketing job, you can also vary content to keep your audience engaged. Armed with these tips and suggestions, you can approach your clients with fresh new ideas that’ll promote their brand and give them the edge.

By Sam Wright, a journalist writing on behalf of Brand Republic.