There are many types of content, but which medium do you use when and what are the pros and cons? In this article we provide a practical overview, from a blog to vlog to social media post, podcast and infographic.

What is a Blog and what's in it for you

A blog is a website or part of a website where new, informative or inspiring messages are posted on a regular basis. These posts are called blog posts. The frequency of publishing a blog post differs. Daily, weekly, monthly, everything is possible, depending on what you have to share and the capacity to write. A blog post can be interacted with if there is a comment field below. The advantage is that it becomes much more interactive. The disadvantage is that you have to respond to it or at least monitor whether crazy things are posted. The advantage of a blog is that readers are kept informed of new developments on a regular basis. In addition, another very important advantage is that you can be found in Google. Your SEO value (Search Engine Optimization) will skyrocket when you start blogging. It is important that you post blogs with frequency and therefore persist.

A blog is strong and gains popularity if it focuses on a particular topic for a specific target audience. Always keep your target audience in mind when writing a blog. It helps to create a so called persona for this. A persona is a summary of a "person" to prescribe. The length of a blog depends on the topic and what you have to tell. There is actually no maximum as long as it remains interesting. And Google likes length just like the readers and that's just as important. There is, however, a minimum of 300 words. Below this limit, a blog starts to look more like a social media post.

What is a Vlog and what good is it

When you think of a vlog, you soon think of young people who record a movie from their bedroom and become very rich with it via YouTube, but vlogging is for all ages and you have to work very hard for it. After all, you first have to build an audience before you earn money with it via YouTube and that is a matter of patience. Vlogs come in all shapes and sizes, but we focus on the business vlog. A business vlog gives you the expert role with which you work on strengthening your authority and your company’s. In the business vlog it is recommende to highlight one single subject per vlog and not to touch too many subjects at the same time. A vlog is preferably not too long (one to three minutes is a good length). Unless you are a natural, make a script in advance, because it is nice if you easily throw out your text. Practicing a few times is not a waste of time. The great thing about a vlog is that with your phone you already have a great camera for filming. It is useful to use some auxiliary attributes for better sound and a steady hand. That can be very simple, but you can make it as crazy as you want.

Useful tips are to take into account; backlighting (not filming towards a window), not to place the person in the middle, but to let them look in at 1/3rd of the image. In addition, it is advisable for the social channels to subtitle a vlog, because the sound is often turned off and you can still take in the message.

What is a social media post and what's in it for you

The social media post is the piece of text, link, image or film on a social media channel. It differs per social media channel. The messages on social media often refer (at least on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) to a website. A post is then a booster for, for example, an article, but it is also increasingly common to leave the message alone by capturing it in a picture. A kind of mini story. With LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, the focus is on text in combination with images, whereas with Instagram and Snapchat, for example, it is more on images. This is constantly changing and every medium takes on different forms where they disappear again. Think of the introduction of LinkedIn stories where Facebook and Instagram have had them for a long time. These are images or videos that disappear over time.

Because the forms differ so much, we now mainly want to focus on how to make a good post. Of course this starts with whom you want to tell something. Take the target group in mind and adjust your  tone-of-voice. Start with a good header. What is the most essential thing you want to tell and that can be a bit provocative or perhaps told in a humorous way. Then you write the "short copy" or the who, what when, when and how in a few catchy sentences. Don't forget the call-to-action (CTA). A call-to-action must trigger to like, share, comment or click through to the relevant site. The accompanying image or video is also important. All these elements encourage your readers to take the requested action.

Just a few more tips in a row

• A headline should be simple.
• A message contains one message and not several at the same time.
• Write actively. Not: 'We would like to set up a campaign." But: 'We set up a campaign'.
• A CTA conveys a sense of urgency.

The length of a post differs. The shorter the better? It depends on. Always make sure that the most important text is above the "fold". LinkedIn, for example, truncates text and gives a Read more> after two lines.

What is a newsletter and what's in it for you

A newsletter needs little explanation, it is an email containing news from your organization to keep subscribers engaged and to activate or inform them. This can be purely about the product or company that is the sender, but also about related themes, for example concerning legislation, sector information or knowledge transfer. This allows you to show your expertise as a company. The good news is that the newsletter has been around for many years, but it is still a very effective tool. However, on the condition that the content is relevant to the target group.

Some tips to make a good newsletter

• Start with the goal of the newsletter in mind. Do you want to inform, entertain and convince the target group to purchase a product?
• Then you think about the target group(s). Of course you can include demographic characteristics, such as age and region, but also consider interests, purchasing behavior, education level, etc.
• It is important to know what drives someone to make certain decisions. The best method to find out is to question them. Don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call them to find out "What makes them tick".
• Provide a good catchy subject line
• You then look at how the message of the newsletters or the various messages in your newsletter match the target group as well as possible.
• Newsworthy content ties in well with the content. An article must immediately grab them by the head. In addition, you make sure that the intro is short and then you refer to the article. In any case, the entire article in the newsletter is not recommended.
• Accompany each article with a catchy image or video. Don't sprinkle with images too lavishly, as this is bad for the opening ratio. You put the most important messages at the top, which allows you to set up a good structure by also placing clear headings
• The design is also important. In addition to the logo, a nice header with an image and a good subject line helps, possibly with a sub-subject for the opening ratio.
• Finally, insert sharing options in your newsletter. Don’t limit it to sharing on social media, but also add e-mail.
• The frequency depends on your target audience (what do they want) and the number of posts you can make. This is often a matter of testing, but a steady frequency is pleasant for the target group.
• Finally, test with different variants.

What is a podcast and what's in it for you

A podcast is an on-demand audio broadcast and is often broadcasted via streaming services such as Spotify or iTunes. Podcasts come in all sorts of forms. From radio show, to radio play, to programs that have been specially recorded as a listening program.

Podcasts have made a breakthrough and are an interesting way to deploy on specific topics, for example, to apply expertise. One in six people even listen to a podcast every week. The advantage of a podcast is that people who have tuned in once usually listen to the podcast completely, because they choose a specific moment to listen to it. In addition, a podcast has a long life. The so-called longtail is beneficial for podcasts. They remain accessible for a long time and therefore have a long shelf life unless a podcast responds to current events. A podcast is relatively cheap to make, although you can make it as crazy as you want.

Some tips for making a podcast

• As with any medium: consider what your goal and target audience is.
• Then it is important to think about which story you want to tell about which subject. Also think in a series. Is every podcast different in theme or a theme, but divided into different topics per theme?
• Then you can think about the type of podcast. Most podcasts are in the form of interviews, but stories, reports or backgrounds are also frequently used forms. Often sound effects are added to make it lively.
• Create a script beforehand and test this script beforehand.
• Try to keep speed in your podcast and select on the guests and/or presenter.
• It is also nice to work with good microphones and equipment. That doesn't even have to be very expensive, but you will lose a few hundred euros.
• It is advisable to find a quiet place or a soundproof studio. It can be very frustrating to have to do recordings over and over because you keep getting interrupted. From someone accidentally entering to a noisy truck reversing.
• The final technical tip is to really use headphones. How often does it appear that the recording has not been made and you find out afterwards? Unfortunately very often.
• Fortunately, there is the option of editing afterwards, which must certainly be paid attention to. In addition to cutting out noises or cutting out long phrases, you can boost voices and add music.
• An intro and an outro is also a good idea. You can then publish the podcast via the necessary software and register with Podcasts (iTunes) from Apple or Spotify.

What is an infographic and what's in it for you?

A quick word about the infographic. An infographic is a graphically designed story, often based on data. An infographic makes it easier to explain a process step-by-step or to display complex matters in an overview. We think that creating infographics requires professionals, but there are a number of things to keep in mind if you plan to have an infographic made.

These tips will help you create a briefing

• Think about whether the story is interesting enough for your target audience.
• What do you want to achieve with regard to knowledge, attitude and behavior?
• What is the call to action?
• What is the story to be told?
• Who can test whether the infographic works?
• What are the corporate identity guidelines for the designer?
• What is the tone of voice?
• Is there already a specific drawing style that fits the story and / or your organization?
• Do you use the infographic both online (also think of the mobile view) and offline?

Hopefully we've given you good tips to get started and make your content strategy work.