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In today’s times, creating content is comparable to being a kid in a candy store. There’s a number of different flavors without a shortage of variation or topics. Everyone has their favorite brands, with many more to choose from. For all parties involved this is a beneficial arrangement. Not only do the content creators have something to gain, the consumers of the content are in a position to satisfy whatever need or want they may have.

Whether it be gathering information for a purchase or purely entertainment, there’s a whole ecosystem that can serve your every need. In this article, I am going to discuss how you can use the different content types to your benefit. No matter the objective or what’s on the agenda, being able to maneuver in this vast world of content types is a plus when you know where you’re going.

Once you have developed a content framework, chosen your content formats and created a content mix. It’s time to start developing your content types. The coolest thing about content is its many uses, flexibility and asset classes . From owned content to collaborations, there’s an infinite amount of opportunities that exist when it comes to content creation.

Including creating original content to sharing popular content from across the Internet. The main content types can take on many shapes and sizes. That is why love the content creation process, the act of ‘creating’ never changes. Your audiences only gets bigger and better and it’s an experience we can all share as human beings.

With that being said each type of content has its benefits and drawbacks. Understanding this concept will help you shape and mold your content marketing efforts when you don’t have a big budget for content creation. In my opinion, utilizing the different types of content can put you in a position to be more creative.

In the table below, I am going to go over a list of the different types of content from the most expensive to the least expensive. As well as, which content type you’ll have the most control over. Lets a take a look below.

• Original content (Most expensive & under your control)
• Licensed content
• Collaborations
• Content Curation
• User-generated content
• Aggregated content (Least cost)

Scheme	Description	Benefits	Drawbacks
Original Content	Created by you and serves a specific purpose	Complete Control	Most expensive (Time-consuming)
Licensed Content	Paid publishing (Third-party)	Content is already vetted & evaluated	Non-SEO, waters down branding & requires management
Collaborations	Partnership or outsourcing services (Influencer marketing)	Brand collusion, different perspectives & content experimentation	Partial control (shared data)
Content Curation	Collecting content from a large pool of sources	Majority control	Requires attention to detail (Can eat up time)
User-Generated Content	Welcomes members of your audience to create content	Increases conversions & builds brand equity	The least control, can go left if not properly managed
Aggregated Content	Gathering content from algorithms	Least cost (time-wise)	Low value, massive amounts of content can be gathered

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The one cold hard fact about content marketing is that your target audience will ‘always‘ be somewhere in the sales cycle and buying process. It is your responsibility to create a content mix that consistently brings them into your customer loop. Using the different types of content is a great way to prime your prospects for a future sale by:

1. Staying at the top of their mind
2. Controlling the narrative

This is why using the different types of content to over-insinuate your brand can pay dividends. It creates a conversation and greatly increases your odds of getting your ideal customer to engage with your business. The purpose of creating content is about creating lasting relationships that stand the test of time. The next step in the process is sustainability, there will always be new information.

Overall, what matters the most is how you use it.

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